revolutionists when they got through!
So Hal went away with a pleasant image of Mary. What a wonderful thing it was to see a mind unfolding, reaching out for new opportunities, discovering the world of ideas! Inevitably this brought another thoughtâwhy could not his sweetheart take hold of things like that? She really knew little more than Mary; she had the smattering of history and âpolite lettersâ that young ladies obtain in boarding-schools, but of the great vital ideas of the day she was utterly ignorant. And when he offered her knowledge, why did she not take it?
He did not want to compare Jessie with Mary. It seemed disloyal, and he put the two in separate compartments of his mind, and strove to keep them there. But somehow they seemed always to come together! It was not their fault; for Mary never mentioned Jessieâs name, and as for Jessie, she was not supposed to know about the revolutionary parlor-maid. But Hal had chanced to mention Adelaide Wyatt to Jessie, and he had noted a sudden silence, and a shadow on Jessieâs fair brow. Could it be that she had heard the rumor? And if so, what was she thinking? Hal was not naturally alert to the subtleties of womenâs minds, but Adelaide had warned him here, and so, as he walked along, he had new quarrels with the world of caste and gossip!
[16]
Halâs next call was upon the Minettis. He learned that Big Jerry had come home, and got his head well, and gone off to resume his dangerous work. He had grown a mustache and beard for a disguise; and, how funny he looked! cried Little Jerry. They had just had a letter from him, smuggled out from the Western-American, where he was at work again. âI told you he fool them bosses!â proclaimed the youngster.
Mr. Wilmerding had called, said Rosa. He seemed to be a good man, in spite of the fact that he preached in Peter Harriganâs church. He had begged to have Little Jerry in his Sunday-school, so that the child might know the name of Jesus as something else than a âcuss-wordâ. Rosa was not sure what Big Jerry would say, but she had let the child go, and he had been given a nice picture-book; also a lady had called on them, bringing good things to eat, and a spinning top, and a rattle for the baby. Rosa, who was a Socialist like her husband, and a shrewd little body for all her childâs face, remarked that perhaps Mr. Wilmerding wanted to make his conscience feel better, by getting some poor people into his fine church!
During this visit to Western City Hal went also to see Jim Moylan, the secretary of the district organization of the miners, who had just got back from a trip to the âfieldâ. There had been a sudden flare-up of revolt at Harveyâs Run, and it had spread to Pine Creek and Bonito, in spite of Moylanâs best efforts. He had called Harmon, his chief, to his aid, but a number of the men were still refusing to go back to work. They were cursing the union officials up and down the line, calling them cowards and weaklings, some going so far as to call them traitors. They, the men, were on strike, and others wanted to join them; who was paying the leaders to hold them back? Such was the situation in the coal-country, at the time that everybody in Halâs world believed that the labor leaders were trying to stir up trouble.
Hal met John Harmon, the executive of the United Mine Workers in charge of the district; a man who had gone to work in the coal-pits at the age of eight, educated himself at night, and risen to this position of leadership. Hal found it thrilling to talk with him; as if a private who had been fighting in the trenches were suddenly taken to staff-headquarters and allowed to see a map of the battle. Such stories as he had to tell, not merely of open fighting, but of secret sapping and mining! There was a powerful strikebreaking concern, the Schultz Detective Agency, which had fought the minersâ union in many a field; they
So Hal went away with a pleasant image of Mary. What a wonderful thing it was to see a mind unfolding, reaching out for new opportunities, discovering the world of ideas! Inevitably this brought another thoughtâwhy could not his sweetheart take hold of things like that? She really knew little more than Mary; she had the smattering of history and âpolite lettersâ that young ladies obtain in boarding-schools, but of the great vital ideas of the day she was utterly ignorant. And when he offered her knowledge, why did she not take it?
He did not want to compare Jessie with Mary. It seemed disloyal, and he put the two in separate compartments of his mind, and strove to keep them there. But somehow they seemed always to come together! It was not their fault; for Mary never mentioned Jessieâs name, and as for Jessie, she was not supposed to know about the revolutionary parlor-maid. But Hal had chanced to mention Adelaide Wyatt to Jessie, and he had noted a sudden silence, and a shadow on Jessieâs fair brow. Could it be that she had heard the rumor? And if so, what was she thinking? Hal was not naturally alert to the subtleties of womenâs minds, but Adelaide had warned him here, and so, as he walked along, he had new quarrels with the world of caste and gossip!
[16]
Halâs next call was upon the Minettis. He learned that Big Jerry had come home, and got his head well, and gone off to resume his dangerous work. He had grown a mustache and beard for a disguise; and, how funny he looked! cried Little Jerry. They had just had a letter from him, smuggled out from the Western-American, where he was at work again. âI told you he fool them bosses!â proclaimed the youngster.
Mr. Wilmerding had called, said Rosa. He seemed to be a good man, in spite of the fact that he preached in Peter Harriganâs church. He had begged to have Little Jerry in his Sunday-school, so that the child might know the name of Jesus as something else than a âcuss-wordâ. Rosa was not sure what Big Jerry would say, but she had let the child go, and he had been given a nice picture-book; also a lady had called on them, bringing good things to eat, and a spinning top, and a rattle for the baby. Rosa, who was a Socialist like her husband, and a shrewd little body for all her childâs face, remarked that perhaps Mr. Wilmerding wanted to make his conscience feel better, by getting some poor people into his fine church!
During this visit to Western City Hal went also to see Jim Moylan, the secretary of the district organization of the miners, who had just got back from a trip to the âfieldâ. There had been a sudden flare-up of revolt at Harveyâs Run, and it had spread to Pine Creek and Bonito, in spite of Moylanâs best efforts. He had called Harmon, his chief, to his aid, but a number of the men were still refusing to go back to work. They were cursing the union officials up and down the line, calling them cowards and weaklings, some going so far as to call them traitors. They, the men, were on strike, and others wanted to join them; who was paying the leaders to hold them back? Such was the situation in the coal-country, at the time that everybody in Halâs world believed that the labor leaders were trying to stir up trouble.
Hal met John Harmon, the executive of the United Mine Workers in charge of the district; a man who had gone to work in the coal-pits at the age of eight, educated himself at night, and risen to this position of leadership. Hal found it thrilling to talk with him; as if a private who had been fighting in the trenches were suddenly taken to staff-headquarters and allowed to see a map of the battle. Such stories as he had to tell, not merely of open fighting, but of secret sapping and mining! There was a powerful strikebreaking concern, the Schultz Detective Agency, which had fought the minersâ union in many a field; they
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