SECTION 19.

 They strolled down the street, and Hal remarked, “That's the first word I've heard here about a union.”

Mary looked about her nervously¹. “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 apparently² 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. Winks³ 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.”

“What?”

“Sure! D'ye suppose they'd not try that? Him that's so crazy for liquor, and can never get enough of it!”

“And your father?—” But Hal stopped. She would not want that question asked!

She had seen his hesitation⁴, however. “He was a decent man once,” she declared. “'Tis the life here, that turns a man into a coward. 'Tis everything ye need, everywhere ye turn—ye have to ask favours from some boss. The room ye work in, the dead work they pile on ye; or maybe 'tis more credit ye need at the store, or maybe the doctor to come when ye're sick. Just now 'tis our roof that leaks—so bad we can't find a dry place to sleep when it rains.”

“I see,” said Hal. “Who owns the house?”

“Sure, there's none but company houses here.”

“Who's supposed to fix it?”

“Mr. Kosegi, the house-agent. But we gave him up long ago—if he does anything, he raises the rent. Today my father went to Mr. Cotton. He's supposed to look out for the health of the place, and it seems hardly healthy to keep people wet in their beds.”

“And what did Cotton say?” asked Hal, when she stopped again.

“Well, don't ye know Jeff Cotton—can't ye guess what he'd say? 'That's a fine girl ye got, Burke! Why don't ye make her listen to reason?' And then he laughed, and told me old father he'd better learn to take a hint. 'Twas bad for an old man to sleep in the rain—he might get carried off by pneumonia⁵.”

Hal could no longer keep back the question, “What did your father do?”

“I'd not have ye think hard of my old father,” she said, quickly. “He used to be a fightin' man, in the days before O'Callahan had his way with him. But now he knows what a camp-marshal can do to a miner!”

1 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 winks   

v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• I'll feel much better when I've had forty winks. 我打个盹就会感到好得多。
• The planes were little silver winks way out to the west. 飞机在西边老远的地方，看上去只是些很小的银色光点。 来自辞典例句

4 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

5 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。