The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-20
PORKY

slumbering city of Charleston as a mother
spreads blanket over a sleeping child The
hour was past midnight and the rain was still
falling After six hours of continual. downpour
the wet drops continued to pit-pat on the low
roof tops.
The narrow winding streets were deserted
on this pluvial night as a cemetery in the wee
hours. If an occasional pedestrian darted out
of a darkened hallway, and hurried down the
street, he seemed as ghost from the grave.
The uncanny emptiness of the night was un-
expectedly broken by the approach OF what APP
peared to be a huge caterpillar crawling down
the street. This was not an Illusion OF ones
imagination, but a caravan of army trucks
slowly rolling down the wet pavement, like
procession of elephants on circus parade.
: THESE four-wheeled caissons of destruction
were carrying emissaries of the national
guard enroute to Maiden mining town OF
West Virginia. some eighty miles south OF
Charleston There was strike OF coal miners
there, and trouble was feared. At the re-
quest of the mine operators the governor OF
that state proclaimed martial law, and this was
the militia on its way to preserve law and or
der These puppets of the favored class were
again being called upon to perform their bur
lesque on efficiency for the advancement Oh
some corpulent mine owner.
In command of one of the squads was top
",
buddies as "Porky" Porky was strong,
broad shouldered fellow. His face was blowzy,
savagely rugged and in color not unlike the ap-
pearance of an unpealed carrot broad flat
nose and squared-off jaw rhymed symetrically
with his bull-like neck, which exposed long,
vivid scar under his right ear. Porky was
soldier and as true son of war as ever Sung
a musket under his right arm. Three citations
and year in the hospital were his spells ofthe
world war. Never would he forget the battle
of ST. Mihiel when Porky $50 they say), alone
and armed with only two hand grenades, In
vaded and captured by sheer force of fury an
entire nest of Huns" That was days work
to be proud Of Porky walked with slight
limp. Alas, it takes two to make fight, and
the enemy is also armed A piece of shrapnel
from an exploding bomb had pierced his left
leg For two hours he had lain unattended in
mo Mans Land" bleeding and unable to
move. But Perky had never WINGED, not even
when the doctors thought they would have to
amputate his foot. To him that was all part
of the game.
ON being sent to Maiden, Porky was as jubi-
liant as child who visits a circus for the
first time. Here fate presented him with
long awaited opportunity to call on his sister
Ann whom he hadn't seen since she married
and settled somewhere in that town. Lordy
he thought, but won't she be glad to see me
"Big JIM Ann always called him. No. he
won't telegraph; surprise would be better
besides, Ann always did sort of like surprises
Memories began running thru Porky's mind as
an express train runs past local station with
out stopping. That is how "reminiscences of
other days flickered thru his head Just peep
into some forgotten episode, and on with the
game. Porky never was strong on thinkin
"fancy stuff as he called it; he left that for
others. His profession was protecting his coun-
try. To see that the fair fragrance of democ-
racy was safely preserved in five and ten-cent
walls
HIDDEN safely away in his kit, Porky car
ried gift A gold watch and chain. This
was present for Jeff, AIMS husband, whom
Perky had never met. The gift set him back
more than two months wages, but it was
worth it. Porky was under an obligation to
AIMS husband. Never would he forget the
time Jeff sent him loan of forty dollars to