The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-03-23
DAILY
SORT story
rough the Coal Shortage
ffIopyEight. 1913, By the Mcclure
- sxndieate.1
81 GEORGE VI1.

newspaper syndicate.)
By GEORGE VI1e-
tie nice warm days Of June the
idea of roon4ng and preparing hers
own meals had appealed TO Ethel
Storey 30 she rented q two-roomedj
aIartment ana established her Nttlei
sehold: It was an airy place andi
an summer she enjoyed it, but whenl
e cold weather came on she found
she had problem before her.
me only means OF heating the rooms
from little coal stove, and when
one doesn't understand the manage'I
Inent of q coal stove and is depandentI
IDon Il there IS trouble ahead. But
EheI learned to manage it at last and
would have been fairly comfortable all
inter had not the coal shortage come
on Because there was scarcely room
Tor the things she had in her roons.
she had not been able to buy coal In
angthing but small quantities.
Ths dealer from whom she had been
eetfng the coal announced that they
were sold clean out and there was none
70 be produced until shipping condi
lions improved leaving her in guam
daTy.
For week she managed to get
along by burning charcoal, but when
she came to figure up accounts at the
end Of the week she found that the
charcoal was costing her nearly as
much as She earned. She would have
TO try something else, she told herself.
ana then she remembered the old tree
n the backyard, that had been blown
down IN the big storm that had caused
the railways to be tied up and had
mainly been the cause OF the inability
OF her roads TO carry through coal to
supply the consumers. The tree most
likely belonged to, the city, but it
would be jest as cheap to pay a fine as
to burn charcoal she reasoned, as she
put oa her coat and armed herself
vita hammer to begin work, con
Verting the maple into firewood-
After Marty I'VE minutes hard labor.
She decided that a hammer wasn't a
very good substitute for an axe
cant help you?" Ethel heard some
one say and looked Up to see Leo
Delaney who occupied the front suite
on the first floor, smiling down at her
con. Mr.. Delaney, I'm trying to chop
AreWood," She explained with a laugh
as She attempted to straigften her
hafr. II haven't bit Of coal and
won't be able to get any for some time
This tree Just simply refuses to
break up"
cit Is too green to burn. anyway.
he said, as he examined the wood
HEfowcver, II it would burn you
wouldn't be able to chop enough with
that hammer to last ten minutes
'What am going to do?' she asked
In pe-plexity. "I'li have to move some
place else where the heating is looked
amer
ct would be a pity to have you Go
that have plenty Of coal and I could
lei vou have some until supply comes
10 the city"
.sFSo s. won't. The hrm that WORK
for keeps me supplied with coal.
am specially privileged.
They would not care to have you
give Il to me" she said obviously
sThey wouldn't miss little BIZ EN {,
that. and besides I have right to II.
gfhel did not ask him to explain ms
rieh4 hut she felt that if he said SO II
SEonId be all right to accept the coai.
Re kent her fire we'll supplied aiseF
chat and many time when he caTrie9
Seuttle up the stairs to her, ne stay
Fl "a chat. He was an interestlng
ISo,,np, man she found. and wondered
,.-6,, she hadn't taken more notice OF
nm beSore. Now that she came TO
tS,i,,t- of It he had always seemed
snTious to become better acquainted
yyi+5 her and often when they mao
.,58en in the street car together sne
I,ad not even smiled at HIM Soneho"
~ Ilad looked upon him as an 1GnoH-
SaSf man. but he was far from tnat.
TI,e MACK hands and face that she mad
Totieed he generally came home with
- Ii.eIv given her this impression
sSzi5.,Tl he was dressed up he looked IKE
+sS5Ig gentleman. It vas not long al
Ter he started bringing her coal
She discovered that he had oeen
college. Why in the world was 3 q
soIIeS man doing caenlal WORK. sns
ssd herself time and again.
sThe little coal that did come 20 Tue
was soon distributed and coo'o
"a sold % eonsanr0r1 IN less tnAA'
,STter ton lots, so as the wes went
- was stIl keeping Ethel suQpn-
one evening she came home ana
that her scuttIe was empty ana
ss5,,rs low. she waited for Leo to
1900 for nearly half an hour ana
- vent 10 the first floor in search
8 I,l4Is There was no response to neE
~ the door Of his suite. and she
~ nat he had not got IN. That
strange, for her had never been 50
AS she waited In her room
enine for the front door to open
announce his arrival, She picked
- evening paper which she haS
ht With her.
IIS,eSl 1Iay1 Arrested for Goa