The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 9, 1926, Page 10

HE thonght ef opening the door and confronting. Margaret, or Marge, as he called her, filled him with dread. No—it wasn’t exactly-dread; it was rather more of a sickening feeling. The feeling one experi- ences, more or less, en being frightened... He. knew that Marge would be” surprised—startied at finding him home at this early hour of the day. It wag just a bit past ten. Questions and answers flitted through his mind. What would he say to her? -And without quite fully being aware of it, he found- himself inside his rather large miner’s kitchen; which acted ag lv- ing room as well. And walking towards the couch he slumped down upon it; sitting half bent over and dang- ling his cap between his knees, Marge = not in. He felt relieved. Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts kept rushing thru his mind. He e@lmost knew what Marge would Say when she heard that he’d gone out on strike. He put questions to himself somewhat as he thought she would put to him. He answered them, Argued inwardly with himself. Again and again he would insist to some phantom ques- tioner that he or rather they—the boys had to strike. They had to strike. Of this he was conviticed. And he would let no imaginary questioner argue him out of #. He—“Hello Tom!” The voice startled him so that he dropped his cap. “Why, hello Marge. Didn’t even hear you come in.” He walked over to her and kissed her. “But why are you home, Tom? Yon said you had at least three days work——Come Tom,——nothing wrong I hope. You haven’t——been—fired? Have you? “No, no! It’s nothing like that. Oh Gee, Marge, everything’ be Q@;.K, Really there’s nothing wrong yet. You see the boys.got kinda sore when they saw a notice this morning, posted at the mine entrance, stating that beginning with Monday they’d reduce all wages ten percent. Gee, but Jimmy got sore, Marge.” He purposely brought in the part about Jimmy, think- ing that by so doing he might make her smile a bit, soften her face which had taken on a grim look while he was telling her this. “He was for going up and punching old Sanders—that’s the super—right on the jaw. But Bili—you know Bill—Bill Birdsley, he says: ‘Vollers we can’t be a bunch of damn fools. Let’s ap- point a committee to go up and see Sanders aad tell him we ean’t accept a decrease in wages just now. We ain't workin’ more’n half weeks as it is, and with a 10 per cent reduction we couldn't live.’ The boys went wild. They all applauded Rill. Gee, but you shoulda heard them.” “And did the committee go to see the super, Tom?” “Yea, but we were all told to go home—and wait for a report. Bill, Whitey and old man Jenkins are on the eommittee,” “But, Tom! Do you think the Pane Sah will listen ‘to your committee? You know what they’ve done be- fore. Told you to go back same day or lose your jobs. And if you didn’t lose your jobs you went back later, for less wages, when you had no more money to live on. Tom, you can’t buck ’em& They’ve got us down and we got to stay there—at present. Tom, you can’t go on strike now. You can’t. You can’t, We haven't gaved a nickel in the last six months; what with you working only three or four days a week—You know it’s not for myself I ask it, Tom; but—” and herewith she slunk into a chair and laying her head on the table she wept. ‘ During all this Tom was sitting at the table drum- ming irregularly on the tablecloth—his eyes centered ona stain) which seemed to have the features of Sand- ers’ facé. | And he began picking on that spot with the fork, Picking and picking on it until there wag a hole almost an inch wide in the tablecloth. * 8 oe p igen BURKIN had known Margaret only three weeks before he married her, In mining towns such as Bainsville courtings weren’t elongated ‘affairs... He met her at a*picnic of the local Goodfellows organization. He thought she was pretty. Made a» number of dates with her and married her, Margaret—Margaret Gavin was her maiden name— didn’t think she'd every marry a miner, She could re, member dimly back as a little girl, before her father THE SCAB was killed in a mine aceident, the hardships which her mother had to endure, Her mother, being a New Eng-} land woman, never complained—aloud. But her tight- set lips gave one tha impression that a miner’s life wasn’t what Bill Gavin, her husband, had told her it would be. She was 13 years old when her mother died, Ex- actly two years after her father’s burial, she was taken in to live with a distant aunt who ran the only hotel and boarding house in the town at that tilme, She had oftimes been asked by. her aunt when she would get marridi. . But somehow, she alwgys, tried to evade those questions, She, wasn't a bad looking girl,. She would often tell herself that, But the ac- tions of some of the boarders—especially. the transient ones—gave her a feeling more of fear than of disgust.| It was mot till eleven years afier she had come to her aunt that she was asked to.come into her aunt's private parlor. For two hours she was given a severe talking te. After she left she went up to her bedroom and cried, ‘Two weeks after this incident she met Tom. Remeinbering what her aunt had said and feeling that Tom was somehow different than most of the menfolks |. at the boarding house, she acquiesced to Tom’s mar- riage proposal, was now eight months after they had been married, Tom had had a little money saved up but it nearly all went into a honeymoon trip which they took to Chicago. Tom was very happy as a married man. He was more fond of Marge now than when he first met her, It gave him great pride to be seen walking down Main street of a Sunday with her. This alone—to be seen walking down Main street with her—the prettiest woman in Bainsville—so they all said—was enuf to make him worship her. He really adored her. And to see her sad or cry made him feel as if he was to blame for it. He was fearful lest he lose her. of losing her made him quail. The thought So when he saw how bit- terly she wept, he set his jaws tight and giving a final jab at.the tablecloth with the fork (if he could only }: tear Sanders’ face like that!) he got up and began te pace the room nervously, He hadn’t given much thought to. what Marge re- ferred to when she said.it was.not for her sake. But now si@¥ly the thought of a coming baby made him stop in his tracks, :So that,.was:what.she.meant, Yes! 7-He was sure of it...Why was it that he’d not thought of it before. That is he knew one was coming. He'd seen it on Marge. She even brought it to his atten- tion. But—It wasn’t so far off as he’d been thinking it was. He threw himselt into a chair feeling utterly exhausted. “Well, Marge! in a low husky voice. you?” Whata you want me to do?” he said “Don’t want me to scab? Do He ran his hand over his face as if to wipe away something. “Come Marge. have me do. I can’t go back on the boys. Marge, they’d never talk to me again.” back, Tom. You must. What would you | Why, gee “You must go Do you want we to dress it in rags when it’s born, ‘Tom! I wish I didn’t have to do it. But I must. You know how we need money now. You're not gonna call old Findal, are you?” Her eyes were all red, and as she finished her mouth be- gan to quiver, Tom had always counted on calling a big Chicago doctor when she should give birth. So now when she mentioned Findal, the old doctor of Bainsville, his heart became chilled. He strode over’ to the couch, took his cap, and without saying a word to Marge who was sitting staring straight ahead of her, her hands in her hair, he left the room, bara committee that had gone to see-~Sanders was going around to all the miners’ homes announcing that Sanders had even refused to see them and that they ‘had officially called the strike. The miners in Bainesville were unorganized. "This made itself felt when it came to such things as organizing meétings and preparing speakers. In the meantime, Bill who had worked for organized companies before, took offi- cial charge. He decided with the assistance of Whitey and Jenkins to go around to each of the miners individ- ually that they must stick it out now once and for all. He had read copies of a labor paper, “The DAILY WORKER,” which sounded “O, K.” to him as he put it, He went around telling all that if assistarice was needed they'd try that bunch) who’ were editing that paper. He felt rather confident. He'd met with en- thusiasm so far wherever he’d been) They had just rounded Rindleys Road and were walking | towards Tom’s house, “Come on, boys. No need of knocking at Tom’s door,” cried Bill, a broad smile over his In- dian tan face. Saying which they pushed open the door and entered. They had surely expected Tom to be in, waiting anxi- ously for them to come. But instead "they found only Margaret, who wasn't looking a bit too happy, busying ! we need him just*now. ‘We want him to speak to’ ‘night at Brailey'’s Hall.” Walked hastily! over to the stove and back again to the . table. . to chew on the inside of her cheek! healwaya aid she finally said. Her eyes flashed, ~ > aint gonna stop him.”: ‘tried to way’ something; but..fit words. wouldx’t, came A Story By herself at some sewing. She greeted the men with a “How de do,” invited them to come in and continued her sewing. Bill was sdmewhat taken aback. Binally he blurted out that they'd decided to strike, eouldn’t help it, and wheré was Tom. They were going’:to; or- ganize a meeting, Margaret merely clenched her teeth }) a little tighter. Tom was out. She didn’t know where. “You sure you. don’t know; Mrs, ‘Burkin?) You see; -@® B ad Bil) paid “that:dast almost | “Yea,” Whitey put in, “we want* him ‘to Margaret dropped ther sowing and got up. She Si with a plea. speak. » Hyidently she was quite nervous. She began my Ba that when she was upset. “Tom's gon’ back to. work,” She began to chew on her cheek »moré impetuously, “Yes,” she cried, “I made him go back. He had to go back and you men She ‘flung herself inte: a. chair and began to drum on the table with her fingers. ‘The uien were amazed. Time and agen ‘Bi hed | to his mouth. He could merely gape and swallow. “Gone back to work? Tom! Impossible. You. don't really mean, Mrs. Burkin: that -he’s ‘gonna scab om ws? |. Why—” Bill couldn’t continue. A marked féeling-ef dis’ gust could be seen coming 6ver° Whitey’s ‘and Perkins’ faces. And without waiting for an answer te Bila PRE last connie they all left the room, slamming the door But behind them. * pom. when he came back to the mine was looked at rather skeptically. But on assyrance of his <“good | depu faith” they let him enter... His day..in the mine was a;},ex living torture. Tools kept dropping from his hands. He would often bang his head on the water pipes which ran thru the mine. This angered him at times so that he was prompted to glare at the pipes, and make childish gestures at it. »The day dragged.on for,him.” it was almost with a prayer of relief that he welcomed quitting. time. The ¢oo] air of the street felt so good to him. He walked slowly—leisurely down the street, He want- ed to delay his homecoming.’ ‘He wondered a dit that the streets should be deserted at this time of day. But soon he found out ,Why. -He was just rounding Main Street from: Perry’s Road and there he saw @ great crowd collected. He could not quite make out what tt was about from the’ distance, But a8 he neared, he éould make. out’ Bill's features standing ona barrel and talking to the mob. It first'dawned upon him that this was the strikers’ meeting. Some one had seen, him. The word “scab” reached his ears, , Soon. the voice }_ became louder.- He was being jeered. “Hey, } you scab | b———d,” someone shouted. His’ pidoa” ‘rushed ‘to his” face. He turned back off the street. He wasn’t afraid physically, but he ‘couldn't stand the jeering. “Biack- leg! Fink! Scab! You lousy b-—- of a seab.”: He accelerated his pace. Now he almost tan, And it wasy { with almost a sigh of relief that he banged open the: , door of his house and flopped into a chair. Ho could still hear the ringing in his ears. Faintly the terms scab—blackleg seethed thru his mind. Marge came in from the bedroom. She greeted him with a “good eve ning, Tom.” and went over to be ‘kissed, But Tom felt irritable. Nervous. He could hardly keep his body from shaking. They called him scab. Scab, seab, scab, He never knew that a word could have. such a \ / ) ing he sque a to men that the