The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-01-05
CHAPTER XVIII.

| September, the cornfields all about,
the tops of the nearer stocks a lit
tie smutted by the bank furnaces, men
stood and waited for the end of the
consultation in the big room of ",Fhe
| Offices"
Women sobbed dryly, low in their
| throats without ever putting their
aprons to their eyes Mr.. Romer had
arrived. He was closeted now with
Mr. James Kahn (who knew the pit
| so weld, with Hector McKill and Wal
! ter Grinding the two general man
ayers. s The conference lasted a long
| time, and meantime, down below, men
| and BOYS might be dying. The pitmen
! grew uneasy. They moved toward the
| pifhead as if to make some effort
on their own account, but they sadly
| needed a leader.
The women folk, till now retained
! about the "offices" by the superior con-
| f1dence of the men of the night-shlft,
closed in also. The hours slipped on.
Now and then James Kahn's motor,
with a sudden coughing, followed by
| a long whirr and "whoo," would shoot
out on its way to the telegraph office,
returning to its stand-where the
whole earth about 1t thrilled gently to
! its continuous purring.
It grew dark but that did not mat
ter. It was always dark underground,
and for that pit-folk are prepared.
! Everybody had lanterns, and In the
| mild September night they shone GU
| riously on the white blur which was
| the white waistcoat of Hector Mckill,
! as he promenaded 1t among the ahN-
ious groups, advising them that, since
| they could do no good, they must trust
! in providence, as he was doing. Nelther
thew nor he could reach their men
down below, And he quoted Scripture.
! even as he Crippled commonplaces,
suddenly a woman broke down. Inc
| weird.-unfcrge thrill or the lrlsh
| keen" went out on the still air, nearly
| breaking the hearts OF those Wno
heard it. Grief among the Seo0tish
| women was quieter, more patient, still
er. But even this changed when IL was
| fonnd that all of the men were not 1t
| the nit bottom. Some few-nineteen
| in all-had been in the short cross
workings a little above the spot where
the fire commenced. They were soon
caught. for they had nowhere 10 nee
| for refuge. For them there was nol
even the poor mockery OF a nan
blocked second exit. So, when the nrst
descent of the cage was attempted, the
| fire in these short cross-champers was
| already a smouldering blaze.
Then the bodies began to come up.
Through all Kirktown the news spread
| that they had found them-deao, al
dead. smothered and burned! Ihere
were those who knew better-like VIC
Morris. who came hurrying down WIN
| the two ministers, Benjamin lrohgray'
| and his own host, John Fowler OIL 'he
! Valley Kirk.
| Then the dead carts began to rum
I HE along the dusty ways. The forms
| Of what had so lately been men were
! laid upon them, and they took their
way home And then, with such
| sound as men hardly hear twice from
| human threats in this world, the null
| titude of women, till now restrained,
| suddenly clamored on the wagons, as
/ forlorn hope takes a besieged city,
CRYING aloud for their murdered hus-
| bands.
Most unseemly," said Hector Nc
| XIII. complaining of Providence that
way,"
.Iot o. good It'll do them~ NUT
tered Walter Grinding, less piously.
| But. be it remarked, they did not
| now move so easily about among the
crowd. Curses followed them-curses
Biblical, said between clenched teeth,
| curses which sounded like the pious
Anglers of Israel against the oppressor.
But for once Hector McKil1 had said
| a true word. 1t was unseemly, ana
Mr.. Irongray, the Cameronian minis
| ter. and Mr. Fowler of the Valley klrk,
ran along side and dispossessed the
women with the power of t0eir per
| sons and authority. Reverently they
| laid aside the facecloths-no better
r,ostlv Than rough sack. They iden
tined the poor, mishandled clay, and
go taking reins in hand, drove the
husband home to the Preside he had
| left that morning with the Mondays
| nod of adieu.
IInseemly. of course it was-because
| grief uncontrolled is always unseemly
! And only because such poor peopie
had not learned how to dress thei
emotion. to manage 1t daintily, to nix
| bear,nr-reins upon it, to lead 1t out
| and make it caracole only upon due oc-
| 90 sion-as when visit of confidence
| Is paid. ras-
| ence of that sleek, well-groomed COM
pany gathered in the walnscotteo'
| leather -armedchaired parlor or the IN
| cuhns officesi Only the fierce stare OF
Iacob Romer's insolent, indomita Bile
| ewes. and the grizzled hackle when
stood more upright than ever on his
| head belied the well-meaningness OF
| those the Yet that fierce energy
| was nerbaps the best asset OF the nrm
| and it's advisers.
He listened to the explanations OF
the manage rs-to the suave sugses-
| tiOnS Of his very Jufiioi PIA
| Kahn-who, because or MS snare ~
| +ba proceeds. small though 1t mlgnt
be- had yet set the trap ana pa'e9 !.
| with thirty shillings q week. ou'
| Kahn did not think it worth mentioh-
| ing that there was girl down at the
| bottom-a certain Vida Bryan' Whoih
| the old man with one hlck OF ms pe.
| logged eye had seen as ne droVe pas.
her cottage as fast as two speedy Days
could pull him, or had looked down
| unon from his pew in the Cameronian
kirlx as he murkily surveyed the au-
diance. and quarrelled internally with
the insufficiently sulphuric quality OF
the Reverend Benjamin Irongrays SER
mons.
Tbese four had before them the plans
of the incubus pits-especially that
Of No. pit, where were the lmpris-
| oned men. The senior manager MI
| Hector McKill was, as all knew, a
| Nous man, and he had often prayed
for the spiritual state of those now
nenned below. Only he had blocked
nm the second exit with steam pipes.
Rut his prayers must have been great
comfort to the prisoners at that mo-
,nent. They knew of them, because
Hector McKill always said his prayers
in nublic, pumping them up from MS
large well-fed system with wheez-
Ing noise apparently intended to rep
rasent uncomfortable emotion.
Tbe plans OF No. pit, approved ana
raised by the proper authorities, went
s1owlv from hand to hand. They were
furnished with splendid extra exits,
fire escapes, traps, rests, everything