On February 4, 1875, it happened to be a bitterly cold winter day, and the canyons of Mount Gilmerton were filled with thick snow. Steam snowplows cleared the snow on the railway and went to and from the coal mines.

Only in this way can the night train run smoothly through the district and workers' rest area. The train rumbled up the steep slope from the Stagville Plain to the town of Vermissa, located in the center of the Vermissa Valley entrance. After reaching the top of the slope, the train descended.

, passing through the Barton Branch Road and Helmdale, and arriving in Melton County, a land of developed agriculture. Although this railway is a single track, there are countless trucks on each side line, fully loaded with coal. It can be seen that

It is rich in minerals, and this most desolate place in the United States has attracted a large number of rough people and has become bustling with people.

In the past, this place was just an uninhabited and barren land. However, the first pioneers who came here for in-depth investigation did not expect that this beautiful prairie and pastures full of tender grass were actually a desolate place covered with black rocks.

On the hillside, dense forests covered the entire sky, and the top of the mountain stood bare, with rocks covered with white snow on both sides. The train drove through the curved valley and moved upward slowly.

It was already dark, and oil lamps were lit in the simple carriage. Most of the more than 20 people on the bus were workers returning home at night. They were very tired from working deep into the valley all day. Among them, 10 people were covered with dirt and carried safety lamps.

A few people, who looked like miners at first glance, gathered together, smoking and talking quietly. Occasionally they glanced at the two people sitting opposite. The two people were wearing uniforms and badges on their chests. They were obviously police officers.

Some of the remaining passengers were working women, and some seemed to be local small business owners. In addition, in the corner of the carriage, a young man was sitting alone. He is the protagonist of our story.

This young man is about 30 years old, with a medium build and an imposing manner. He has a pair of big gray eyes with a sense of humor. He moves rapidly through the lenses from time to time and looks at the people around him curiously. He looks very witty and often smiles.

It is not difficult to find that this is a person who likes to be sociable, has a straightforward character, and is willing to make friends with everyone. If someone can look at him twice, they will find that a resolute and decisive look will appear through his lips and corners of his mouth. This

The jovial young man from Ireland with brown hair is a thoughtful and calm person. You can imagine that it will not be difficult for him to enter society and make himself famous.

He spontaneously said a few words to a miner next to him, but received a brief and rude response from the other party. In the end, he fell silent because his words did not make sense, and he stared gloomily at the dimming scenery outside the window.

The scenery is also unpleasant. The sky is turning dark, and the red light from the fire is slightly revealed on the hillside. On both sides of the hillside, there is a faint appearance of slag and slag piled up like hills. On top of it stands the shaft of the coal mine. There are low buildings in twos and threes along the

Low wooden houses can be seen everywhere, with weak lights flashing in the windows, and some outlines are vaguely revealed in the dark night. The parking stations appear from time to time in the light, and dark-skinned passengers are surging inside.

The valleys in the Vermissa District are rich in coal mines, and the leisure class and educated people rarely appear here. Here you can only see the rough and strong workers doing the most primitive and crude work day and night in order to survive.

There are traces of this primitive struggle everywhere.

The young traveler looked at the miserable scene of this small town with curiosity and displeasure. This place was still unfamiliar to him. From time to time he took out a letter from his pocket to read it, and then scribbled in the blank space.

Write some words. At one point, he took out the largest navy revolver from his back. It was hard to believe that a gentle man like him could own such a thing. As he fiddled with it, the pistol turned sideways into the light, and the bullet wheel

It was filled with gleaming copper bullets. Although he quickly put the gun away, he was still seen by a worker sitting next to him.

"Hey, friend!" said the worker sitting next to me, "you look defensive!"

The young man twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled.

"Indeed," he said, "in my original environment, sometimes we would use it."

"What kind of environment is that?"

"Chicago."

"It seems you are not familiar with this place yet?"

"really."

"You'll find that you sometimes need it here," the worker said.

"Really?" the young man asked with concern.

"Have you never heard of what happened here before you came here?"

"I haven't heard anything special."

"Ahem! There are so many things to say here. You will have heard enough before long. What do you want to do here?"

"I heard there's always work here for anyone willing to work."

"Are you from the union?"

"Yes."

"I think you will still have work to do. Do you have any friends here?"

"Not yet, but I don't have to worry about not having friends. I have ways to do this."

"What can we do?"

"I joined the Freemen. There are branches in every town. As long as I enter the branch, I will make friends."

These words made the other party different. The worker glanced at the other people in the car suspiciously. The miners were still talking in low voices, and the two policemen were napping. He came over and sat down next to the young man.

On the passenger's seat, he stretched out his hand and said: "Give me your hand." The two people exchanged signals by shaking hands.

"I can see that what you said is not a lie, but it's better to be cautious."

He raised his right hand and placed it next to his right eyebrow. The young man immediately raised his left hand and placed it next to his left eyebrow.

"The night is unpleasant," said the worker.

"For foreigners, the dark night is unpleasant." The young man responded.

"Great. I'm a brother of Vermissa Valley Chapter 341. My name is Scanlon. I'm glad to see you here."

"Me too. I am a brother of Chicago Chapter 29. My name is John McMurdo, and our leader is J.H. Scott. I am so lucky to have met a brother so soon."

"Well, there are a lot of us around here. You'll see in the Vermissa Valley that no chapter in the United States is as powerful as ours. Guys like you are exactly what we need. But I really don't understand

, why is it so difficult for a vibrant union member like you to find a job in Chicago?"

"I've had quite a few jobs!" said McMurdo.

"Then why did you leave?"

McMurdo smiled and nodded to the police over there, and said, "I think if these guys knew, they would be very happy."

Scanlon sighed sympathetically. "Are you in any trouble?" he asked in a low voice.

"very troublesome."

"criminal behavior?"

"Part of it, but also other aspects."

"You didn't kill someone, did you?"

"We can't talk about such a thing now!" McMurdo said, showing a worry about saying too much, and then continued: "I have my own reasons for leaving Chicago. Who are you?

?To get to the bottom of this kind of thing, is it too much?"

McMurdo's gray eyes suddenly showed an angry glare through his glasses.

"Okay, friend. Please don't mind. People won't think the worst of you. Where are you going?"

"Vermissa."

"That's the third stop. Do you have a place to stay?"

McMurdo took an envelope from his pocket, held it close to the dim light of the oil lamp, and read.

The address is here, Sheridan Street, Jacob Shafter. This apartment was introduced to me by a friend of mine in Chicago.

"Oh, I'm not very familiar with Vermissa and haven't heard of this apartment. I live in Hobson's Territory, which is right here. But before I leave, I want to remind you that if you meet in Vermissa

If you have any trouble, please go directly to Vermissa Chapter Leader McGinty. Nothing will happen here without the permission of Black Jack McGinty. Goodbye, friends, maybe we can meet again in the chapter one night

We will meet again. But remember my words: once you encounter any trouble, you must go to the leader McGinty in time."

Scanlon left, and McMurdo fell silent again. Now, it was completely dark, and the flashes of light dancing in the darkness were the flames ejected from the blast furnace. Under the reflection of the red light, accompanied by the clanging sound

To the melody of roaring sounds, the black figure of a crane or winch bends, twists, and turns with force.

"I think hell is just like this," someone said.

McMurdo withdrew his gaze and turned around to see a policeman twisting his body so that he could look across the wasteland illuminated by the fire.

"For that matter," another policeman said, "Hell is indeed like this, but I don't think there are worse devils there than we know. Young man, I take it you are new here?"

"Well, I just arrived, so what?" McMurdo's voice was a little rough and rude.

"Actually, sir, I just kindly advise you to be cautious about making friends. If I were you, I would definitely ignore Mike Scanlon or his group of friends."

"Who do I care about, and what does it have to do with you?" McMurdo said, raising his voice. Everyone in the carriage was startled by his voice. Everyone looked at him one after another, and when they saw him he said again: "What did I ask you to advise me?

? Or do you think I am an idiot and don’t understand the world without your advice? Let me also advise you, if someone wants to talk to you, you should speak before you speak, hey! Just stay aside! "

He was like a barking dog, gnashing his teeth and glaring at the police with anger on his face.

The two experienced, gentle and honest police officers were shocked. They had never seen any overtures of kindness met with such strong rejection.

"Don't be offended! Sir," a policeman said, "You look like you are new to this place. We kindly remind you, and it's for your sake!"

"Although I am unfamiliar with this place, I have already known about people like you." McMurdo shouted angrily, "The world is as dark as crows, don't give me any more advice, no one will listen to it."

"It seems that we will be able to meet again soon." A policeman laughed coldly, "If I were a judge, I dare say that you are really a rare good thing for me."

"I think so," said the other policeman. "We'll definitely see you again."

"Don't scare me with your tricks, I'm not afraid!" McMurdo shouted, "My name is Jack McMurdo, remember! If you want to find me, just come to Sheridan Street in Vermissa

Jacob Schafter's apartment, I will not hide from you at all, I dare to face you guys at any time, don't make any mistake."

The bold behavior of this unfamiliar face aroused the sympathy and approval of the miners. They talked in whispers, and the two policemen shrugged helplessly and continued to talk quietly among themselves.

A few minutes later, the train pulled into a dark station. Vermissa is the largest town on this railway line because it has a large area of ​​mining land. McMurdo was about to pick up his leather travel bag and walk into the darkness.

When he went there, a miner came up and struck up a conversation with him.

"Brother, you are really good. You know how to talk to these policemen." He said with admiration. "It makes me feel happy to hear what you said. Give me your travel bag and I will show you the way, Sha.

The Ford Apartments are right on my way home.”

As they walked across the platform, the other miners wished McMurdo a friendly good night. Thus, despite his inexperience in the area, McMurdo was already well known in Vermissa as a restless fellow.

To a certain extent, if the countryside is a scary place, then the towns are even more boring. But in such a long and narrow valley, there is at least a sense of grandeur. Although it has a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, the flames reflect the sky.

, the smoke and clouds are ever-changing, and the immortal achievements created on these hills deserve to belong to those strong and hard-working people. It is those people who piled up these hills little by little next to the huge tunnels, but the town has changed as a result.

It was ugly and dirty. The passing vehicles left muddy ruts on the wide street. Beside the narrow and bumpy sidewalks, there were many gas lamps hanging that could only illuminate a row of wooden houses. Each house was cluttered and

Dirty street-facing balcony.

McMurdo followed the miner into the city center. A row of shops were still brightly lit, especially the pubs and casinos, which were even more dazzling. The hard-earned money earned by the miners was lavishly squandered here.

"This is the union." Like a guide, the miner pointed to a tall hotel-like tavern and said, "The leader, Jack McGinty, is here."

"Can you tell me what kind of man this is?" asked McMurdo.

"What? Have you never heard about the leader?" "As you know, I first came here, how could I hear anything about it?"

"Oh. I thought his name appeared in the newspapers so often that everyone in the union would know about it!"

"Why do you think that?"

"Oh!" the miner said in a low voice, "Something happened!"

"What's wrong?"

"Jesus, sir, let me tell you something you don't want to hear. You're really weird. The only thing you can hear here is about the Kool-Ins."

"Why? I heard when I was in Chicago that they were a gang of murderers, right?"

"Shh, stop talking! Don't mention it!" The miner looked at his companions in surprise, stood there with a confused and uneasy expression, and said loudly, "Brother, if you still talk like this on the street, you

It’s hard to save your life. How many people have died for something smaller than this.”

"Okay, I don't know anything about them. This is just hearsay."

"But, I didn't say what you heard was false." The man said, looking around nervously, his eyes staring straight into the darkness, as if he was afraid that some danger might strike from there at any time.

"There are a lot of murders. If it is really a murder, only God knows. You have to remember that no matter what, don't connect these with Jack McGinty. All the discussions here, even every whisper will be spread.

to his ears, and McGinty is a ruthless character and will not let you go easily. Well, the house you are looking for is here, just behind the street. When the time comes, you will know the owner, old Jacob

"Shaft is an honest man in this town."

"Thank you!" McMurdo said, shaking hands with his new acquaintance and bidding farewell. He took the traveling bag, walked to the house with heavy steps, came to the door, and knocked hard.

It didn't take long for the door to open, but the person who opened the door was beyond his expectation. She was a young and beautiful German-looking woman, with smooth skin that could be broken by blows, waterfall-like golden hair, and a pair of big black and shining eyes. She was surprised.

He looked carefully at the visitor outside the door, with a shy blush on his fair cheeks. Using the bright street light at the door, McMurdo took a closer look at the girl. He felt that he had never seen such a beautiful girl. She

They were in stark contrast to the filth around them. Even the violets blooming on the black coal piles would not be more surprising than the girl who appeared here. He stood in front of the door in stunned silence.

It was the woman who broke the silence.

"I thought my father was back!" She said softly, with some German accent, "Are you looking for him? He went to town, I'm waiting for him!"

McMurdo was still looking at the woman with admiration. Facing this slightly reserved visitor, the woman lowered her head shyly.

"No, miss," McMurdo finally said, "I'm not in a hurry to find him, but someone introduced me to stay at your house. I think this is a perfect fit for me, and now I'm even more sure."

"Your decision was too quick." The woman said with a smile.

"Only a blind man would not make such a decision," McMurdo replied.

When the girl heard such compliments, she couldn't help but smile.

"Sir, please come in!" she said. "I am Mr. Shafter's daughter. My name is Eddie Shafter. Because my mother died prematurely, I am responsible for managing the housework. You can go to the front hall first.

Sit down by the fire and wait. Father will be back soon. Ah, he is back. If you have anything to do, please discuss it with him directly!"

An old man approached slowly along the path. McMurdo briefly explained his purpose - a man named Murphy introduced him here in Chicago, and Murphy learned this address from another person.

Mr. Foot readily agreed. McMurdo also agreed to all the conditions without hesitation and paid $7 per week in advance for room and board. Obviously, he was very wealthy.
Chapter completed!