Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-03-10
A Yankee in q Cotton Mill,

company; Having piled his wood to
the satisfaction of the overseer, he bait
ed his team with a bundle of green
grass, brought all the way from home
for that purpose, and having invested
portion of the wood proceeds in root
beer and gingerbread at Hams, he
started to see the city filing his
countenance rapidly with bread, and
and chewing it rapidly as he went.
He reached the iron foundry and
machine shop, and was just opposite
the warp mill as the ''handsn were going
in from dinner. The girls were hurry
ing IN as only factory girls can hurry
and Jonathan, unaccustomed to such
an array of plaid shawls and hood
bonnets, deposited his goad stick ON the
stairs, and stall1ed in ito see what the
trouble was" ~. ....
The Gathering machinery and the
movements Of the operatives bewilder-
ed HIM for the moment, but being of an
mqruring turn of mind, and seeing much
that was calculated to perplex one
whose observation in mechanics had
'\>i1 iihoSbif toiiiluCl " I'LL CSilifS IiId-
chimes and corn shelters, he began to
push vigorous inquiries in all directions.
In this way he made himself acquain-
ted successfully with the internal and
external economy of the various ma
chimes through which cotton-warp pro-
crosses IN the course of its manufac-
ture-the ''pickcr,'' ''beater," clap
winder," ''doublcr," and 'sspeeder,"-
and finally reached the ''breakers, y and
''fnishers," just as the card stripper
was going through the operation, tech
nlcally called ''stripping the flats. .
In doing this, the large cylinder OF the
card is exposed to view, and is seen re-
volving with very pretty buzz. Not
content with contemplating the poetry
OF motion at safe distance our hero
must needs introduce himself between
the cards to get a nearer view. This
movement brought his neither habil-
aments in dangerous proximity to the
gearing OF the next card, and s:therebv
hangs tale .
"You-I say! She goes pooty, don't
she, boss? ?" said Jonathan, inquiringly.
''She don't do anything else,'' re-
sponded the stripper; ''but YOU must be
very careful how YOU move around
amongst this hardware Twas only
last week, sir, that promising young
man from Mlnot, student at the Acad-
envy here, was drawn into that very
card, sir, and before any assistance
could reach him, he was run through
and manufactured into No. Is super
extra cotton warp yarn"
Il s-s-sw-swow! I believe you're iok-
ing!' suffered Jonathan. .,-..
''Fact, SIR" continued the stripper,
"and his disconsolate mother came
down two days ago, and got five bunch
es OF that same yarn as melancholy rel
ics.n -.
''By the mighty, that can't be true!"
'Fact, sir, Fact! And each of his
fellow students purchased a skein a
piece, to be set in lookets, and worn in
remembrance of departed WORTH
''ls that the truth, now? Was he raj
u keerded, spun, and sot in lockets?''
A sense Of personal danger here shot
across our hero's mind; and he began
to retreat precipitately without waiting
for an answer. There was not much
room to spare betwixt himself and the
gearing ofthe card behind him. Anoth-
er step backward completed the cere-
monv Of Introduction His unwhisper-
ables being oflarge calibre, the process
Of snarling them up into hard knot
was by no means Slow. Jonathan gave
tongue instanter, and by the twentieth
gyration of embodiment the music was
melodious. Gen. Scott, himself, could
not have protested more forcibly against
''an attack upon his rear"
ooh. M-u-r-d-e-r! Let go-yeou
HURT. Blast your pictures-let GO
Amt we ashamed? Git eout faint
pooty! Darnation seize ye, let alone on
me, can't yew, devil"
The gearing by this time had wound
him up so that he was obliged to stand
OH tip toe. His hands were revolving
vigorously behind him, though he dare 1
not venture too near the ':seat of war"
The card striper threw off the belt, but
the momentum cylinder kept revolving
and the green 'un sylpposing it to be in
full operation burst outanew: Il
ooh stop her. Stop her, wont veou ? !
stop her, dew! amt well, and / orter
be home. Father wants the steers and
mothers going to bake Stop the tar
mel masheen-cant ye?-Dew? Oh deart
III be bearded and spun, and sot into
lockets. Je-ru-sa-lem, how I wish !
was tew hum y ..... r.-.I
The card was stopped at last: but
Jonathan's clothes were SO entanoled
in the gearing, that it was no small
task to cxtricate him Like Othello he |
was not easily moved, and it was ONLY
by cutting out the whole invested terri
tory that he was finally released.
'What are you about here inquir-
ed the oyerseer entering. ...
''Nothing, sir, only Stripping fats
answered the stripper.
Jonathan, not caring to resume his
pursuit of knowledge under difficulties,
a pair Of overalls were charitably loan
ed him, and he started with his steers
on a fast walk toward home, giving
series Of short kicks, with either Leo as
he went. as If to assure b;,,solf tbot no