Burnham Breaker | Page 3

streams moving down their narrow channels never passed beneath these
dizzy boys in monotony quite so dull and ceaseless as they were
passing this day.
Suddenly the machinery stopped. The grinding and the roaring ceased.
The frame-work of the giant building was quiet from its trembling. The
iron gates that held back the broken coal were quickly shut and the long
chutes were empty.
The unexpected stillness was almost startling. The boys looked up in
mute astonishment.
Through the dust, in the door-way at the end of the room, they saw the
breaker boss and the screen-room boss talking with Robert Burnham.
Then Mr. Burnham advanced a step or two and said:--
"Boys, Mr. Curtis tells me you are all here. I am pleased with your
loyalty. I had rather have the good-will and confidence of the boys who
work for me than to have the money that they earn. Now, I intend that
you shall see the circus if you wish to, and you will be provided with
the means of admission to it. Mr. Curtis will dismiss you for the rest of
the day, and as you pass out you will each receive a silver quarter as a
gift for good behavior."
For a minute the boys were silent. It was too sudden a vision of
happiness to be realized at once. Then one little fellow stood up on his
bench and shouted:--
"Hooray for Mr. Burnham!" The next moment the air was filled with
shouts and hurrahs so loud and vigorous that they went echoing
through every dust-laden apartment of the huge building from head to

loading-place.
Then the boys filed out. One by one they went through the door-way,
each, as he passed, receiving from Mr. Burnham's own hand the shining
piece of silver that should admit him to the wonders of the "greatest
show on earth."
They spoke their thanks, rudely indeed, and in voices that were almost
too much burdened with happiness for quiet speech.
But their eyes were sparkling with anticipation; their lips were parted in
smiles, their white teeth were gleaming from their dust-black faces,
each look and action was eloquent with thoughts of coming pleasure.
And the one who enjoyed it more than all the others was Robert
Burnham.
It is so old that it was trite and tiresome centuries ago, that saying about
one finding one's greatest happiness in making others happy. But it has
never ceased to be true; it never will cease to be true; it is one of those
primal principles of humanity that no use nor law nor logic can ever
hope to falsify.
The last boy in the line differed apparently in no respect from those
who had preceded him. The faces of all of them were black with
coal-dust, and their clothes were patched and soiled. But this one had
just cut his hand, and, as he held it up to let the blood drip from it you
noticed that it was small and delicate in shape.
"Why, my boy!" exclaimed Mr. Burnham, "you have cut your hand.
Let me see."
"'Taint much, sir," the lad replied; "I often cut 'em a little. You're apt to,
a-handlin' the coal that way." The man had the little hand in his and
bent to examine the wound. "That's quite a cut," he said, "as clean as
though it had been made with a knife. Come, let's wash it off and fix it
up a little."
He led the way to the corner of the room, uncovered the water-pail,

dipped out a cup of water, and began to bathe the bleeding hand.
"That shows it's good coal, sir," said the boy, "Poor coal wouldn't make
such a clean cut as that. The better the coal the sharper 'tis."
"Thank you," said Mr. Burnham, smiling. "Taking the circumstances
into consideration, I regard that as the best compliment for our coal that
I have ever received."
The hand had been washed off as well as water without soap could do
it.
"I guess that's as clean as it'll come," said the boy. "It's pirty hard work
to git 'em real clean. The dirt gits into the corners so, an' into the chaps
an' cuts, an' you can't git it all out, not even for Sunday."
The man was looking around for something to bind up the wound with.
"Have you a handkerchief?" he asked.
The boy drew from an inner pocket what had once been a red bandanna
handkerchief of the old style, but alas! it was sadly soiled, it was worn
beyond repair and crumpled beyond belief.
"'Taint very clean," he said, apologetically. "You can't keep a
han'kerchy very clean a-workin' in the breaker, it's so dusty here."
"Oh! it's good enough," replied the man, noticing the boy's
embarrassment, and