The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-03-07
"Polly, my lass, I'm a-going up to Lon


"Going where ?" she says, lifting up her
head.
London" says; and then began to
For, mind yer, it didn't mean a chap in a
rough jacket making up bundle in clean
blue Handkerchief, and then shown his stick
through the knot and sticking it over his
shoulder, and then stufing his hands in his
pockets, and taking the road uppards,
shistlin' like blackbird. No it meant
something else. 1t meant breaking up a
tidy little house as two young folks-com-
mon people, in course-had been saving
up for years, to make snug; it meant half
breaking poor simple lass's heart to part
with this little thing and that little thing
tearing up the nest that took so long a-build-
ing, and was allus so snug after cold day g
work. looked at the clean little winders,
and then at the bright kettle on the shiny
black hob, and then at the very small fire
as there was, and then fust at one thing,
and then at another, all so clean and neat
and homely, and all showing how proud my
lass was Of 'em all, and then l thought q
little more of what going up to London
really did mean, and suppose it must have
been through feeling low and faint and
poorly, and I'm almost ashamed to tell it,
for Pm such big strong chap, but truth s
truth.
Well, somehow q blind seemed to come
over my eyes, and my head went down upon
my knees, and cried like school-boy. But
it went off, for my lass was kneeling aside
me in minute, and got my thick old head
upon her shoulder, and began ADDING all
she could to make believe it was all right,
and she would mt mind bit, but we'd get
on wonderful well up there; and so we
talked it over for long enough, while she
made believe to be SO cheerful, and knelt at
my eide, a-ciphering away,-a-putting down
naught for herself, and a-carrying don't
know how much for me,-till I glowed up.
under the discovery that whether work was
plenty, OF whether work was slack, /, Bill
Stock-christened William-was rich in my
good wife.
That was something like q thought, that
was, and seemed to stiffen me up, and put
bone and muscle into fellow till he felt
strong as lion; SO we set to talking over
the arrangements; and two days arter, Polly
and was in lodging in London.
Mex morning l was up at FIVE, and made
myself smart; not fine, but clean, and look
ing as if l war MT afraid of work: and I
finds my way to one O. the big workshops,
where the bell was a-ringing for six o'clock,
and the men was a-scufling in; while chap
with book was on the lookout to time the
late ones, for stopping on payday out of
their wages,-which is but fair, yer know,
for if two hundred men lost quarter Of an
hour apiece in a week, it would come to
something stiff in year. Well, there was
. couple more chaps like me standing at the
gate, come to see if they could get took on !;
and one of 'em slips in, and comes out again
directly a-swearing and growing like any
thing, and then t other goes in, and he
comes out a-swearing too, and then feels
my heart 60 sinking down ever so low. So
l says to the fust,-
"Any chance of job ?" says.
$50 to" somewhere, he says, cutting
up rough SO asks t other one.
"Any chance Of q job ?" says.
"Not ha'porth," he says, turning his
back, and going off with the fust one and
| must say as they looked pretty pair Of
blacks.
So stood there for quite five minutes
wondering what to do; whether should 20
in and ask for myself, or 60 and try some
where else. / did MT like to try, arter
seeing two men refused. All at once tall
sharp-eyed man comes out of side place
and looks at me quite fierce. "Now, my
man." he says, whats your business !?
What do you want ,"
Job, sir" saysI.
Then why did MT you come in and
ask! he says.
"Saw two turned back" says.
go, We don't want such as them here, -
he says, "but there's plenty of work for
men Who mean it,; and then he looks
fhrnynh mo or 4
mean it, eh?"
'sGive us hold of trowel,' says /, spit
ting in both hands.
. Bricklayer I" says he, smiling.
"Right," says l.
From the country?" says he.
eyes," says l.
.swork slack theres" says he.
awful" says l.
"You'll do" says he. "Here, Jones,
put this fellow in number four lott
If you'll believe me, could have taken
hold Of him and Rugged him; but did MT,
for KEEP it for Polly.
Well,-I wonder how many times I've
said well, since l begun II was in work
now, and l meant to keep it. Didn't
make the bricks and mortar fy My hod-
man did his days work that day, if he
never did it afore. Then some Of the men
began to take it up, and got to chatting
one says there'd soon be no work left; and
another says, I'd better have couple Of
Paddles to keep me going, one for bricks,
and another for mortar: while one fellow
makes hisself precious unpleasant, by keep
ing on going "puff! puff puff" like
steam-ingin', because worked so fast. But
! let them chat as long as they liked and
bime-by comes to be working alongside Of
my steam-ingin' friend, and Jest as he'd
been going it little extra, says to him
quietly
Ever been out O. work, matey Z"
"Not to signify" he says.
"'Cause if ever you are, and come down
VERY close to ground, you'll be as glad to
handle the trowel again as am" He did
MT puff any more that day, not as heerd.
London work was something fresh to me.
used to think that I'd been about some
tidy buildings down our way, but what was
the tidiest on 'em to the London jobs was
put on! Jobs where the scaffolding must
have cost hundreds upon hundreds of pounds
more than the house, land, and everything
else put together, Of the biggest place had
ever worked upon. used, too, to think
was pretty strong in the head; but soon
began to sing small here,-specially when
| had been up about week and was put on
at a big hotel. Right up SO high that one
turned quite creepy, and used to get think
ing of what would be the consequences if a
sharp puff of wind come and upset ones
balance. ! could never have believed,
neither, that such Jacobs Ladder Of scat
fold-poles could have been built up to stand
without crushing and swapping those at the