Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-10-20
The LADY IN THE
COAL Mine

"
ishly dressed young woman standine
on the track by the box car loader.
! "Mr. Gronoway?" she chirrupeo'
|. extending a gloved hand to the soo.y
one of the mine boss reluctantly neio
; out. 80,
"The same, ma'am," said Dan win
the air of a man to whom time is
money. -.
J INV name is Ethel Hunter" sne
said. in a friendly way. Il am tray.
] cling representative for the Ladies
: Delight. a beautiful pubhcatioh' anu
J when | sell so many copies get a
teachers course free in the uni
versity." ,.,.s
"yes'm." was the foreman's brief
as he began edging on.
Il want to go down in the NINE,
1.-THE del mean, yes'm,' SAID Dan'
recovering himself.
when car | go?"
"Ye can't go at ALL
"But l have a written order from
Mr.. Thurston, the manager"
Then let Mr.. Thurston come ana
show we around"
The young looked with
troubled eyes into the stern race OF
the foreman.
81 heard you we're such a nice man,
she said.
'They be telling lies OF me-" re-
turned Dan, though no unkindiy.
But. look a here, Miss-er@
Hunter"
Miss Hunter-it's as dark as =
stack of black cats down there, n
there be mule trains whizzing by
every blessed minute, and the o
entries has got water in 'em n there
be rats as big as cats"
The young woman burst into tears.
Several men had gathered around,
during the colloquy and looked SYM
pathizingly at tho fair petitioner.
and l wanted to be a teacher, so
as to support my poor old mother and
little brothers and sisters!" she
sob5ed.
A slight framed, wiry man touched
the foreman on the arm.
I'll go with her, Dan," he whis-
pered.
The good samaritan was Jack Rich
ards, a shot frer. The young woman
with a big family responsibility wiped
her eyes and looked gratefully at the
slight framed knight. BY a con-
temptuous shrug of his shoulders Dan
indicated the washing Of his hands
in connection with the whole fool
business, and returned to his wire
cable.
splitting the air above the engine
room of No. s the next morning the
lady with a mission appeared at the
tipple and sought her cavalier. She
was attired in a coarse black gar
ment and wore, a heavy shawl over
her head, but it did not hide seduc-
tive little curls which peeped out over
the white forehead.
At the bottom Jack filled and hand
ed her a pit lamp, which she took
gingerly and transported at arms
length. The shot firer loaded her
with advice, which she took with muir.
murs of gratitude.
When they got out on the far en-
tries, where the miners were at work
the lady proceeded to business.
In most of the rooms it was not
necessary to go into details about the
widowed mother and little children
before the dollar came for the Ladies'
Delight. Where they didn't have the
money, she took an order on the treas
urer. Not a man baked. 1t would
look mean, they thought, to turn down
a handsome lady who had defied the
horrors of the underground world to
visit them.
The woman solicitor had a way of
talking which made each man think
she had gone down on purpose to see
him. They had never heard of the
Ladies' Delight, and wouldn't have
known it from an almanac of the
vintage of '76, but they did know this
young woman knew how to talk, and
that she was brave and pretty.
At the end of the second day, when
a complet haul had been made in the
mine, Miss Hunter turned to her es
cort.
Il guess you think 1t funny, Mr.
Richards" she said, that | go down
in the mine after men to sell them a
woman's paper rather than see theiI
wives, who are up on earth"
ut did look a little odd at first" re
piled the sho.-firer, but | believe
know the reason now
The lady smiled.
Il began in the mines of Wyoming
she said, 'and then through Kansas
I've been in every mine in this dis
{ trict. Out there at 81, where the,
employ Italians and negroes who can
read, over half of them subscribed. Il
I'd worked them on top l wouldn't
, have taken six subscriptions. Now
you've been good to me, my friend
and l."
Don't mention it." said Jack, back
ing off.
She was reaching into her handbas
where she kept her money.
Yes, sir. she said, firmly, 81 will