The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-03-28

thinner every day, till | couldn't a-beai
TO see 1t. run cut o the house and
down to Jenkins yard, where I'd been al
work last. soon found jenkins, and
| says to him, "Governor. says. "thi.
won't do, you know; II man cant liv,
upon wind"
''True for you, Bill Stock" he says
"And man cant keep his wife upor
wind," | says
"Right you are, Bill," he says; ant
he went on and spoke as fair as mar
could speak and said he hadn't a jot
he could put me on, or he would have
done it in II minute. "rm VERY sorry.
Bill" he says ''but if times don't mend
tell you what I'm going to do"
"What's that , says.
SEQ up to London he says; Sand il
| was young man like you, | woudn
stop starving down here, when they're
giving first cass wages up there, and
when there's building going on all round
as thick as thick, and good big jobs, too
hotels and railways, and bri ges, and al
sorts"
faces round sharp, and walks off home,
for when Il teller's hungry and close up,
it lays hold on his temper as well as Iii.
stummick, more especially when there's
somebody belonging to him in the same
fix. So | walks off home, where | find,
Mary looking VERY red-eycd and
makes no more ado but | gets my pipe
and empiics the bit o dust there was il
the bottom o the jar into it. lights up
ard ,i,s down aside of Mary. and puts my
arm around tcr, jest as used to in old
counting time; and then | begins smoking
an thinking. Very slow as to the fust,
and very fast as to the second "A.
smokin' costs money, and the dust wa,
dry whereas thinking came cheap jest
then-and it's surprising how yer can
think on a empty inside, | suppose 1t is
because there's plenty O room for the
thoughts to work in.
Well, hadn't been sittin' above min
ute like this, when my lass lays her head
on my shoulder, and though she wouldn't
let me see it, | knowed she was giving
way but didn't take no notice. Per-
haps held her little bit tighter; and
there | sat thinking and watching the thin
smoke, till | could see buildings, and
scaiiolds, and heaps o bricks, and blocks
o stone, and could almost hear the ring
O the trowels, and the "sar-jar' O. the
big stone saws and there was the mer
II running up and down the ladders. and
the CANCERS a-giving their orders, and all
seemed SO plain, that | began to grow
warm And | keeps on smoking till il
seemed as though | was one of great
crowd o men standing round little
square wooden Office place, and being
called in one at Il time; and there
could see them takin their six-and
thirty shilings and two pounds apiece, "A,
fast as Il clerk could book it. And thcr
all at once it seemed to fade away like {
fog in the sun; and | KEEP on drawing
but nothing come. and | found as my
pipe was out, and there was nothing lef
to light agcn. SO knocks the ashes ou
what there was ON em-and then
breaks the pipe up, bit by bit, and put.
al the pieces in my pockct-right-ha han,
trowscrs pocket.
"Wlat for p says you.
No.hing at all as | knows on bu
that's VIII 1t | did an | am telling yot
what happened Perhaps it was bccaus,
felt uncomfortable with nothing to rat
tie in my pocket. llowsomever, my
mind was made up, and Frightening up
and looking as cheerful rs if Id ,ix-and
thirty shilIings to take Oh Saturday,
says to her by my side
Polly, my lass, I'm going up to Lon
don !"
"Going where ?" she says lifting u
her head.
'London," l says; and then | begar
to think about what going up to Loniol
meant. For, mind yer, it didn't mean ,
chap in rough jacket making up bun
die in clean blue handkerchief. and thcI
shown his stick through the knot anc
sticking it over his shoulder, and theI
stuiling his hands in his pockets and tax
ing the road upwards, whi,llin like .
blackbird. No; it meant something else
1t meant breaking up Il quiet little hom
as two young iolks-common people, il
course-had been Il saving up for year
to make snug ii meant h,dt breaking
a poor simple lass's heart to part will
this little thing tearing up the nest tha
took so long II building, and was allus SC
snug arter II cold days work. looked
at the clean little winders, and ther a
the bright kettle on the shiny hob, anC
then at the VERY small fire as was there
and then fust Mt one thing, and then a
another, all so clean and neat and homeI,
and all showing how proud my lass wa
OF EN-, and then | thought little NOR,
of what going up to London meant, ant
L suppose it must have been through feel
ing low and faint, and poorly, and In
almost ashamed to tell it, for I'm such {
big strong chap; but truths truth. Well
somehow blind seemed to cover my
eyes, and my head went down on m,
knees, and | cried like school. boy
But it went off, for my wife was kneoline
aside me in minute, and got my thici
old head upon her shoulder, and begar
doing all she could to make me believe il
was all right. and she wouldn't mind 4
bit, but we'd get on wonderful well ur
there; and so we talked it over for Ions
enough, while she made believe 10 be Sc
cheerful, and knelt at nv sidn a.c;nbar