Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-17

Z ~
the pumping engine at the bottom Of
the shaft. Our new exit said Mr..
Grinding
:" All, indeed; quite right said the
inspector, passing on to lunch. For he
had been late in arriving, and had not
long to give to each of the workings.
Besides there was no one to tell him
the truth = as l would have done If |
had been there"
Very interesting" said Jacob Ro-
mer. Grinding, will you look up
what we owe Mr.. Morris We are plain
business men - a campan yorganized
| for the shameful purpose of earning a
fair return for our money We cannot
afford to transform ourselves, even ct
Mr.. Morris bidding. into General Be-
tnevolence Association for the benefit
of the working classes certainly
/ least Of all with the ashes of thirty
years work lying red about us through
the efforts Of Mr.. Morris friends"
And SO, just as the Triplice had
foreseen. Vic Morris went Town the
street to Kirktown iism ssea man,
with Jacob Romer's cheque in his
pocket.
Half way he met Phil Calmont.
1--WE got the sack" he said: "i' gave
! 1t them hot and strong = to the owner
and all. So they handed me my money
and told me to get out. But my walk
ing has nothing to do with snu. You
know the inside of the Office work
now. You will be needed. They will
give you good salary
"You took me On when was lazy,
useless hound said Phil steadily;
80. If you don't mind, I'll stick to you
now!"
Cali right" cried Vic Morris; mind
its precious little you'll get out Of it.
You are fool for your pains, and SO
tell you. But perhaps one fine day
Iii make an engineer gu. Of you.'
Still, it was the money made by
Jacob CORN at the docks OF Thorsby
that had been utilised to develop the
discoveries of the original Inkob. The
iron lay very deep, and the working
Of it was expensive.
But under his nephew, Jacob Romer
little by little everything had taken
shape He had the great gift of Sc
lecting suitable instruments. For In
stance, he needed James Kahn, be-
cause an INSCRIPTIONS man was .
necessity to him. Hector McKill, a
leading elder in the Valley Kirk, was
one of his chief standbys. He had
chosen him because Scotland Is land
Of pious people, and Hector possess.
ed that repute. But Scotland is also
a country Of uproarous good cheer,
where the bottle circles and where
song and unbound mirth the frigidity
of Calvinistic manners.
For this reason Walter Grinding
was manager of No. 2. Grinding had
no use for prayer meetings. He made
not the faintest pretensions to relig-
ion. So the two managers did not N
any way interfere with each other.
Hector McKill worked the piety wing
of the business, and he did it to per
lection. Walter Grinding did the
| like with the social and hospitable.
! 1t does not do, in the most thriving
concern, to overman any depart
ment
| In the Incubus pits this division IF
! labor did very we'll on the whole. If
it were desired to get rid of any man
who was church member or fire..
quented prayer meetings Mr.. Mana
/ ger Grinding dismissed him. He in
| formed him that he had been taking
up with rantsrs to the neglect of his
| own proper business.
If the undesirable and Improbable
servant cared for none Of these things
| then Senior Manager McKill called
him into his Office. sighed, wrestled
with him in the spirit. even prayed
with him for his souls good. charged
him with "carousing," and finally dis
missed him without character.
And on the whole the men SO dealt
with, when they came to compare
notes. agreed in preferring Grindling's
rough. We've no use for you here
get out of this" to the suaver meth
DDS Of Hector McKill.
AS Phil Calmont went home that
night, once more "out of job, "
though not without a purpose in the
world, he paused and looked at the
dreary mounds Of refuse and shale
spread out everywhere, the complex.
ity of level crossings and multi.col.
CURED railway signals, the tall stag
ings of the pits, with swiftly-spinning
wheels, whirling and reversing as they
wound and unwound the endless steel
cords. Phil had the grit Of imagna
ton and he could see beneath him
the braes of Kirktown before all this
came to pass-the quiet. old fashioned
white-washed hamlet, the serried rows
of the corn stocks. the sky quest
ing BARNS with their mouths stained
with blackberry Juice in the autumn
all now passed away to give place tt
rows on rows Of brickbuilt houses
each exactly the pattern of all the
others, in which iivei, the employees
OF the Incubus OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
pleasureless. almost crushed out OF
the sight of heaven by the vast
mounds of dehli~ which represented
the tailings of the Romer millions
But beyond tl.es, the woods stir
stood up untainted all about--excepl
that is. for dingy skirting of pines
and larches struggling about tho
smelling banks. The lower branches
of these had been burned brown by
the furnace fumes, whereupon one Of
the neighboring landlords. having
threatened proceedings, Jacob Romel
had bought up his property lock
stock and barrel. This, however. was
\ | frin \ =,