Chapter 1

The old man was sitting, tending a small, smokeless fire, which was roasting his breakfast. A meager jack rabbit that had stumbled into one of the snares the old man had set the night before.

A mangy dog was lying next to him, waiting for his share of the meal. The dog lifted its head and gave a low growl. “I heared him mutt. He be a coming in any minute now.” the old man said.

Caleb Foster was born in the Pennsylvania coal country. His grandfather was a coal miner from Wales, and Caleb’s father followed in his footsteps. He started working in the mines when he was strong enough to pick and shovel.

Caleb was a strong child and learned all about mining from his grandfather and father. Throughout his early years, he listened to the tales his parents told. That was the extent of his education. The company didn’t waste money or resources on such trivial matters as childhood education.

When Caleb was 10, his grandfather died from what the miners called “The Cough.” The last two years of his life were spent in a bed, coughing up black phlegm while struggling to breathe.

At 12, his mother caught a fever in January. When the company finally sent a doctor around, he spent 10 minutes examining her. He then told Caleb’s father that nothing could be done, she had the diphtheria, and left. She died that night. The company sent Caleb’s father a $50.00 bill for the doctor’s visit and a $10.00 bill for the burial.

Less than a year later, a cave-in took Caleb’s father. The day after the funeral, a company man, someone who had never been in a mine, came around and told Caleb that his father owed $75.00 to the company store and that Caleb had to pay that debt. He also said that the cabin where Caleb had lived his whole life belonged to the company and that if he planned to stick around, he would have to start working in the mines.