The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-08-02

loyed.
~The engine Is all right, Mr.. Finne.
gan. She raised fifteen pound, sir,
right away sir" He spoke In a tone
Of Difference that bordered on the OBJ,
seQEious. rs it amy assistance, sir,
could be to you in gettin' thin poor
babes and their mothers abooard the
cars, STRIP
For the second time in half an hour
T1nnegan got all ready to blow up.
and thea f1xzled like q wet firecrack-
or. Inexperienced as he was. he knew
nothing 10 worse for discipline than
exhibition Of the white feather.
Eyes, come ahead. and DOM stand
ali day talking about IT," he snapped,
and beckoned to the committee OF one,
and the rest followed, like sheep after
bellwether. From the tones In which
those flamboyant matrons talked 1t
was evident their hearts were full OF
confidence and hope and cheer. Riley
walked discreetly behind the suDerin-
tendent. He failed to suppress entire
Iy gurgling sound Ia his throat. Fin
negan whirled upon him.
you getting the Hhooping cough
too?" he snarled.
"iSo. sir-excxse me sir--the hurry
took me breath a bit, SIR Riley
wheezed and FASTENED to blow his
nose in big. red handkerchief with
which he completely covered his fea-
lures during the process.
F1nnegan stalked on. They reached
the mouth of the shaft Riley hustled
over TO the engine and spent min
ute behind 1t.
She's got twenty pound, sir" he
bubbled effusiveiy. tits enough to jerk
the whole bunch up the shaft and
throw them over the shed sir. It's
fine trip down yen be having. sir. Be
like the ladies' never seen the inside cf
a iron mine before: and it'u be the
grand sight for the kids. anre enough.
No dombt-"
"Shut your neadl" Finnegan roar
ed
Riley shut Off toe flow Of his Ian
guage for only an instant, while he
blew his nose once more. Then he
turned his attention to the gaily gear
ed ladies of Hungary.
'-Take 1t easy be admonished.
/ "Yez'il all get down. Ths car won't
hold bat fifteen 1t oncet. IT'S the
grand time yen all be havin' down
there; bat there's plenty Of time. And
better man ye couldn't have for pr
lotin' the ladies and childer.~
Whereupou the explosion that had
threatened took place. Perhaps Riley
had meant nothing at all By bis praise
of his chief. Perhaps F1nnegan was
wrong in taking It az an lnsinuation
that LIE could manage y party Of wo-
men and babies better than he could
manage mine. Bat he took 1t that
way just the same.
You're discharged. Riley!,' na
Numbered. Discharged you hear.
Your duties win end the moment I've
got this cackling bunch out OF that
hole"
Sure. Mr. F.pnegan." Riley stu
managed to remain sauve. "TIl be
figurin' out me tonne to the minute
while we're entertaining the parity,
And the first car being filled to ca
pacity F1nnegan got aboard 1t with all
the dignity he cosld muster.
A moment later walls. coughs.
whoops. and the prattie of the women
were all silenced in the darkness OF
the shaft and the swift downward mo.
ton Of the car. Even Whooping cough
will pause II you surprise it sufficient
ly. and this was presumably the first
trip the babies had taken into the
bowels OF the earth.
The Sunshine Iron Mine assumes
horizontal form at depth Of three
hundred feet. Directly at the bottom
OF the shaft Is fairly roomy cham
Der where the ore cars below are
dumped into the cable cars on the In
cline.
Then there is wide tunnel leading
into the main room from which all the
other galleries radiate. In this main
chamber are tool bins. stable room for
the milne mules. end. on an idle day
like Sunday from eight TO ten empty
ore cars. It Is pretty good sized
cavern.
No sooner had Finnegan got his car
load to the bottom OF the shaft and
at rest then the whole chorus Of
wheeling wsiling. whooping, cough
ing babbiing began again.
Only about ten children and six
mothers were at II. bat tho echoes
made up for this reduction In volume
and reinforced the sound till It seem
cd the whole hundred and twenty-five
were at it again.
How long do you women want 10
stay 10 here?" Ffhnegan asked short
ly OF the pretty young scout Some
how her>beauty did not appeal to him
as 1t had,
'sHuhr' she smiled cheeriiy in the
yellow flare OF his feeble light
How long?" he roared back.
~How long!" she repeated vaguely;
then, with the fatuOus smile restored: