Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-01-21
You're good lad, Ben," said he. "shake

s"efed Win all my heart, ITS you who have
| made me so. God bless yol for it :"
Amen " said he, in a troubled voice, put
ting his hand to bis hat.
And so We parted.
In general, went to bed by day when |
was attending to the firing by night; but this
morning had already slept longer than usual,
and wanted exercise more than rest. So /
ran home, put bit of bread and meat in nv
pocket, snatched up my big thorn stick, and
started off for long day in the country
When came home, it was quite dark and be-
ginning to rain, just as it had begun to rain
at about the same time that wretched Sunday
evening; so changed my wet boots, had an
early supper and nap in the chimnev-cor-
ner, and went down to the works a few min
uteS before halt-past nine. Arriving at the
factory gate, L found it a jar, and so walked III
and closed 1t after me. | remember thinking
at the time that it was unlike Georges usual
caution to leave 1t so; but it passed from nv
mind the next moment. Having slipped in
the bolt, | went straight over to GEORGES lit
tie contingencies, where the gas was shining
cheerfully in the window. Here also. some
what to my surprise, | found the door open
and the room empty. | went in. The TIRES
hold and part of the floor was wetted by the
driving rain. The wagesbook was open on
the desk, Georges pen stood in the ink, and
his hat hung Onits usual peg in the corner |
concluded, Of course, that ne had gone round
to the ovens; so, following him, I took down
MS hat and carried it with me, for it was now
raining very fast
The baking house lay just opposite, on the
other side of the yard. There were three of
them, opening one out of the other; and in
each, the great furnace filed all the middle
of the room. These furnaces are, in fact.
large kilns built of brick, with an oven closed
IN by an iron door in the centre of each, and
chimney going up through a roof. The pot
terry, enclosed IN seggars, stands round inside
on shelves, and has to be turned from time to
time while the firing is going on. To turn
these seggars, test the heat, and keep
the fires up was my work at the period of
which | am now telling you, Major
Well, | went through the baking houses
one after another, and found all empty alike
Then strange, vague, uneasy feeling came
over me, and began to wonder what could
have become of George 1t was possible that
he might be in one of the work shops; so I
ran over to the contingencies, lighted a
lantern, and made thorough survey of the
yards. | tried the doors they were all lock-
ed as usual, peeped into the sheds; they
were all vacant [ called George George !"
in every part of the outer premises; but the
wind and rain drove back my voice, and no
other voice replied to it. Forced at last to
believe that he was really gone, | took his
hat back to the counting house, put away the
wages book, eXtinguished the gas, and pre-
pared for my solitary watch.
The night was mild, and the heat in the
baking rooms intense. | knew, by experience,
that the ovens had been Overheated, and that
none Of the porcelain must go at least for
the next two hours so | carried my stool to
the door, settled myself in a sheltered corner
where the air could reach me, but not the
rain, and fell to wondering where George
could have gone, and why he should not have
waited till time appointed. That he had left
in haste was Clear-not because his hat re
manned behind, for he might have had a cap
with him; but because he had left the book
open, and the gas lighted. Perhaps one of
the wOrkmen had met with some accident,
and lie had been summoned away so urgently
that he had no time to think of anything :;
perhaps he would even now come back pres
emily to see that all was right before he went
home to his lodgings. Turning these things
over in my mind, [ grew drowsy, my thoughts
wandered. and fell asleep.
l cannot tell how long my nap lasted
had walked great distance that day, and
slept heavily but | awoke all in a moment
with a sort Of terror upon me, and, looking
up, saw George Barnard sitting on a stool be-
fore the oven door, with the freight full up
on his face.
Ashamed to be found sleeping, started to
my feet. At the same instant, he rose, turn
ed away without even looking towards me,
and went out into the next room.
"Don't be angry, George" cried, follow
lowing him. 'None of the scggars are in
l knew the fires were too strong, an -"
The words died on my lips l had followed
him from the first rOoom to the second, from
the second to the third, and in the third
lost him!
could not believe my eyes. opened the
end door leading into the yard, and looked
| out; but he was nowhere in sight | went
round to the back of the baking-houses,
looked behind the furnaces, ran over to the
| counting house, called him by his name over
and over; but all was dark, silent, lonely as
| ever.
| Then l remembered how l had bolted the
| outer gate, and how impossible it was that he
should have come in without ringing. Then,
| too, | began again to doubt the evidence of
my own senses, and to think must have been
dreaming
| went back to my old post by the door of
moment to collect my thoughts
In the first place." said l to myself,
there is but one outer gate. That outer
| gate | bOlted on the inside, and it is bolted
still. In the next place | searched the prem
ises, and found all the sheds empty and the
! workshop doors padlocked, as usual, on the
| outside. [ proved that George was nowhere
about when l came, and l knew he could not
have come in since without my knowledge.
Therefore it is dream. 1t is certainly a
| dream, and there's an end of it."
| And with this l trimmed my lantern and
| proceeded to test the temperature Of the fur
naces. We used to do this, should tell you,
by the introduction of little roughly -moulded
| Jumps of common fire-clay. If tie heat is
| too great they crack; if too little they remain
damp and moist; if just right they become
| firm and smooth all over, and pass into the
| biscuit stage. Well | took my three little
| Jumps of clay, put one in each oven, waited
until L counted five hundred, and then went
round again to see the results. The two first
were in capital condition; the third had flown
into dozen pieces. This proved that the
| seggars might go at once into ovens One and
| Two, but that number Three had been over
heated, and must be allowed to go on cooling
for an hour or two longer.
l therefore stocked One and Two with nine
rows of seggars three deep on each shelf
| left the rest waiting till number Three was in
| condition to be trusted; and, fearful of fall
ing asleep again, now that the firing was in
! progress, walked up and down the rooms
| to keep myself awake. This was hot work,
| however, and | could not stand it very long
| so went back presently to my stool by the
door, and fell to thinking about my dream.
| I - IL.