White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-20
PEWTER BULLETS

1"iiSte. Nuen the WO-
men OF a county began to do that
look out,
It's an awe-inespiring process to
"dtch- this melting of the pewter.
iou may see it done by dropping
INTO the bare little shop on the street
moor OF an Office building just a
olock or SO off State street. You
know the place by the flag that hangs
outside. The flag gives it the look
OF a recruiting Office. That's what it
ls-a recruiting office. If there were
a sign outside it might read some
thing like this:
Men and women wanted between
Inc ages of one and one hundred. to
Join the United States Army of Pro-
gressive Hard work. No pay. In
quire within"
The recruiting officers within are
found to be; one Bona Eide Countess
looking wonderfully boyish and trim
ana uneountesslike in a severe black
suit and untrimmed hat; one Brand
New Bride with a fluffy feather thing
about her throat; one B~usiness-like
Young Woman in Brown. They are
there to answer questions, dispense
progressive literature. sell Progress
siye certificates and stamp and adorn
all corners with a Moose pin or but
ton. Day after day. week after week.
they pledged their time and energy
until the elections in November.
And there are plenty of %pleasanter,
more frivolous pastimes for Bona
Eide countesses, and Brand New
Brides, and ~Businesslike Young Wo-
men in Brown to do. than to sit all
day long in a dark. stuffy, bare little
downtown store room. melting down
pewter for bullets.
The merest accident sent me there.
a conversation overheard - no
shamelessly and openly listened to.
in a fashionable tea room. When
you want to know what's going to be
worn text week, you go to that tea
room. They're wearing it there this
week. At the next table sat a frivo-
lous looking blonde person in blue
serge and one of those sneaky look
ing little hats they're wearing. With
her was a plump, matronly. eye
glassed women. They are drinking
countless cups of tea, eating
squares of delicious looking buttered
toast and talking-what do you
think? By all the laws of custom.
superstition. and feminity they
should have been discussing the
superiority of the plated skirt over
the panier. But no. They were talk
ing politics. Aggressive, Progress
siye politics. They We're talking of
a wonderful system they had helped
perfect that day-a system whereby
women We're to be given a chance to
help in the cause of Progressiyism
! leaned over.
where is this place."
The little blonde in the skittish
hat showed no surprise or displea-
SURF at being addressed by an I'M
known. That is a new bond of sister
hood that a common interest is weav-
ing for women. She told me.
And you'll know it by the flag
that hangs outside"
1t was a wonderful thing TO watch
the men and women who came into
that recruiting ofiie There came
first a cocky little messenger boy. In
his hand was a message marked
Rush"
Say, gimme one of them buttons,
will your" He pinned it on his coat,
stepped outside the door to survey
the Rooseyelt-Johnson pictures in
the window, remembered his rush
message, and trotted off.
A man hobbled in. He walked
with the wooden. uncertain gait of
one whose spine is wrong. There
was about him the look of the man
out-of-a-job.
I'm a eornice worker he *
planned, apologizing for his very ex-
istenee, Il got hurt a year ago. My
back. I'll get a job as soon as my
feet get to acting right. III buy II
of them certificates as soon as | get
the job, but here's a nickel. It's all
| got"
He showed his nickel over the
counter to the Bona Eide Countess.
She took it, wide-eyed. He shuffled
out.