Stand and Deliver

By Michael Ball

Set in the times of the industrial revolution, east of Glasgow, in the border town of Coatbridge, we follow the trials of Isabel Wishaw, from childish adventures to a traumatized desperate young women.
The central character in the story and daughter of Peter Wishaw, an ailing miner: Alice her home proud mother, and Jamie her brother who had recently joined his father to be discontented in the mine. Their living to exist circumstances: journey thru rent evasion, mining accident, kidnapping and deceit, and eventually good fortune, leads them to immigrate to their uncles former farm in Ireland; all for the sake of Peter, who has the onset of consumption. In an idyllic period the children enjoy their youth. Within a few years, times become harder when rumors spread of a potato blight in the north. In an attempt to escape the turmoil, Alice sees her daughters rebuff to the local squire as unacceptable, as she envisidged her marrying him to be the only way out of depravation and increasing poverty. Unknowing to her father and mother, Isabel escapes one night, out from the pressures of unrequited love and a mistrust of men. Mounted on her beloved horse Beth, only telling Jamie of her plan she seeks a solution to all her misgivings. Sad findings at her aunts farm result in further escapades; troubles and plans array to fulfill an intriguing tale of mystery and dispare, a tale believed by mystics, and a truth for some unbelievers

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jan 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781467882088

Book preview

Chapter 1 -

In Coatbridge.

To the east of Glasgow in a two-bedroom terraced cottage owned by the coal board lived the Wishaw’s, a Catholic family. The father, Peter Wishaw a miner, had worked underground for many years while his fourteen year old son Jamie had recently started working on the surface, much to his mother Alice’s chagrin. Their eleven year old daughter Isabel like most children helped her mother in the everyday chores; missing her brother a great deal as she’d recently lost many friends to cholera and scarlet fever. Living at the top of Rowlands Row in the town of Coatbridge, they were experiencing a population explosion due to the recent invention of the blast furnace and the introduction of many steel works in the area, causing the air to be filled with black smoke from the chimneys, so much so that the town was covered by a constant black cloud.

It is washday with Alice pounding away in a steamy dolly tub, while her daughter gathered the bedding, the underwear and work-close to be dried on the communal line in the back yard.

Mum the line is dirty; there’s something, ooh slimy in my fingers, she rubbed her hands down her apron to her mother’s disgust.

Don’t do that it’s only the birds, she grabbed her arm to rub her fingers on a piece of rag cloth.

I’m watching you make more washing, come here. Alice cleaned the line. Now go ahead, and don’t drape any on the ground else I’ll make you wash more than your hands. She didn’t mind if her daughter dropped the lot; for she had recovered from a serious illness two weeks earlier, and this was her first task her mother dared to test her with; the scarlet fever had laid waste to many families in the street and she was one of the lucky ones. Taking her husband’s clothes out of the dirty water a smile lightened her drudgery as she saw her daughter diligently stretching with all her five feet one of childhood intensity, squeezing her raw hands till they almost bled, she wrung the last of her husband’s clothes over the misty tin barrel, to leave more for drying in the polluted city air.

Any more Mum?

Yes here you are, Alice marveled at her speech, not as other’s would say ‘mammy’, she had always used a more affectionate ‘mum’, and she liked that. Examining his shirt to the light Isabel noticed some streaks.

What’s wrong my girl is it not clean enough?

The water wasn’t hot enough mum, look. Alice new immediately what it was, how could she miss it; ‘he must have got it down the mine; in the dark and dust, he didn’t even know he was cut, hadn’t seen the blood.’

Look there’s more mum, you’ll have to keep them in soak.

My girl, you’re getting quite a washer woman, now you get on and peg the rest, these look alright, handing over the remainder she was concerned as to what caused the stains, a scratch or something more serious. As the last of the work was laid out it suddenly dawned on her; it had rained yesterday, Monday and she couldn’t get started; that left Tuesday to do the washing.

Oh my dear! Isabel come here, finish quickly. Do you know what day it is?"

Tuesday of course, turning to her mother saw that wasn’t the answer; well Tuesday is Tuesday it’s not someone’s birthday is it? Alice hastened Isabel to come inside as she tried the guessing game again.

What time on Tuesday?

How do I know the time, our clock is always going wrong, she became impatient. Look can’t I go now mum.

No you can’t, look out the window; disappointed and annoyed she tried again, What time of day, come on, what time of day? under the table remember," At last it dawned on her like a dose of salts to cause her scurrying to the best hide away. ‘Under the table’ meant unwelcome guests, and the most unwelcome visitor was the rent man. Tuesday afternoon and behind with the rent; one week was one week was one too many, as her husband didn’t get paid until Friday. Sure enough within the hour there came a banging on the locked door; to be followed by shouts: dogs barking and neighbors calling as though they needed the money. The same routine followed at the back, where Alice cursed the thru cut; enough to put obstacles in the way. The man even handled the washing as if to consider recompense, and then with a sneer to the skies saw the well- worn underclothes of no value.

Both of them peered behind thick curtains from the upstairs bedroom, first thru a hairs breathed of light, then a full finger, to see him dragging his feet to the next poor soul. Alice placed her arm around her daughter in reassurance.

We’ll settle up next week my dear; don’t let this bother you, take no notice of the children if they pick on you as before; your friends won’t do so, you’ll know who your friends are by now.

I know mum, but I wish I was old enough to earn a penny or two, with head bowed she noticed a reflective glitter on the bare boards, to hastily pick it up as some kind of reward, a reward for her mum.

See mum, a coin, then picking it up in her silky fingers relayed her disappointment, Oh! I thought it was, it’s only, only a button.

That’s alright my love; let’s pretend it’s a sixpence, and sixpence will buy you pair of boots; black shiny lace up boots with golden laces. Placing it back in her hand to say, someday, you never know, someday.

Chapter 2 -

Accidental Ideas

Jamie her eleven year old son worked from the age of nine at the pit-head surface: helping to push the coal trucks, sought out the slack from the good, anything his fellow women workers could do and his former school friends who couldn’t afford like him to stay at school a day later then their needs called for. Working five days a week, ten hours a day, was worn out when the six O’clock horn wailed its life saving presence. Everyday he needed a bath and every summer’s day would find him holding his breath in the icy cold waters of the waterfall a quarter mile from the slag heaps; in summer tolerable, in winter unbearable. His mother never fully realized how dirty his job was when on the way home he would dowse not only his body but sometimes his close. ‘The other’s do it the same mam,’ he would say, ‘so why shouldn’t I. Ach they’d call me a wimp if I didn’t duck and under, or the lord of the manner if I didn’t, thinking we lived in a mansion and had our own spring, or a well to go as I please.’

It was nearly seven and time for an early supper; Jamie first, then his father Peter at seven thirty; enough time to see the sun going down beside the black cobbled-streets and the smoke filled skyline.

The thump of a bag against the front door signaled at least one provider with a much needed bag of free coal.

Is that you Jamie? his mother entered their one sitting room.

Yes mammy, he sunk in the only armchair his father claimed as his own.

You’re early son, what’s the reason? Before he could answer she was surprised at the state he was in. And you’re covered; tell me why? cause we’ve no hot water, not till bedtime, he showed her his leg."

Goodness gracious, mother of Mary, what have you been doin’, you poor soul, let me have a look at it.

Isabel came down the stairs.

Dear open the back door, let some light in I’m trying to look at your brothers leg. Come over here Jamie out of your father’s chair where I can see you, she began to pull up his trouser leg, past the knee where a blood spattered cut of six inches from the knee was sticking to his clothing, Isabel began to grimace.

Oh Jamie you’ve got blood on your boots as well; did you do that yourself, I mean does it hurt?

Only while I’m alive; if I was dead I wouldn’t feel a thing.

There he goes again mum like when he had glass in his foot, she handed her mother some clean rags.

You’re a Jonah my son, always coming of the worst, c’mon tell your mum how it happened.

The coal truck ma’, I pushed this young girl Betty McCallister, you remember Betty Joe’s daughter out of the way of a truck that broke free, and well I caught the worst of it. I saved her and myself from having a bath. I couldn’t bare being under that freezing waterfall, not with the pain I’m in. His mother kissed his face and was close to tears.

That’s what Betty did, I mean kissed my face and said if there’s anything she can do for me in the future I was only to ask; and that went for most of the girls, and then they started to laugh, I don’t know why, I was so embarrassed, his mother tried to speak but Jamie carried on. The foreman never said a word except later on I found out if I complain my job is on the line, I didn’t understand that. What does it mean ma’?

Look I’ll tell you what it means in a minute; Isabel put some logs on and light a fire, there’s never hot water when you need it. Jamie called out as his mother tried to clean the coal dust away as Isabel covered her ears and went away into the kitchen.

Your dad Isabel I can hear him coming, he whistled the same tune day after day, like a warning signal or a sign that he’s awake and in a good mood. Crash! On the floor lay another bag of coal before the handle turned and the door was pushed open with his foot; to see the back of his son getting special treatment.

Hello, what’s this, your washing his feet now, what’s up son, your back given out? Moving to the side of his chair he soon saw his mistake as the wound was now clearly exposed to the anxious eyes of his mother and sister. Sorry son, he looked caringly into his eyes, the mine, don’t tell me, the coal trucks.

From that day forward upon hearing his son’s accident he was determined that his offspring would have nothing to do with that life threatening occupation; ‘any job was better than this bob a job disparaging livelihood,’ at least until they could afford to either be without his wages, or find work more fit than a youngster doing a man’s work.

Alice cleaned his wound and bandaged his leg best she could to be reminded of an earlier incident, taking her husband to one side away from the children she quietly aired her concern.

I can see you’re not happy my dear with his situation but what about yours? her hand pointed to the blooded clothing.

I’m not bleeding ma’, if that’s what you mean, he wished she hadn’t raised the subject, to be confronted with his stained shirt confirmed his fears and a confrontation he didn’t won’t, but Alice needed answers.

Well come on where is it from? we don’t won’t any infection, if I can do something about it, I will. It’s not just a scratch is it? Peter sat down in his chair and put his hand in his pocket to show similar marks on his coal stained hanky.

The coal dust that’s all it is, it gets in my throat sometimes as big as a pebble-stone and causes irritation. It’ll go away you see when we start a new seam nearer the ground. Isabel finished attending to her brother to stop their conversation and