Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-02

obstruction by the water II the
breathing ceased
Opposite on the tableland, the VIII
lage of the Two Hundred and Forty
seemed deal also The project Of
Lille had come the gendarmes had
| secured the roads but, confronted
| with the peaceful attitude Of the
miners, they were obliged to with
! draw. Never had the village given so
! splendid an example 10 the vast plain.
The men, in order to keep away
/ from the beershOp, slept the whole
! day, the women, locked in their "a
! tons Of coffee. became less quarrel
/ some, more sensible and quiet, and
! even the children seemed to under
| stand, for they ran about barcfOOted
| ana Whacked each other without
! noise. The password repeated from
! mouth to mouth was Let us be rea-
! sonable."
There was, nevertheless a constant
/ coming and going at the Maheus.
| stephen. by virtue OF his secretary
1 shlp had distributed the 1000 francs
I OF the provident found among the
| most necessitous families: he had
also received few hundred francs,
the proceeds Of subscriptions and col
lecuons But now all their resources
seemed exhausted; the miners had no
more money 20 keep on the strike. the
wolf was at their doors, threateningly
| showing his teeth. Margrat after
| having promised credit for u fort
nigh, had suddenly changed his mind
| az the end Of a week. and stopped the
supplies, refusing the men even bread.
! As u rule, he took his Instructions
I ~ nv .gVt,t 3 -
/ ter wished TO have done with the
! thing as quickly as possible by starry
! ing the villagers into submission. Be
sides he played the capricious tyrant.
| giving or refusing food according to
the attractiVeness of the ambassa
dress sent by her parents To the
Maheus he had closed his door with
out appeal as If to punish them for
not having sent Catherine to him.
For the last week. then. thew had
been living upon the money distrib-
uted. But now that the cash box Of
the fund was empty. how were they
10 get hread' To make things worse.
"a severe frost had set In. the women
saw the stock Of coal grow less. and
We're worried by the thought that il
would not be renewed at the pits
mouth while the men did not go down.
nen they would not only he dying
| with hunger, they would be frozen 10
/ death besides. At the Maheus they
were already short OF everything The
LevaQues still managed to drag along.
! thanks to piece of 20 francs lent by
Bouteloup As for the Pierrons they
! We're All right. but in oruer to appear
as badly off as the rest, lest they
/ should try to borrow. they went on
/ trust at Margrat's. who would have
! given the whole of his shop to La
! Plcrronne, If she had only asked for
1 H. Since last Saturday many fami-
lies had gone to bed supperless. But
| though confronted with the terrible
| days about TO commence for them. no
! one complained: an obeyed the pass
| word given to them with unobtrusive
| furtitude
In spite Of everything there reigned
AN absolute confidence around Ste
/ phen a religious faith. the blind sub
mission of a ppple OF believers Since
he had told them that an era Of us-
tice was at hand they were ready Ia
suffer i'm the struggle for universal
happiness Hunger turned their heads,
as IL We're Never had the hitherto
closed horizon offered more bound
less vision of happiness to these poor
fanatics exalted by their hardshps
When their eyes grew dim from
weakness they beheld the ideal city
of their dreams. but close al hand
and real this time. with its brother
hood ~ Workers It's golden age OF
labor and the daily repast partaken
of Boz common by an Nothing SHOOK
their conviction as to their entering
upon this city at last The fund was
exhausted the company would not
give i'm, every day would aggrayato
/ their situation, and still they did nor
give up hope They smiled contempt
uousN at existing facts When the
very ground should open az their feet
jO swallow them up. even then some
miracle would happen TO save them
irom destruction This faith replaced
food and keeps them warm When
Il '1t MaHeuS and others had too quick
II lN dierstcj their watery soup. they
fen. aS il were into "a semi trance. il
was thc the certainty of a better life
witch made the martyrs OF old throw
iAeW~elNc, into the lions den
Heu,eiorth stephen was their un-
Questioned leader In the converse
lions that took place each evening
ue became am oracle in proportion ii
hs studies refining his inner man. He
WAS constantly reading, he received Il
great number of letters. he had even
subscribed to The Pru.etaire. a Social.
.suc sheet published in Belgium, and
this paper. The first ~ its kind that
ever entered the village, had gained
him. ora the part OF his fellow worl,
men, au extraordinary consideration
tiIs GroWlng popularity intoxicated
him, wrapped him In a state Of de-
lEhtu. ecstasy To carry on an eN-
itu~lNt correspondence To emit n :