The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-11-23
HE Characters

demands TtgJt-of -1Ddy before res z
cue cdn proceed. Kathleen defes
hims and takes charge.
Chapter % "a
Fury
KATHLEEN smiled at the
N miners wives.
81 promised Balmy I'd be seeing
him In day or two" she told
them. "He had me promise that
Just before he went down. He said
he knew he would get through.
You know what it means when
Balmy says he knotDS?"
"Aye" The word was a sibilant
whisper which swept out into the
night: a whisper of hope.
you'll have to help me. Our
men need food. It's up to us to
prepare it for them. re like the
Macdonald women to stay here
while the Gregory women 60 to
Neutrality to buy the food. The
hotels will roast the meat and bake
the bread. Well need pots and
kettles for coffee and soup. Well
need fires and tables and dishes.
and well need beds where they
can rest between shifts"
"Our ehildren?" KS
Kathleen thought of Bridget and
the. big house. We'll turn the
Gregory house into a nursery.
HHfsc nrsIoaf ord tho cnhoo1 faonErL
er will take charge" ~
She paused and looked at them
again. Something had changed.
They no longer stood in huddled
crowd. Goats and shawls which
had been pulled over their heads.
had been dropped to their shoul-
ders. It was as though they had
discarded mourning. The eyes
were no longer stricken with fear.
they were burning with intense
fervor, wide with hope and deep
with the longing for action.
The hours passed. Kathleen
worked tirelessly. Joey wide :
eyes brought a note from Bridget
and she left the hum of the COM
missary to read it. With no SEEM
ing volition on her part she went
TO the mouth of the mine, perched
on a pile of timber. waiting to be
carried below as soon as the way
was clear.
The first crew had come up
earlier, appeared at the commits
sary, faces black with powder.
grim with the risk they had taken.
The muckers were down now,
clearing away the rock that had
been blasted. making way for fur
Their charges.
Overhead the cables hummed.
nearby the engines thrummed
steadily, pumping air to the res
cuers. sweeping away the fumes
OF powder and rock dust and gas.
and on the far side Of the plat
form. the next crew waited: a
Rhostly gathering In their yellow
sllckers. and the gnome-like pad.
ding Of drill coats.
Kathleen opened the note.
HurT1h for a girl of pure gold. I'm
proud to eUen knotD you.
The children. bless them. are all In
bed. the little inps.
Notu. as uou suggested, I'm OF TO
The Stubborn Boy TO feed the other
cTotDd. As future Macdonald. must
do Htp stuff.
joey gaze me birds eye UtetD Of
the BIG scene. Seriously, Il tDas splen-
did. courageous work. I knetp you had
e IN you.
But tphaf has happened to Donald?
I'm not accustomed 10 having men
trdlk out on me like that.
See you later. lore,
Bridget
What had happened to Donald?
What had caused him to walk
out on his fiancee the very evening
they were celebrating their en-
gagement?
THERE was only pain In that
\ thought and Kathleen felt her
heart held pain enough with It's
burden of worry over Old Balmy.
Shed wonder instead what had
happened to Kit-Smyth. What X
he had gone into Carsted to wire
her fatherf
Kathleen.s heart arose In a lump,
turned over and settled down.
Power Of attorney had been given
her only for use in obtaining the
right-of-way and she had ridden.
roughshod over Kit-Smyth's in
sistencc that they bargain.
She, q girl Of twenty-three, had
crushed the barrier of nearly q
century when she led those men
over The Golden Girl fence. She
had defied a man twice her age.
one whom her father trusted.
"But Dad would have done no
different" she protested. Then
her chin came up. "And IL he
would. I'd only be glad I'd had the
opportunity to handle things
first"
A skip ratified TO the surface and
the first casualty was carried out
saw. It's nothin.." he protested
when Kathleen rushed to him.
Just q hunk a rock hit me when
wasn't LOOKING
Kathleen went on TO the hospital
with him. The injury wasn't seri-
Gus. but II would keep him out 81
the rescue crews.
Returning 90 her post, Kathleen
did some serious thinking. She
had ordered the rescue OF tifty odd