They strolled down the street, and Hal remarked, “That's the first word I've heard here about a union.” Mary looked about her nervously. “Hush!” she whispered.
“But I thought you said you were talking about it!”
She answered, “'Tis one thing, talkin' in a friend's house, and another outside. What's the good of throwin' away your job?”
He lowered his voice. “Would you seriously like to have a union here?”
“Seriously?” said she. “Didn't ye see Mr. Rafferty—what a coward he is? That's the way they are! No, 'twas just a burst of my temper. I'm a bit crazy to-night—something happened to set me off.”
He thought she was going on, but apparently she changed her mind. Finally he asked, “What happened?”
“Oh, 'twould do no good to talk,” she answered; and they walked a bit farther in silence.
“Tell me about it, won't you?” he said; and the kindness in his tone made its impression.
“'Tis not much ye know of a coal-camp, Joe Smith,” she said. “Can't ye imagine what it's like—bein' a woman in a place like this? And a woman they think good-lookin'!”
“Oh, so it's that!” said he, and was silent again. “Some one's been troubling you?” he ventured after a while.
“Sure! Some one's always troublin' us women! Always! Never a day but we hear it. Winks and nudges—everywhere ye turn.”
“Who is it?”
“The bosses, the clerks—anybody that has a chance to wear a stiff collar, and thinks he can offer money to a girl. It begins before she's out of short skirts, and there's never any peace afterwards.”
“And you can't make them understand?”
“I've made them understand me a bit; now they go after my old man.&rdquo............