The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-07-07
A
FLYER
in COAL
ICopyrighted by Short Stories Co, Ltd
BY ARTHUR M. CHASE


Stand over against the window, son,
ny, for I've brought contagion. Is the
boss in? Yes? Then just wait till
give him a scare"
There was a heavy tread across the
floor and a shrewd, rudy face under a
battered derby bat peered in at me,
My visitor, with an elaborate air o.
caution, advanced slowly, disclosing
underneath the ruddy face a weather,
beaten overcoat buttoned up to the
chin. and beneath that again a weather,
beaten, skinny skirt, worn however
with the untrammeled grace of a pair
of trousers.
"Come in, Mrs. McGonigle," | cried.
"Glad to see you. How are your"
up and dom" she replied, extend.
Ing a big, mittened hand. 81 was just
after warnin' your boy, for three
quarters of me family is down wild the
whoopin'cough. The balance, me old
man, is in the hospital along wild
Jerry McCafferty on account of an ar.
gument on the coal question. He's
dom nicely, thank we. Yes, McCaffer-
~ got all hat was comm to him; but
the end of II was the two of them
threw each other into the hold of the
Peaceful Stream and there was some
damage done In the shape of broken
bones. Me old man broke an arm and
a rib; Jerry, he broke an arm and
two ribs. Yes, it's a bad thing to have
the purvider Of a poor family smashed
that way. But" said Mrs. McGonigle,
sitting down and liberating a sigh that
fiuttered the papers on my desk,
that amt ALL"
mara, it was Just the limit. | outs wild
me scissors and cuts off me hair.
There wasn't much of 1t, but | hated
to lose It. And | sneaked ashore wild
a pair OF McGonigle's pants in a news
paper. In a tennymint house | made
a change and went on uptown wild
me petticoat in the newspaper. And
me a decint, middle-aged woman.
Where was | goin'? To the Offices
OF the Wyomin' Valley railroad. Ard
who should | go to see? Sure, the
main ~gazeyboo, the president himself.
SO | into the big Offices and past all
them little scribblin' clerks to a glass
door marked president" and widout
bein' asked, In I stepped.
"'Who let you In here9' says a
sharp lookin' Teller behind a desk. I
cant see anyone. I'm very busy
I'm lookin' for Mr.. Courtenay.
president of the Wyomin' Valley rail.
road. Are you him?' SEES l.
Eyes SEES he, very snappy.
"'Well, Mr.. Courtenay.' l SEES. me
name is McGonigle, Jack McGonigle,
captain of yer canal boat Charity.
Just thought I'd run up and see II
there was anythin' We wanted done.
I'm a willin' man for work. I SEES.
well. he hardly looked at me.
"'See Mr.. Wilson of the lighterage
department he ses. scratchin' away
wild a pen.
81 laid me hand on the door knob;
but thinkln' that as long as I'd come
I'd make all the impression I could, !
asks very perlite:
"'Where is Mr.. Wilson. sirf'
Il thought he'd fly over the top of
the desk at me.
go out into that Office he bawls,
land ask, ask, ask
THANK ye, SIR ses I. And I'd
opened the door when he gives a yelp:
"'Great heavens. who cut yer hair
for yer
II put up me hand like a shot and
there was a fstful Of 1t that me scis.
sors had skipped, hangin' over me coat
collar. | gave 1t a quick twist. like
q woman would, and felt for a hairpin.
And then-ye could have knocked me
over wild a poke Of yer finger.
VIVA In thunder!' ses the presi-
dent, staring wild all his eyes.
Il got hold of meself.
"'Me barber Is an Eyetalian'-I be-
gins. but he begins to smoker. And
the harder I looked at him the worse
he snickered.
I've seem TO see somethin' funny
I ses. But he only kept on snickerin'.
"'Ye may be the president of q rail-
road SEES and l don't forget yer
place or mine; but don't me gigglin' at
me. I'm an honest and respectable
man. SEES, and I'd ask We not to be
lsnickerin' at me. Mr.. Courtenay. Cut
IT. | ses. "A workingman has feelin's
as well as We. II he's a man.
And wild that me petticoat fell out
lof the newspaper.
Il got out of that place somehow.
and stamped out t o the elevator wild
all the clerks stasin' at me. And never
q word.
TWAS the next day I read a piece
in the paper about the coal famiae In
|Bayport. a place a bit OF the way up
the sound: how the schools was closed
and the churches runnin' wild one serv-
ice a week and the people put to It
to keep warm vic gas and oil and
wooden sidewalks.
Nov. here's the foolishness OF the
railroads. ses |, 'hGldin' boat,oads and
boatloads Of coal down here IN New
York, when there's a place like Bay
port where they want it bad, and