Catoctin clarion., 1917-10-25
HUNGRY HILL
A BY WALTER JOSEPH DE- -
m CANEY. n


They called the elevated stretch just
north of Elsden Hungry Hill," and 1t
was not a misnomes Certainly there
We're hungry people there, men, WON.
en- and children to the number of over
hundred, housed in ramshackly
structures that had not seen paint for
full decade, with leaky roofs and
loose windows and doors and fast 60
ing to decay and disintegration.
Esdon was not manufacturing
town, but ten years back Il rascal!
promoter had raided the place, plaus
IDLY affecting to turn the busy wheels
of industry and bring trade and profit
to the wealthy citizens who were in
duced to invest in the stock of the ex
ploitation. A site was donated, long
rambling One-Story factory building
was constructed and the River Novelty
company came into existence. Fifty
workmen and their families were in
duced to move from the East ano
houses were built for them. The plant
manufactured hardware novelties
started. halted for lack of capital, and
it was then learned that the promoter
had appropriated most of this and hao
absconded
The old investors refused to put In
another dollar. The plant was locked
up and the workmen were left strand
ed. Some Of them sought work else
where. The majority, however, re
@l,o ~lI npI-,
found desultory work at road making
throughout the district, some becam'
itinerant chore men, doing odd jobs
about Flsdon. Some did not work at
all. Everything was deplorablc. from
the raising of poorly nOuriSh"d chill
dren to the loss of ambition amoAg the
stranded caStaways. They We're more
than that-taboo, to the highly civilized
better class of the lower town.
Hungry as We're the deniZens of Hun
gry Hill, they were not too famiShed
to ignore an unfortunate human dcre
lict who drifted their way one colo
wintry evening, a man poorly clad and
with face expressive of pain and de
privaton. He had slipped across a
hummock of ice on the ill-kept street
and had sprained his ankle. Kindly
hands carried him to the nearest house
1t was that Of widow with four chill
dren.
Mrs. Martha Boyd was a huXom,
heartSome creature whose husband
had died. leaving her with no means
hn hnA ,1u
and had gathered up enough to start
her in very limited grocery business
The two elder children, boys OF
eleven and thirteen, picked up occa'
sionAl dimes and quarters doing odd
chores about ElSdon. The mother was
thrifty. popular and always happy
tempered.
Matt WaldrOn, rover, half-tramp was
cared for pityingly. He told Mrs. Boyd
he was homeless and had seen better
days. So he was given a room in the
house end became Il fixture in the husi.
hess. The children liked him and his
respectful ways Won the esteem of the
widow.
Matt took vast interest in all the
poor souls about town. He tidied him.
self up at his best. There was a meet,
ing of the Sclcctmen at Edison and be.
fore them he appeared. He told them
of the INDECENT and Ill at Hungry Hill
He shaved them how 1t would not take
much to fix up the old plant. Osiers
and reeds grew all along the river. He
knew nsidcrable about basket weav.
Ing. If the town would put in certain
machinery and tusn over free lease
of the plant and the tillable land ad'
joining 1t to the community, he would
answer for working up business that
would give lucrative employment tG
the poor souls around him and lift
them from the miro.
"If YOU won't do that" added Matt,
when he noted the Indifference In the
faces of his auditors, turn over the
plant and its ten-acre site to me, pro.
vided find some enc willing to put up
the capital to operate it,"
There was no objection to this. The
original investors were glad to get rid
Of an elephant on their hands. They
doubted his ability to produce results,
but agreed to help him out.
And now Matt Waldron, the rOust.
shout, the crdo-well, began to de.
velop. His hacker was methodical
old man who left the direction of af.
fairs to Matt, to whom he had taken
great fancy.
The machinery was ordered, the old
plant renovated. Gangs were sent
down the river to cut the material
needed a flatboat purchased to float
the finished ware to market and first
ten, then twenty and finally fifty hands
were employed at good wages at the
plant.
"ir. Waldron. you're regular ma
gcianw declared tic widow, as Matt
showed her over the plant, alive with
the buzz and hustle of practical indus
try.
"And what is that?" she inquired, as
with shining eyes Matt took up a black
clumsy lump from his office desk.
"New luck, grand luck, Mrs. Boyd!"
proclaimed Matt, with an exultant ring
Ill HIS lOlltS. 'bNi, tollS VI IT, 'ii'u
sands Of tons. Iy accident in digging
well struck vein ten feet down on
the factory grounds. Hungry Hill Is a
vast coal bin and we're rich-my part
ncr-the whole communication all
shall share in the fine fortune kind
fate has sent to as
1t was true, and Hungry Hill BIOS
somed from idlenesS into industry and
from penury into epulence. And all
joined in giving Matt an1 his bride n
grand ovation after Mrs. Boyd had
said Eyes"
Copyright, 1917, Westcrn Newsra per Union)