"He's very bitter over the way these rascals have been plundering the city on its coal supply.

He says that the city has been buying coal wholesale at the pit mouth at three fifty--utterly worthless stuff, he tells me.

He has heard it said that everyone of these scoundrels has been paid from twenty-five to fifty dollars a winter to connive at it." "Dear me," said the listener.
"Abominable, is it not ?" said Mr.Fyshe.

"But as I said to Rasselyer-Brown, what can one do if the citizens themselves take no interest in these things.

'Take your own case,' I said to him, 'how is it that you, a coal man, are not helping the city in this matter?
Why don't you supply the city ?' He shook his head, 'I wouldn't do it at three-fifty,' he said.