The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-09-28


connected himself with the speaking.
tube again.
Make q sign, Brown" he said
telling the men that our whistle is
Jigging-what woodland that for
the ensuing three weeks, until our
own is thoroughly cooled, they will
listen for the whistles of adjacent
factories. Put it on the same post"
There's no ROOM" Brown chuckled.
Then take another post. There's
plenty of posts" said Rigby, going
back to his newspaper
Danny got another little idea, too.
His fireman had to cart out ashes
big sheetiron wheelbarrow, and the
way lay over the cobblestones under
the window of little Rigby's office.
Just before Otis died, he bought
Danny a fine new wheelbarrow for
the purpose, for the old one was loose
in the joints and pretty rickety gen.
orally, and when a nan was pushing
her she sounded moro than anything
else like a carload OF tinware being
struck by lightning.
But two or three days after the
whistle stopped work, Danny-he's a
tender-hearted feller-Danny got a
sentimental feeling for the old wreck
and dragged her out of the scrap heap
and set his fireman wheeling ashes,
back and forth, back and forth, back
and forth, till the din sent Rigby 10
the speakinG-tube once more.
Brown he cried, what on earth
ails that wheelbarrow?"
Ripe old age" answered Brown.
well, does it have to make that
noise?"
"The poor thing can't speak and
tell u.s." chuckled the old gentleman
Il presume it does"
We'll. it's enough to drive a man
mad" said Rigby. "Tll have it stop
ped, except when I'm out Of this Of
fee. Listen! You make another sign,
reading like this: 'Workmen are pos
itively prohibited from carting coal
and ashes without obtaining permis-
sion from the superintendent Nail it
up" -..
Another sign!" mnttered Brown.
Rigby didn't come back that noon
time, but he sent a boy to Brown
with note, saying that he had a
severe headache, and would the fac
tory kindly try to run without him till
the following morning.
He took his time getting there the,
following morning, too, and by the
time he finally did arrive the boss had
come in in fury.
What under the sun is the matter?
Why is the factory shut DOWN." he
demanded of Brown.
TOO many signs" snickered Brown.
"The last of them being the most re-
sponsible."
What do you mean?"
We'll, to put it another way, want
of coal is keeping us from running. %
Goal! Great Scott!" shouted the
boss. You had 60 tons last week,
What's Rigby doing with it? Eating
it?"
81 haven't seen him at it," said
Brown, speaking slowly and distinct
ly and enjoying every word. "But
he forbade any man to touch
the pile without his permission, and
he hasn't been here since yesterday
noon. The boilers were cold at six
o'clock"
Brown, Brown, Brown!" groaned
the old man. Had you no more sense
than to follow fool orders like that?"
"Why, bless mel" said Brown,
looking at him squarely with his in
nocent old eyes, isn't it one of the
new notions? One of the latest wrin
kles in acid manufacture? I'm doing
my best to cooperate"
"And what wretched idiocy is this %
he said, pointing to the new sign, and
then to the others, with his cane.
What are they doing here?"
'Mr. Rigby's orders"
WE'LL" said the boss. And there
he had to stop, for the situation was
too much for even his extended vo-
cabulary.
When he got breath he said:
There's another sign in your hand,
Brown. What is it,"
"Well-oh, that?" stammered Brown
going red.
Lets see it." said the boss. What
ever it is, heaven knows it can be no
worse than the others"
And with that he took it and read
this: