Warren sheaf., 1910-02-24
An Unofficial
s:>o>& Strike +
b " u N A HU d S ON
Copyright. BY Short Stories Co.. Ltd.)

Dennis Murphy banged his dinner
| bucket down on the kitchen table.
The strike is on" he said. And he
| looked hard at Maggie, his wife, for
she had a most unreasonable habit
| of saying disagreeable things when
! the men were ordered out, and the
| rent was overdue. and there was nc
money to satisfy the demands OF
butcher and grocer
But then Maggie was woman and
could hardly be expected to appre.
| ciate the manifest advantages of be
! longing to the union. She scowled
| fiercely over the sum of money that
Dennis turned into the unions treas.
ury every pay day, and in moments OF
extreme irritation she had even
been known to calculate the pounds
of meat and potatoes that the money
would buy. And she had hinted more
than once that, but for the union, she
could live like a lady and hold UP
her head with the best of them. AS II
was she took in washing to fill up the
gap In the weekly income.
An what's the trouble now?" she
asked with considerable asperity.
Dennis shuffled uneasily."
I'VE want an eight-hour day." he
mumbled. Maggie ironed towel
With short vicious strokes of her fiat
IRON, and Dennis wished that the sill.
ver-tongued agitator who had ordered
the strike could be there to convince
ner OF the business of their cause.
Sne was so obviously in a bad humor
and not inclined to listen to reason.
An is it eight hours ye want?" she
cried, emphasizing her words with
thlumps of, her iron. Eight hours
work for a strappin' big man like yer,
self. Dennis Murphy! It's lazy ye
are An them unions has too many
grievances altogether, that they have" ."
Which was not at all nice speech for
the wife Of a loyal union man to
make.
Eight hours work is enough for
any man." Dennis protested.
/ An for any woman? How about
the women, Just answer me that, Den
mis- Murphy"
And Dennis thoughtlessly conceded
tnat woman should not work longer
ehan eight hours day Whereat Mag
gle smiled calm, wise smile that
should have warned him of trouble
ahead
An what'll we live on the time the
strikes on?" 1t was a question Mag
gle had often asked in the eight years
OF her married life, and she well
knew Dennis answer, for it had never
varied.
Sure, and ye won't mind takin' in
a bit of extry washin'. Maggie. darlin',
just to help us along till l do be
earnin'' M 1oney agin'."
Maggie thought she minded verv
much indeed, but she held her peace
ana the next morning Dennis noted
with great satisfaction that the wa sh
boiler stood Oh the back OF the stove
and Maggie seemed to be making
preparations for al large day Us work. {
Sure and I'll not begin till ye're
out OF the house, Dennis She said;
,%The1 steam do be unpleasant" J
And Dennis, as he went off to dis.
cuss matters with his fellow strikers
reflected that If all other wives ACCEPT,
ed the rsitqation <in as proper a spirit.
as Maggie did the strike was like Ito.
be huge success.
Maggie [marshaled Molly and
young Dennis and the baby into the
kitchen
The strike is. on" she announced
an It's bath yell be afther hayin'"
And the children gasped, for strike"
they understood, but to their unaccus.
toned ears bath had a most terri.
lying sound. And their mothers
preparations filed their small souls
with dread, for she had filled the bic
wash tub with water, hot and cold:
and she laid violent hands upon her
offspring and stripped, them Of. their
Clothes 49,, ~
An it's 'drownded we'll be- Molly
walled in terror, as she began to com
prehend her mothers intentions con
cerning them.
Sure said Maggie in deep dis.
gust, AN it's ignorant little, brats ;ye
are not to know a bath when We see
one. There do be people as takes one
livery day." j.
And from sheer inability to answer.
50 astounding a statement the chill
dren were quiet while their mother;
soaped and scrubbed and rubbed ana
for lack of bath towel, stood them
TO dry before the; kitchen ,stovve.* And
she combed their hair, not in the
-sketchy, everyday way, but with "a
thoroughness that brought tears to
their eyes. Then, wonderful to{reIate
she sewed the rent in Molly s frock
and darned4 the knees OF = Dennis
stockings and replaced missing but
tonsj RI ri beji2<0~y9(. E;o
Now be off wild ye," she said. For
'onceIye1f go1toi school Elookin' 3as ye'
should" i {
j-jThen she picked up the baby; from
the kitchen floor. "Ye'll not playl in;