The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-11-29
Out Of Work.
BY syLvANUs COBB, JR.

BY sYLvANUs COBB, yR
ats no use, Maria, I've tried every.
where"
"But you are not going to give up, Pc
ter 2"
"Give up. How can help ite Within
four days have been to every book bindery
in the city, and not bit of work can
get"
''But have you tried anything else? ?"
"What else can try:'
"Why, anything that you can do"
"Ies, I've tried other things. | have
been to more than dozen OF my friends and
offered to help them if they would hire
me-
And what did you mean to do for
them,"
81 offered either to post their accounts,
make out bills, or attend to the counter"
Mrs. Stanwood smiled as her husband
thus spoke.
Nv hat makes you smile?" he asked
"To think you should have imagined YOU
would find work in such place. But how
is Mark Leeds ?"
"He is worse off than am"
GLOW so!"
A shudder crept over his frame now.
"Why do you tremble 2"
"Because when We shall have eaten our
breakfast tomorrow morning, we shall have
nothing
What" cried Peter Stanwool, starting
from his chair. DO you mean that"
Il do"
"But our -four"
"All gone. baked the last this after
noon"
But we have pork"
"You ate the last this noon"
Then we must starve," groaned the ter
ror stricken man.
Peter Sianwood was a bookbirder by
trade, and had now been out Of employ
ment about a month. He was one of those
who generally calculate to keep about even
with the world, and who consider them
selves particularly fortunate If they keep
out of debt He was now thirty years OF
age and had three children to provide for
besides himself and wife, and this, together
with house rent, was a heavy draught upon
his purse, even when work was plenty, but
nowhere was nothing.
MARIA" said he, stopping and gazing his
wife in the face, 1--WE must starve. l have
no, single penny in tho world
to-RSalttdaNe nRat de Is, nat despair. Peter Try again
thing to do Anything that is honest is no
norable. Should We make but q shilling a
day, we should not starve."
But our house rent.
'Trust TO NE for that. The landlord
shall not turn Us out. If you will engage tc
find something to do, / will see that We
have house room"
"I'Il make one more trial" uttered Peter,
despairingy.
"But you must 60 prepared to do any.
thing"
Anything reasonable, Maria"
'What do you call reasonable?"
"Why, anything decent"
The wife felt inclined to smile, but the
matter was too serious for that, and cloud
passed over her face. She knew her hus
bands disposition, and she felt sure that he
would find no work. She knew that he
would look for some kind of work which
would not lower him in the social circle, as
he once or twice expressed it However
she knew it would be of no use to say any
thing to him now, and she let the matter
pass.
On the following morning, the last bit ol
food in the house was put upon the table
Stanwood could hardly realize that he wa.
penniless and without food. For years ht
! had been gay, thoughtiess and fortunate
making the most of the present, forgetting
the past. and leaving the future to take care
Of itself Yet the truth was naked ant
clear, and when he left the house he sal,
something must be DONE"
! No sooner had her husband gone, thar
Mrs. Stanwood put on her bonnet ant
shawl. Her eldest child was a girl sever
years old, and her youngest four. She ask
! ed her next door neighbors to take care o
her children till noon. These children wer,
| known to be good and quiet, and they were
took checrfully. Then Mrs. Stanwood lock
ed up her house and went away. She re
turned at noon bringing some dinner for he
! children and then she went away again
She came home in the evening before Peter
bringing heavy basket on her arm.
"Well, Peter" she asked, after her hus
| band had entered and sat down, "wha
luck P"
Nothing, nothing" he groaned. 90
made out to get dinner from an old chum
! but could not find work."
"And where have you looked to-day!"
! "O-everywhere. I've been to . hundred
places, but it's the same old story in every
| place. It's nothing but one eternal no, no
I'm sick and tired of it."
"What have you offered to do"
"Why even went SO far as to offer t.
! tend liquor store"
The wife smiled.
"Now what shall we do" uttered Peter
spasmodically.
hy. well eat supper first and talk tn
matter over
"Supper! Have you got any ?"
! "Yes-plenty Of it."
"But you told me you bad none"
"Neither had we this morning, but Nv,
been after work to-day and found some"
"You. You have been after work? 2" ut
tered the husband in surprise.
"Yes."
"But how-where-what?" ?"
"Why, first / went to Mrs. Shows.
knew her girl was sick, and hoped sh,
might have work to be done. went to he
and told my story, and she set me at worl
at once doing her washing. She gave mi
food to bring home to my children. and pait
me three shilings when got through"
"What-you been out washing for on,
butchers wife," said he, looking very
much surprised.
"Of course l have, and have thereby
earned enough to keep US in food through
to- morrow. At any rate so tomorrow yor