Breaker Boy

by Joan Hiatt Harlow

  “Where were you today?” Corey asked as Anthony caught up with him.

  “I helped out down in the mine.”

  “You missed out. The breaker boys started spring training,” Corey told him. “I got on the team.”

  Anthony stopped walking. “You did? Charlie let you?”

  “I hit a few balls into the outfield,” Corey told him. “But I told Charlie I’d play only if they’d quit their monkeyshines and play ball.”

  Anthony laughed. “You told Charlie that? And he didn’t beat you up?”

  “Nope. He said I made the team. Why don’t you try out for the team too?”

  “I will,” Anthony promised. They passed by Corey’s street. “Aren’t you goin’ home?”

  “No, I’m going to Mrs. Chudzik’s. My mother is staying with her.”

  “At Mrs. Chudzik’s house?” Anthony’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” Corey answered. “Mom is staying there until she has the baby. If she needs help, Mrs. Chudzik will be there to help her.”

  Neither of the boys spoke until they reached Anthony’s patch. “Why don’t you come with me? You’re not afraid, are you?”

  “No, course not. Just want to go home,” Anthony said, avoiding Corey’s eyes. “I’ll try out for the team tomorrow.”

  Corey continued on his way, taking Abby’s path. He was eager to see his mother, but he needed to see Mrs. Chudzik. He needed to tell her what had happened today at the mine.

  His pace quickened as he approached the big house. He took the porch steps two at a time and knocked on the door. Hovi announced Corey’s arrival, barking and pacing.

  The door opened and Mrs. Chudzik peered out. “Corey, your mother hoped you’d come by after work.” She stood back and Corey went inside.

  Hovi danced around Corey as he entered. “Yes, it’s me, Hovi,” Corey exclaimed.

  “Annie is out on the porch getting some fresh air,” Mrs. Chudzik said, motioning him to the kitchen. “It’s sunny out there this time of day.”

  The back door was open, and the sunlight drifted into the dark kitchen. He tiptoed out onto the porch, hoping his mother was awake. She was nestled in a rocking chair and bundled in a huge, soft quilt that looked brand-new. Only her head was visible as she rocked gently.

  “Oh, Corey!” she exclaimed, straightening up in the chair. She pulled her arm out from the blanket and motioned for him to come closer. “I’ve missed you! I’m so glad you came by.” She laughed as Hovi trotted ahead of Corey and lay at her feet.

  Corey realized that he hadn’t heard Mom laugh in a long time.

  She opened her arms and he went to her, kissing her cheek. “I’ve missed you too, Mom. And so do Jack and Sammy. Dad said you might need surgery.”

  “We’re waiting one more day to see if the baby will come on his own. If not, Mrs. Chudzik will do a Cesarean operation. I trust her completely, Corey.” She smiled and patted Corey’s hand as if she knew he might be worried. “Now tell me how you and your brothers are doing. How are your brothers? I wish I could see them.”

  “We’re all fine. Mrs. Balaski is watching the boys after school until I get home.” Corey sat on a nearby chair and told her about his day at Sans Souci, and how he’d made the baseball team.

  He heard a squeaky sound and looked up to see Mrs. Chudzik wheeling a wooden tea cart, set with a teapot, cups, and a huge plate of sandwiches.

  “The wheels need oiling,” she said apologetically. “I haven’t used it since Dr. Chudzik passed away.”

  “Just look at how Mrs. Chudzik spoils me.” Mom laughed. “I may just stay right here forever!”

  Corey’s mouth dropped open at Mom’s lightheartedness. Mrs. Chudzik must have performed magic to make his tired, sad mother seem so cheerful—even with the scare she’d had the other night and the possibility of surgery tomorrow.

  “Won’t you please join us, Mrs. Chudzik?” Mom pleaded. Mrs. Chudzik nodded, and Corey pulled another chair closer. They all snacked and chatted in the late-afternoon sunshine.

  But Corey needed to talk to Mrs. Chudzik alone. Mrs. Chudzik was his friend, and now he couldn’t tell Mrs. Chudzik what had happened to him again in the mine, or ask what he should do. Not now, with Mom close by.

  39

  Disaster!

  By the time the whistle blew on Tuesday morning, Corey had already fed his brothers and sent them off to school. He’d made coffee and fixed breakfast and lunch for himself and his father, and they’d gone off to the breaker well ahead of the usual line of workers.When they reached the mine, Dad said, “Thanks for your help, son. It’s been tough without your mother. I wish she weren’t staying with Mrs. Chudzik. That’s made things harder for the rest of us, and the baby isn’t even born yet.”

  “Mrs. Chudzik said she needs rest,” Corey reminded him. “Mom was cheerful yesterday, when I saw her. It’s been good for her to stay with Mrs. Chudzik.”

  “Well, I’m glad she’s cheerful,” Dad said. “I wish I were cheerful. I have a lot of worries on my mind. I’m hoping they sent some strong timbers for Ken to prop up that mine’s ceilings. That’s the main thing I’m worried about now—if I should blast.”

  “Don’t blast if you think it’s not safe, Dad,” Corey called as his father went toward the elevator. “Dad?” Corey waited for a response, but Dad didn’t answer.

  When Corey took his seat at the conveyor, Charlie, who’d proclaimed himself coach of the team, made an announcement from his place at the top of the breaker. “We’re havin’ ball practice this comin’ weekend. Remember, Saturday—at nine a.m. If you’re late or not there, you won’t be on the team. We want to beat every other club in the valley this year, and we need kids who want to win!”

  A cheer went up and Charlie took his seat.

  The boss gave the signal, and the breaker began its noisy thrust of sending down the dirty coal.

  Corey began sorting the coal and slate in his bins. He worried about the panic attack he’d almost had at the mine yesterday, and he wished he could talk to Mrs. Chudzik without Mom hearing. He decided to think about ball practice instead. He’d show the team what a good hitter he was, and how fast he could run. Concentrating on baseball made the time go by faster, yet he was startled to hear the steam whistle blow. Was it lunchtime already?

  The whistle blew—loud, clear, three times, four times. On and on it sounded. An emergency in the mines!

  The boys on the breaker froze. Every one of them had a father or brother working in the mine that day.

  The breaker stopped. For several moments no one spoke or cried out. Then the boys began talking all at once. “What happened? Where? How bad?” Then, as if given a signal, they jumped up from their seats and raced to the door as the whistle sounded again.

  “Stop!” yelled the boss. “I didn’t tell you to leave!” Then, knowing the boys were not listening, he shrugged and threw his hands up.

  The whistle sounded again as Corey took the stairs down two by two and then struggled to join the crowd who pushed their way through the door. The breaker boys and the boss were storming their way to the mine, and Corey let the mob carry him along.

  The boys raced to the engine house, where everyone gathered, making it difficult to get inside or to hear what was being said. “Let me through,” Corey demanded, ramming his way through the crowd. “My dad is in the mine.”

  “It’s a roof fall,” a miner said. “Down in that new working—the North Star.”

  Corey’s legs went weak when he heard those words—North Star. “Let me in,” he yelled again.

  “It’s Corey Adamski, Joe’s son. He needs to know about his dad.” It was his friend Richie, the mule driver. “Let him in.”

  The crowd opened, letting Corey into the engine house. He saw Mr. McBride and called to him. “Where’s my dad, Mr. McBride? Is he all right?”

  Mr. McBride looked up. When he saw Corey, his brows furrowed. “Corey, come here, son.”

  Corey stu
mbled forward, forcing himself to concentrate on what Mr. McBride was about to tell him.

  “Corey, my lad, I’m sorry to tell you this. There’s been a roof fall. Your dad had just blasted the back wall of the chamber. The timber props couldn’t hold the load of the mountain above them, and they failed. He was alone in there. Ken wasn’t with him at the time. We’re discussing possible ways to get him out.” He patted Corey’s shoulder and pushed a chair under him.

  Corey’s eyes were filling rapidly with tears as he sank into the chair. “Is he alive?” Corey could hardly ask the question.

  “We don’t know, son. We’re getting a rescue group together to see what happened. If your dad is inside that chamber, he may be just fine. But then again . . .” Mr. McBride looked up at the other men standing nearby.

  “What about black damp?” Corey asked.

  “We’re checking for gas in the area of the fall,” one of the men answered. “But we can’t check for it where your father was working. It’s jammed up with rocks.”

  Mr. McBride said quickly, “We’ll get air in to your dad as soon as possible.”

  Corey stood up and yelled, “As soon as possible? Do it NOW.” He glared at the men around him. “We all know what the chances are for him to live or breathe if black damp is in there!” Corey grabbed Mr. McBride by the sleeve. “Get air in to him now! That’s the first thing you should have done!”

  Mr. McBride looked away. “We’re hoping for good news, but the roof fall is large. It closed in the gangway that goes into the North Star working. Tons and tons of rock and coal have blocked off that area. It’s practically impossible to get ventilation in there.”

  “Then how can you get air in there to him?” Corey asked.

  “First we need to open or dig a shaft of some kind.”

  “You’ve got to do something.”

  “Yes, Corey. We’ll be working on it, as soon as we’re sure the roof is stable in that area of the mine.”

  “I want to go down there. I want to see the roof fall for myself,” Corey said.

  “Until we’re sure it’s safe from further collapse, no one can go down there,” Mr. McBride said. “Your mom wouldn’t want to lose you, too.”

  “My dad is not dead!” Then Corey asked, “Is the gangway the only way to the North Star?”

  Mr. McBride nodded. “It is, Corey.”

  “Mr. McBride, I’ve heard of trapped miners making their way out through a nearby mine or shaft. There’s an old mine just up the road. Could it be a way to get him out?” Corey suggested.

  “That’s good to know, Corey. I’ll bring it up at the meeting.”

  “What meeting?”

  “The managers and directors are meeting soon to discuss how to get to your father,” Mr. McBride said. “And also to decide what caused the fall. You said your dad was tired and didn’t want to blast yesterday.”

  “That was yesterday. Dad was rested today. He wouldn’t have blasted if he wasn’t able. But they were waiting for the timbers to prop the roof. Did you see to it that the roof was propped? Were the timbers delivered?”

  Ken Keenan, in the back of the room, spoke up. “No, they didn’t deliver the timbers,” he yelled. “But you guys said Joe and I would be fired if we didn’t blast today. It’s your fault this happened. Don’t shift the blame onto Joe.”

  The crowd of miners became angry. “Yeah, put the blame on those who deserve it!”

  “The mine barons didn’t want to spend more money on timber,” someone yelled.

  Mr. McBride called for order. “We’re going to figure out what happened at the meeting.”

  “The old mine is real close to this one. And there are shafts there—Abby Russell fell into one of them. Don’t you see? That old mine might be a way to get to Dad!” Corey said, hoping Mr. McBride even heard him.

  “Yes, yes. I’ll tell the directors about that possibility,” Mr. McBride said, hardly listening. “We’re trying to find the safest and most economical way to reach your father.” Mr. McBride headed out the door. “Just stay here and I’ll let you know what we’ve decided as soon as the meeting is over.”

  Corey’s mind had already tuned off Mr. McBride’s prattle. He wouldn’t sit and wait. No, he was sure there was another way to get to his father. All he had to do was find it.

  40

  Preparations

  As Corey left the engine room, he heard someone say, “At least there’s only one miner in that cave-in. We can be thankful for that.”

  Corey turned and shouted, “Well, you can be thankful it’s not your father down there!” He ran out the door and into the large area where the boys played ball. As he ran, his thoughts came in spurts. He needed to get into that old mine. He couldn’t go in through the big cavern in the cliff that had had a roof fall years ago. There was no way he could get through to the mine that way. There might be other long-forgotten exits in the mountain, but where? There was no time to spare. If he could get down into the old mine, he’d look around and see if there was a way into the North Star Chamber.

  I can’t ask Mrs. Chudzik for help. She wouldn’t let me go down into the mine. In fact, she might already have the mine sealed. I hope not. I’ll stop by home and get Dad’s other Davy light and a pick.

  He looked up to see Richie on his mule, trotting toward him. As he came closer, he asked, “Hey, Corey—aren’t you going to stick around to find out how your dad is?”

  “I have to find a way to help him.”

  “What can you do by yourself?” Richie asked.

  “I can go down into the old mine and see if there’s a way to get to Dad from there.”

  “You mean that old mine down near Abby Russell’s house?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one. I’m sure that the North Star Chamber is close to that old mine. Maybe it’s close enough to break through and get my dad out.”

  “Did you tell the boss that? Wouldn’t they give it a try?”

  “Mr. McBride wasn’t interested in what I had to say. He was going to have a meeting to discuss who was to blame for the roof fall. There’s not enough time for a discussion on that. I want to save my dad.”

  “Get on Tootsie with me, Corey. We can get wherever you need to go faster if we let Tootsie take us.”

  He reached his hand out and Corey grabbed hold as Richie pulled him up. He swung his leg over the other side of the mule and then held on to Richie’s waist.

  “Now, where are we going?” Richie asked.

  “To my house—to get a Davy light.”

  “I have two on my mule,” Richie said. “That’s enough for the two of us.”

  “What about miner’s picks? We might have to pick our way through the old mine.”

  “I got those, too,” Richie said.

  “Then let’s go,” Corey said.

  Richie clicked the mule and called, “Giddyup, Tootsie.” Corey hung on to Richie as Tootsie galloped lickety-split ahead. Dust and stones spit up from her hooves as the mule raced down the dirt road.

  They’d just rounded the bend when they spotted Abby and Anthony running toward home. “Hey!” Richie yelled to them. “Get out of the way!”

  “Where are you going?” Anthony hollered as he pulled Abby to the side of the road.

  “Can’t talk now!” Corey called out as they flew by. “I’ve got to save my dad!”

  They flew over the dirt road, sending up billows of dust. The clouds overhead scattered as if in a frenzy across the sky. It was as if the whistle at the mine had signaled a state of panic in the universe itself.

  As he saw the turnoff to his own house, he thought about his brothers and hoped Mrs. Balaski was watching for them. No time to stop. She must have heard the steam whistle echo over the valley and be wondering what was happening.

  They passed the Old Shaft Patch Village, where Anthony lived, and soon they were at Abby’s shortcut. “Turn here,” Corey told Richie.

  “Gee!” Richie yelled to Tootsie, who turned right onto the path to Mrs. Chudzik’
s.

  Corey looked up at the hill and could see the black chasm in the cliff. It was not sealed off yet.

  Tootsie made her way delicately up the hill over the rocky path. Once the turrets of Mrs. Chudzik’s house were visible, Corey’s heart leaped. He wished he could tell Mrs. Chudzik where he was going—and to stop the men from sealing the pipe, if they were coming today. But there was no time.

  As they came to the end of the trail, Richie pulled Tootsie to a stop. “Now what?” he asked.

  Corey could see the red automobile parked in the driveway. Of course she was home. She wouldn’t go anywhere with Mom ready to have the baby. Had Mom heard that Dad was trapped in the mine? Would knowing this affect her health or the baby’s? He needed to talk with Mrs. Chudzik. But this was the one time he couldn’t confide in her, yet this was the time when he needed her the most.

  “Where are we goin’, Corey?” Richie asked.

  “Up to the top of the cliff,” Corey answered, pointing to the steep pathway.

  41

  Inside the Mountain

  At the top of the hill, Corey pulled away the rock that covered the pipe. “Here’s the only way I know that we can get into the mine.”

  “It’s narrow,” Richie said. “It’s a wonder Abby didn’t fall all the way, she’s so tiny. But we’ll have to work our way down.”

  “I think men could get down through there,” Corey said.

  “Not fat men,” Richie said with a laugh. “I’ll get those picks off Tootsie’s harness now.”

  He went to Tootsie, whom he had tied to a tree, then he whispered, “Listen! Someone’s coming.”

  “Who could it be?” Corey said in a low voice.

  “It’s Abby and me.” Anthony appeared from among the trees. “What can we do to help?”

  “I knew you might be trying to get down into this mine, so I went home and took the new map of the mine from Papa’s desk,” Abby said. “And I brought a compass.”

  “I stopped by my house and got a pick and a spade in case they were needed.” Anthony held them up.