Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-24

the corncern too much at heart to
spend penny needlessly. have
never done it in my life! You go else
where and farther with your con
scientious' approval"
Il know. Grinding know" said
Hector McKill, touched almost to
tears to think that he had wronged
| his friend. For. strangely enough,
| these gentry had among them
selves a species of honor, which was
not without certain controted nobil-
| ity. They were working not for them,
selves, but for the firm--cheating, ~
ing, deceiving, risking the lives Of
hundreds of men, putting UP prices,
and cutting down wages, all for the
honor, glory, and profit of Incubus,
Romer & Co.. the firm which they had
served all their lives.
But all that year there was in the
under world of the workings great
doubt and uncertainty. This came to
a head after the fire, and the dismissal
of Vic Norris. Vague impressions and
vain hopes were reused by the
whispered name of that distant entity
called Parliament. Some thing was
wrong down below Everybody knew
that. Yet they did Vic Morris will,
as it was expressed privately through
this forenoon, and that inspector OF
ways. They knew it was the dismiss
ed engineers will that they were do
ing. But they would have died rather
than own it.
Yes, there was something wrong
with the pits-not dating a hundred
years back, stood full Of water. ready
| TO No ~, o,,I f1,of l,,,
chance stroke of pick would flood
the whole series from end to end,
leaving not living soul within.
Others. who had worked in distant
Englisn mines where the dread fire
damp follows the tlre-blast along de,
vastated passages, declared that they
had seen the little detached bluest
flame, which tells of a mine becoming
fiery, lowering above their lanterns.
Others mad tales OF ponies which. hav-
ing once lain down, rose never more.
And there were tally-boys and gate,
boys who would not have taken nap
on the sly for a hundred pounds-so
much they feared the invisible gas,
heavy as water, the drinking of watch
was death.
Still, at six Of the morning in every
second house. down all the endless
blocks of the Incubus pit rows--num-
bered from A to Q-hundreds of men
and boys sto!idly got themselves ready
for their days work, In the strait
little tagged kitchens they breakfast
ed, a father with his boys, or brother
with hrother-those who did not know
them would have said & little doggedly
somewhat sullenly. At least, little
was said. Silence is particularly a
morning virtue among Scottish work
ingfolk And this not the less. that,
at Kirktown, many we're waits and
strays from half the workings of the
three kingdoms these being especial
ly plentiful in pit No. 3--the sinking
of which was not yet completed. These
''sinkersh had the name of wild lot,
even fer Kirktown. And the staid men
Of pit No. 2-Scots of the old faith.
and Cornishmen of the people called
Wesleyans" expected nothing less
tnan that judgment should fall on
them for their language during the
week. and their behavior on Saturday
nights. Because Of the "sinkers" the
Kirktown police had TO be increased.
Yet, in spite of all, the lesson of Job
held true, And it was not on them
that the tower of Sloan fell, for all
their frequent sacrifices to Bacchus
and other divinities even less reput-
able.
AS each miner in the blocks got