Us and Them

by Hugh R. MacDonald

  “Me too,” Beth said.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Neither did you. I thought Davey knew—”

  “Oh, he knows, but – well I can’t blame him for trying. I wish he hadn’t started a fight though. Guess maybe he thought he’d impress you with Cambridge and his future plans to travel.”

  Beth put her arm around JW’s waist and moved in closer to him as they continued toward the Donaldsons’ farm. “Sally said Mickey is talking marriage,” Beth said.

  “We’ve been talking marriage. I mean when we’re older, so I guess it’s pretty normal,” JW said.

  “Sally said he was talking about getting married soon. Like really soon.”

  “What did Sally say?”

  “She seemed to get flustered after telling me, and then one of the Sisters came in the lunch room. She never did tell me what she said. Hopefully they’ll wait until after she finishes nursing training.”

  “Do you want to get married ... soon?” JW asked, his heart pounding, not sure of the answer he wanted to hear.

  “I want to get married, but I’m not in a hurry, are you?”

  “No, I’m in no hurry, but someday – for sure.”

  Beth stopped walking and took his hands in hers. Looking in his eyes, she stood on her tiptoes, and JW bent to kiss her, picking her off her feet with the hug that followed. Back on her feet, Beth said, “I imagine we’ll have to figure out where we’ll live and get all the stuff bought before we set up house.”

  “I never thought about all that, but yeah, I guess we’ll have to save a lot of money to get our own place. I’m sure Ma and Da will give me ... us a piece of land, if you don’t mind living there.”

  “Long as we have a roof over our heads, it doesn’t matter where.”

  They walked and talked about JW’s job and Beth’s training until the house came into view.

  “Is your hand sore, JW?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll bet his face is,” Beth said, and they walked into the house.

  Chapter 26

  JW pulled a small brass plate from the hook and passed it to the man in the lamp house. The number on it corresponded with the one on his headlamp battery. The battery-operated headlamp replaced the old open flame type JW had used the first time he’d worked underground. He watched as the man placed his number on the board behind him. JW tried not to think about the purpose of the number but knew it was so that he could be identified if a cave-in happened. He changed into his work clothes and hung the others in their place. Thinking Mickey should be along soon, he stayed in the work area. He nodded to and talked with some of the men. Patty and Donnie were walking by on their way to the tunnel where he wished he was still working, rather than in tunnel twelve. He waved and got two in return.

  “JW, I need a word.”

  JW turned to the voice, worried about what was to come. “Yes sir, Mr. Brown.” He followed him into the office. Dayshift seemed to have a lot more office staff around than backshift.

  Without any other greeting, Mr. Brown began. “David came home the other day, and all I got from him is that you struck him. Is this true?”

  JW heard the tension in Davey’s father’s voice and thought it likely he would be returning home instead of going to work. Although JW didn’t think it right for Mr. Brown to use his position as mine manager to settle his son’s affairs, that was what was happening. “Yes, sir, it’s true.” JW prepared himself to hear he’d lost his job and wondered if his actions were going to affect his father’s work too.

  “Would you care to explain this for me?”

  JW, surprised by the request, took a few moments to collect his thoughts. After he related what had caused the fight and that he hadn’t thrown the first punch, Mr. Brown nodded.

  “You best get ready. Your shift will be starting soon.”

  “Yes, sir,” JW said, and left the office. He hoped that would be the last of it. He put on his helmet, attached the battery to his belt and got ready for his shift.

  —

  “I think I’ll take a walk to town,” Andrew said. He smiled at Mary. “It’ll feel good being back at work. Not so much the underground part, but the routine ... and the money.”

  “Seeing you healthy is the most important part,” Mary said. In the past month her husband had gained back all of his weight and perhaps a few more pounds as well. He’d seemed to enjoy his time working with JW and Alfred. “And if I need a new poker or coal shovel, I know someone who can make them,” she added.

  “I forgot how much I enjoyed making things. Might be a sideline if things ... when things drop off at the mines. JW picked it up quite quickly, so I might get him to make the tools you need.”

  “Oh I think he’s got lots to keep him busy, with Beth and then with Alfred’s lessons. You’ll be starting on dayshift?”

  “Yes. I wanted to go to tunnel twelve with JW and Mickey, but Mr. Brown told me to start back in the other tunnel to replace Anderson. At least I’ll get to keep an eye on the younger boys. I imagine Red’ll be glad I’m coming back too. But I’ll occasionally go down tunnel twelve to check on the boys,” Andrew said, and saw a look of relief on Mary’s face.

  “How was he?”

  “Red? I’m not—”

  “No, Mr. Brown.”

  “Seemed okay. Like most fathers, I’m sure he just wants to look out for his son. I wish it hadn’t happened, but I would do the same if someone laid a hand on you. Just glad me and JW still have jobs. I’ll be home in time for supper.”

  “You better be, because now that you’re all mended, JW won’t leave you any.” They both laughed as Andrew left the house to head for town.

  As he walked along Main Street, Andrew waved to Long Jack in the streetcar. The noise coming from inside the tavern made him stop. He looked through the doors and saw there was a large crowd of men drinking away some of their meagre pay. Unfortunately, he knew, there were a few that would spend more than they could afford.

  The thought of a cold beer appealed to him, and he went inside. Almost immediately, he wished he hadn’t, because some of the noise was being produced by Shawn McGuire, whose temperament got worse when he drank. The man sitting next to Shawn, Andrew quickly realized, was Anderson, who seemed quite comfortable accepting the beer that Shawn was buying for him.

  JW had told Andrew that when Anderson sent him to tunnel twelve, it had seemed like a punishment.

  “Anderson, Shawn. Good news, Anderson, I’m back to work on Monday, and you get to go back to the other side.” A few of the men close by clapped Andrew on the back, and one of them said, “Glad you’re coming back, Andy boy.”

  “It’ll be me and you again, Shawn.” The sheepish look on McGuire’s face meant he got the message.

  “That’s good, then, Donaldson. I’ll be glad to get back,” Anderson said, louder than needed.

  Moving closer to Anderson, Andrew spoke in a quiet voice, “If I find out that you sent my boy below as a favour to McGuire, I’ll be paying you a visit.”

  Anderson stared into Andrew’s eyes for a moment before looking away. He got up and left the tavern.

  —

  Davey pushed open the door and looked at the high ceilings in the house he’d lived in for almost five years. Although there were two fires burning throughout the day, the house always seemed cold. He guessed for some, being an only child would bring special treatment. But he and his father had never developed a bond. As he started up the stairs to his bedroom, Davey noticed the door to his father’s study was open. Usually the door was closed. He saw his father look up and then beckon him to come in.

  “I spoke to JW Donaldson today.”

  Davey feared what was coming next.

  “He told me you threw the first punch, actually several. Is this true?”

  Davey nodded, not trusting his
voice.

  “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  Davey stared at his father for a moment before averting his gaze, dropping his eyes to his father’s desk, waiting to be dismissed.

  Mr. Brown sat down and picked up a piece of correspondence, signalling the meeting was over. Davey turned and left the room. When he reached the stairs, he heard his father call out.

  “I’ll bet you told that boy you were at Cambridge. Did you happen to mention it was in Massachusetts, not London? And that you’re in boarding school, not university?”

  Davey treated them as rhetorical questions. He didn’t plan to answer, nor did his father expect him to. Davey knew the fact that his mother had to collect him from boarding school because he was so homesick was an embarrassment to his father. Although his father hadn’t yet mentioned the lost tuition for the missed semester, he would.

  Chapter 27

  The light dusting of snow made the fields look like a Christmas picture JW had seen at the Co-op. Except for a few of Gulliver’s paw prints, the snow cover was pristine. JW was excited to have the next couple of days off. He planned to spend them working on the boat with Alfred during the day and walking to meet Beth in the late afternoon.

  With his father recovered and back at work, JW had more time to spend doing other things than chores. It had taken quite a while to locate the cedar, pine and other trees that were to be used in the boat’s construction. The small sawmill in town had agreed to cut the planking JW would need, and he’d agreed to work off what he owed or provide additional wood for the owner. Today was the day the lumber was to be delivered.

  Alfred had made the plans for the boat so it would fit perfectly through the barn door once it was finished. He had taught JW how to make tree nails, the wooden dowels that would be used to hold the planks in place, along with the iron nails his father had made in the forge. He had also been instructing JW in the steaming method used to bend the wood. JW hadn’t imagined that a piece of wood could be bent into such strange shapes until Alfred had shown him. JW was pleased with the decision to use the caravel design instead of the clinker design. The hull was smoother where the planks butted together instead of overlapping. It sounded like more work, but it would give the hull a more streamlined look.

  Although they were building a boat, Alfred was also instructing JW how to build a ship. Learning what all the different parts of the ship were called was an eye-opener. JW had known fore and aft and starboard and port and some other terms, but he’d had no idea that the frame of the ship consisted of ribs, nor what various thwarts were or what a quarter knee was. Alfred showed him those and many other parts, and JW spent time studying them – he didn’t mind when Alfred corrected him when he made a mistake.

  With so much preparatory work required, JW was happy when Mickey and Smitty had shown up on some of their days off. Smitty knew what he was doing, and Mickey was willing to learn. With their help, the boat’s cradle was now built.

  Smitty was very interested in the shipbuilding process and seemed to know much of what Alfred taught. Smitty explained that it had been quite a number of years since he’d been on or near a ship – not since leaving Barbados. Alfred surprised JW when he told Smitty that he had spent time there as a young man, and JW listened enviously as they talked of the white sandy beaches. He saw the longing in Smitty’s eyes as they spoke of his beloved homeland.

  “Looks like you and Smitty might have to draw straws for the first mate’s job,” JW had said one day.

  Having learned that the first mate was usually required to keep a log, Mickey replied, “As long as I’m part of the crew, Smitty can be first mate.”

  JW smiled at the recollection, thinking that if it was a full-sized ship, large enough to sail an ocean, Smitty would definitely be the best choice for first mate. He couldn’t imagine Mickey wanting to learn what everything was called, much less plot a course.

  —

  When he entered the barn, JW wasn’t surprised to see Alfred already laying out the tools needed for the day. JW found the tools were becoming more recognizable. He had watched his father make some of them and had helped with making a few himself.

  Alfred was humming a tune as he laid out some milk for Beauty and walked a few steps to drop some oats for Tennyson. JW thought it quite funny that Tennyson sometimes waited for his meal of oats to be laid out for him rather than going into Lightning’s stall where he could have eaten all he wanted any day. Perhaps he just likes the company, JW thought.

  JW heard something and went to the door to look up the road. “Here comes the lumber now,” he said.

  He grinned as the horse and wagon pulled up to the barn and was still grinning as he watched them head back toward town a short time later. He could hardly wait to get started with the building. He knew it would take many months to get the boat built, especially with the limited time he had after work, but even if they could get the frame started, he would be happy.

  “It’s good the wood has arrived,” Alfred said.

  JW nodded. “This is great.”

  Once they had loaded all the planks in the barn, it was time for lunch. All that lumber, lying neatly in piles, made JW anxious to eat and get back out to the barn.

  Chapter 28

  JW stood at the back of the cage, Mickey next to him. The large metal roof jacks and several coils of rope took up most of the remaining space. Four other men were squeezed in. There was a squeaking sound as the cage adjusted to the additional weight.

  “Hope the cable holds,” one of the men said.

  “Not funny, Gerry,” another man said.

  As the single bar was being lowered across the opening, JW’s father stepped in and pulled the bar in place. The descent began immediately. JW was surprised to see his father; he wasn’t working tunnel twelve. And JW knew his father wouldn’t have gotten on the cage had he known his son was on it too. There was an unwritten rule that two members of the same family never travelled together in the same cage – a superstitious belief that doing so was asking for trouble. He was about to call out to his father when the normal squeaking sound turned into groaning, then suddenly the cage was free-falling. The cable had snapped.

  The men braced themselves for the crash that would come as they hit the floor hundreds of feet below. They knew they were going to die. Eyes wide open, resignation on their faces, no one said anything, but some lips moved in silent prayer. JW thought of his mother losing him and his father, and then he thought of Beth. Mickey stood beside him with his eyes closed to tiny slits, teeth gritted together.

  As the cage hurtled downward, JW’s father looked toward him and JW saw the shock of recognition on his face. Andrew tried to squeeze toward the back, closer to him. The cage seemed to pick up speed, then began scraping against one side of the shaft then the other, digging deep gashes into the wall. Suddenly, the weight of the roof jacks shifted. The cage started to slow down, then came to an abrupt halt, throwing the men to the floor of the cage. The cage was wedged in the shaft at a forty-five degree angle. JW watched in horror as the jacks slid sideways, toppled over and crushed two men. One of them was Gerry, the man who had joked about the cable holding.

  JW slowly pulled himself to his knees. He felt blood running down his face, some finding its way into his left eye. He tried to wipe the blood away, but he couldn’t lift his arm. He had been holding onto the side of the cage when it hit the wall of the shaft.

  JW squinted his good eye and saw light below. It looked like they were only about six or seven feet from the bottom.

  “Are you alright, JW?” his father asked.

  “Just banged up some, Da, but I think I’m okay.”

  Mickey wasn’t moving, but JW heard him moan and hoped he’d be okay. The other men at the back of the cage were slowly starting to get to their feet. Then Mickey came around and, although still groggy, managed to get up onto his hands and knees.
“Mickey’s up and around too, Da.”

  JW saw his father move toward the men trapped by the metal jacks.

  “Dear, God,” Andrew whispered. “Gerry and Artie, they’re both gone. Two real good men.”

  JW noticed that his father was holding his side and hoped he’d only bruised his ribs. Andrew sprang into action, first ensuring that no one needed immediate medical attention. One of the other two men called out, “We’re okay, Andy. We just gotta get outta here, is all.”

  “Working on it,” was his father’s reply. “Looks like there’s enough room for us to fit between the cage and the wall.” He grabbed one of the coils of rope lying on the floor of the cage. JW watched him secure a bowline knot to one of the jacks that had slid against the side of the cage. He knew the knot used to tow boats would hold and wouldn’t slip as the men lowered themselves to the floor below. JW figured he would have to go last as he had little use of his left arm.

  There were shouts from below. Andrew called to them, “We’re coming down.” The men near the door went first, followed by Mickey.

  “You go next,” his father said.

  “Can’t use my left arm,” JW said, and grimaced as he tried to move it. “You go first, then you can grab my legs to ease me down.”

  “Do you think it’s broke?” Andy asked.

  “Don’t know if it’s my arm or my shoulder, but it’s not working right. How we gettin’ outta here?” JW asked, and rubbed his eye, trying to clear his vision. The bleeding from his head had slowed.

  “Maintenance crew will hook up a new cable to the cage, and once they get it unwedged from the wall of the shaft, it’ll be back in business.”

  JW and his father glanced at where Gerry and Artie lay. Then Andrew moved into place, grunting as his side pressed against the metal frame of the cage. A few seconds later, he was down and called for JW to follow.

  JW knelt on the floor then lay on his belly before taking the rope in his one useable hand. He backed toward the edge of the cage floor, his shoulder screaming in pain. He held tightly as he let his legs dangle over the edge, then he was in space with no way to get back up. Without help, he would crash to the floor below. Panic started to overwhelm him until he felt strong arms grab his legs.