Down the Slope Page 2

  CHAPTER I

  THE BREAKER BOY

  "Jest moved here, eh?"

  "Came last Friday."

  "And you are going into the breaker?"

  "Yes."

  "For thirty-five cents a day?"

  "That is all the company pays, and a green hand can't expect to getmore."

  "Were you ever in a mine before?"

  "I never even saw one."

  "A trip down the slope will be enough to make you wish such a place inwhich to earn a living never existed. Why don't you try something elsebefore it is too late?"

  "What do you mean by 'too late'?"

  "When a fellow is in debt to the company's store he can't afford to beindependent, and it is about the same as selling yourself outright forenough to eat and drink."

  "I won't get into debt."

  "Wait a week, and see if you can say the same thing then."

  "I mustn't get trusted. I'm the only one to whom mother can look forsupport. We hadn't any money with which to go to the city, and so camehere. It isn't likely I shall be obliged to stay in the breaker forever,and after a while it will be possible to get a better job. Where are youworking?"

  "I'm Bill Thomas' butty."

  "What's that?"

  "His helper. He's a miner, and I'll have the same kind of a lay afterbeing with him a while."

  "Were you ever in the breaker?"

  "I sorted slate from coal most three years, an' got more dust thanmoney; but I'm tough, you see, an' didn't wear out my lungs."

  "What's your name?"

  "Sam Thorpe; but if you ever want anybody to help you out of a scrape,an' I reckon that'll happen before many days, ask for Bill's butty."

  "I am Fred Byram, and mother has hired the new house near the store."

  "I'm sorry for you; but as it can't be helped now, keep your eyespeeled, for the boys are a tough lot. When you want a friend come to me.I like your looks, and wish you'd struck most any other place thanFarley's, 'cause it's the worst to be found in the Middle Field."

  With this not very encouraging remark Sam went toward the mouth of theslope, and the new breaker boy was left to his own devices.

  It was six o'clock in the morning. The underground workers were comingsingly or in groups to begin the day's work for which each would be paidin accordance with the amount of coal taken out, and no one could affordto remain idle many moments.

  Fred knew he must report to the breaker boss before seven o'clock, andapproached the grimy old building wondering if it would be necessary forhim to work three years, as Sam Thorpe had done, before earning morethan thirty-five cents per day.

  Entering the breaker, which was thickly coated both inside and out withcoal-dust, he reported to Donovan, the boss, by saying:

  "I have come to work. Here is my ticket."

  "Green?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Here, Chunky, take this new hand alongside of you, and see that thereis no skylarking."

  The boy referred to as Chunky made no reply; but looked up from besidethe long chute at which he was sitting, as if the task of breaking in anew hand was very welcome. A fat, good-natured fellow he apparently was,and Fred fancied he would be an agreeable task-master.

  He, like the others, was curious to know if his companion had been in amine before, and on receiving the information, remarked sagely:

  "You'll be mighty sick of the whole thing before night, but it's saferthan down in the galleries."

  "What must I do?"

  "At seven o'clock the coal will be dumped in at the other end of thechute, an' while it's runnin' past you must pick out the slate."

  "Is that all?"

  "By the time your hands are cut into mince-meat you'll think it'senough," was the grim reply, and before Fred could speak again the day'slabor had begun. The black fragments came through the chute with a roarwhich was deafening, and the "green hand" was at a loss to distinguishcoal from slate.

  "Take out the dull, grayish stuff," Chunky shouted, as he seized fromthe moving mass sufficient fragments to serve as specimens, and in ashort time Fred began to have a general idea of his duties.

  Before the forty minutes "nooning" had come around his hands were cutand bleeding; but the thought of his mother, who looked to him forsupport, was enough to keep him busily at work, and when the whistlesounded he had most assuredly earned half of the thirty-five cents.

  A short rest, a lunch eaten amid the sooty vapor, which caused one tofancy he was gazing through a veil whenever he glanced across thebuilding, and then the fatiguing labor was recommenced, to be ended onlyat the stroke of six, when miners, buttys, mule drivers and bosseshastened to the surface of the earth once more after having beendeprived of sunlight for nearly twelve hours.

  Without paying any especial attention to the fact, Fred noticed thatalthough he was among the last to leave the breaker, the majority of theboys followed close behind as he started toward home.

  In order to reach the company's store it was necessary to traverse amirey road on which were no habitations for nearly fifty yards, and whenFred was half this distance from the breaker, a voice from behindshouted:

  "Hi! Hold on a bit, you new feller!"

  Fred turned to see a dozen of those who had been at work near him,advancing threateningly.

  "What do you want?" he asked, regretting now that he had not hurried onahead as Chunky suggested shortly before the whistle sounded.

  "We've got a word to say, an' you're wanted very pertic'lar."

  "I can't stop now."

  "That's too bad, for there's a little business to be settled rightaway," and the largest of the party stepped so near in front of Fredthat it would have been impossible for him to have advanced, except atthe risk of an encounter.

  "Won't it do just as well in the morning?"

  "I'm afraid not."

  "But I promised to come straight home."

  "You can't go till our 'count has been fixed."

  "I don't owe you anything."

  "Don't eh?"

  "No. I never even saw one of your crowd until I came to work thismorning."

  "What of that?"

  "It shows there can be no account between us."

  "You're makin' a big mistake, young feller. Ain't this your first day inthe breaker?"

  "Of course it is."

  "Then what about payin' your footing?"

  "My footing?"

  "Every feller who comes here has got to make things square with us bystandin' treat."

  "Well I'm one who can't do it."

  "Oh, yes you can," and here the bully looked at his companions, whoechoed his words, crowding yet closer around Fred, until it wasliterally impossible for him to make the slightest movement.

  "I haven't got a penny, and what I earn is for mother."

  "You can get an advance at the store."

  "Do you suppose I'll run in debt for the purpose of treating you?"

  "That's about the size of it."

  "Then you're making a big mistake, for I won't do anything of the kind,"and Fred made one desperate attempt to force his way through the crowd.

  "Look out for him!" the leader shouted, as he struck Fred a blow on thecheek which would have sent him headlong but for the others who acted asa sort of brace.

  The new breaker boy was not disposed to submit tamely, and struck outblindly but vigorously drawing blood from more than one nose beforeborne to the earth by press of numbers.

  While he was thus helpless every fellow who could get near enough dealthim one or more blows, and not until they were tired of the sport didthe young ruffians cease.

  "Now let up," the leader cried, in a tone of authority. "He's had a dosethat shows what we can do, an' will git it ten times as bad to-morrer,if he don't come down with the treat."

  The disciplining party ran swiftly toward the settlement when thesewords had been spoken, probably because a dozen or more miners wereapproaching, and Fred was left to make his way home as best he could.

  He
had just staggered to his feet when the men arrived upon the scene;but no one paid any particular attention to him, save as one minerremarked with a laugh:

  "I reckon here's a lad who didn't know the rules; but it won't take himlong to find them out."

  Fred was too sore both in mind and body to make any retort, and helimped down the road believing this first attempt to earn a living wasalready a dismal failure.

  He would have kept the story of the attack a secret from his mother, butfor the marks of the conflict which could not be hidden, and whenquestioned represented the affair as of no especial importance.

  Mrs. Byram had a fairly good idea of the case, however, when he saiddespondently:

  "I believe it would be better to try some other kind of work. Why can'twe go to the city?"

  "Because our capital is so limited. To come here it was only necessaryto move our furniture three miles, and the promise of needle-work fromthe superintendent's family assured us sufficient income to meet theabsolute cost of living. But you need not go to the breaker again; itmay be possible to find employment elsewhere."

  "There's little chance of that in this town, mother," Fred replied witha brave attempt at cheerfulness. "I should be worse than a loafer toremain idle while you were working, and by keeping my eyes open thatcrowd can't do very much mischief."

  "Wouldn't it be better to pay your 'footing' as they call it? Once thathas been done there can be no excuse for troubling you."

  "I won't give them the value of a penny, and I'll stick to my job.Perhaps, by flogging the bully I can teach them to let me alone."

  "But you musn't fight, Fred," Mrs. Byram said, in alarm.

  "It's better to have one regular battle than to get such a drubbing asthis every night. If they make any more fuss I shall take care ofmyself."

  Now that the first sense of injury had passed away, Fred felt as if hehad been at fault to allow himself to be so easily overcome, and,distasteful as was the work in the breaker, he had fully resolved toremain and assert his rights in a manly way.