w," said another young parliamentarian, "I move't the chairman pint
out a committee of three fellows to write the res'lutions."

This motion was also seconded, put, and carried, and Ralph designated
three boys in the company, one of whom, Joe Foster, had more than an
ordinary reputation for learning, as a committee on resolutions; and,
while they went down to the breaker office for pen, ink, and paper,
the meeting took a recess.

It was, indeed, a task for those three unlearned boys to express in
writing, their grief consequent upon the death of their employer,
and their sympathy for his living loved ones, but they performed it.
There was some discussion concerning a proper form for beginning. One
thought they should begin by saying, "Know all men by these presents."

"But we ain't got no presents to give 'em," said another, "an' if we
had it ain't no time to give any presents."

Joe Foster had attended the meeting at which the resolutions by the
miners were adopted, and after recalling, as nearly as possible, the
language in which they were drawn, it was decided to begin:--"We, the
breaker boys, of Burnham Breaker, in mass meeting met"--

After that, with the exception of an occasional dispute concerning the
spelling of a word, they got on very well, and came, finally, to the
end.

"You two write your names on to it," said Jack Murphy; "I won't put
mine down; two's enough."

"Oh! we've all got to sign it," said Joe Foster; "a majoriky ain't
enough to make a paper like this stan' law."

"Well, I don't b'lieve I'll sign it," responded Jack; "I don't like
the res'lutions very well, anyway."

"Why not? they're jest as you wanted 'em--oh, I know! you can't write
your name.

"Well, I guess I could, maybe, if I wanted to, but I don't want to;
I'm 'fraid I'd spile the looks o' the paper. You's fellows go ahead
an' sign it."

"I'll tell you what to do," said Joe; "I'll write your name jest as
good as I can, an' then you can put your solemn cross on top of it,
an' that'll make it jest as legal as it can be got."

So they arranged it in that way. Joe signed Jack Murphy's name in his
very best style, and then Jack took the pen and under Joe's explicit
directions, drew one line horizontally through the name and another
line perpendicularly between the two words of it, and Joe wrote
above it: "his solem mark." This completed the resolutions, and
the committee hurried back with them to the impatient assembly.
The meet