Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-03
IN JEOPARDY.

" DAANAieN % L NAAA anu " AdL =
more, down in the country, where people
amt so particular about keeping trades
distinct rs they are in the great towns.
This may be seen any day in a general
shop, where, as n might say, you can
get anything, from half a quartern Of ale
up to II horn lantern; and down again to
a hundred Of shortcut brads,-well, down
in the country We done a bit of a lob now
and then as a mason; and not so badly
neither, | should suppose, for l got pretty
well paid considering, and didn't hear
more han the usual amount Of growlin'
urter 1t was dOne,-Which Is saving a
deal. Ours amt the most agreeable OF
lives, and if it warn't for recOllecting a
little about the dignity of labor, and such
ike, one would often grumble more than
one does.
Some time ago, it don't matter to you,
nor me, nor yet anybody else, just when
It was, work was precious slack down our
way,-all things considered, amt a.
going TO tell you where u way is. A
days work a week had been all Id been
able to get for qnite two months; so Mary,
that's my wife, used to pinch and screw,
and screw and pinch, and keep on squeez-
lag shilling arter shilling out Of the long
stocking, till at last 1t got so light, that
one morning she lets it fall upon the
table, where, instead of coming down
with a good hearty spang, it fell softly
and jest like a piece Of cotton hat was
empty. And then, poor lass, she hangs
on to my neck, and burst out a-crying
that pitiful, that I'm blesti if l didn't want
my nose blowing every quarter Of a min
ute. l hadn't minded the screwing and
pinching not a bit of it. First week we
e without our puddings. Well, that
wasn't much. Second week we stopped
my half pints o beer. Third week l put
my pipe out. Mary KEEP on saying that
things must look up soon, and then ]
should have an ounce of the best to make
up Tor it. But things didn't look up :
and, in spite Of all the ~screwing, we got
down to the bottom Of the stocking, as l
said Jest now.
l hadn't much cared for the pinching,
but it was my poor lass as got pinched the
most, and she was a-gettiug paler and
thinner every day till I could Mt abear to
see it. ! run out O the, houes, and down
t. jenkins yard, where Ia been at work
last. l soon found jenkins; and 1 SAYS
TO him, Governor l says, this won't
do, you know; a nan can't live upon
wind
True for you, Bill Stock, - he says.
"And a man cant keep his wife upon
wind"
Fright you are, BILL he says; and he
went on and spoke As fair As a man could
speak; and said he had MT a job he could
put me on, or he would have done it in ii
minute. I'm VERY sorry, Bill, he says,
"but if times don't mend, l tell you what
In a-going to do
"Whats that p l says.
$50 up to London he says and if
was a young man like you, 1 would mt
stop starving down here when they are
giving first class wages up there, and
when there's building going on all round
as thick as can be, and good big Jobs too :
hotels and railways, aud bridges, and all
sorts"
Ifaces round sharp, and walks off home;
for when a %ieller's hungry and close up,
it LAYS hold on his temper As well as his
stummick, more especially when there's
somebody belonging to him in the same
fix. So l walks off home, where l finds
Mary a-lookin' VERY red-eyed; and l
makes no more ado, but l gets my pipe,
and empties the bit o dust there was in
the bottom o the jar into it, lights up and
sits down aside of Mary, and puts my
arm around her, Jest Is I used TO in old
counting times; and then begins smoking
an thinking. Very slow as to the fust
and VERY fast as to the second as smok-
in cost money, and the dust was dry /;
whereas thinking came cheap Jest them
and its surprising how yer can think on
an empty inside. 1 suppose it is because
there plenty o room for the thoughts to
work in.
Well, I had Mt been settin above a min
ute like this, when my lass lays her head
on my shoulder, and though she would mt
let me seeit, I knowed she was a-giving
way; but 1 did mt take no notice. Per-
haps l held her a little bit tighter; and
there 1 sat thinking, and watching the
thin smoke, till l could see buildings, and
scaffUlds, and heaps o brick and blocks o
stone, and could almost hear the ring O
the trowels, and the "sar-iar' o the big
stone saws and there was the men a
raining up and down the ladders, and the
CANCERS a-giving their orders, and all
SNIAANO 81 pam AAak L bGSdA ~ SAON
warm. And I keeps on smoking till it
seemed as though l was one Of a great
crowd o men standing round a little
square wooden office place, and being
called in one at a time; and there l could
see them a-takin' their six-and-thirty
shillings and two pounds apiece, as fast as
a clerk could book it. And then all at
once it seemed to fade away like a fog in
the sun and l KEEP on drawing; but
nothing come, and I found as my pipe
was out, and there was nothing left to
light agen. So l knocks the ashes out
what there was on em,-and then 1 breaks
the pipe up, bit by bit and puts all the
pieces in my pocket,-right hand trousers
pocket.
What for ?" says You.
Nothin' at all as 1 knows on; but that
what 1 did; and 1 am a-telling you
what happened. Perhaps It was because
l felt uncomfortable with nothing to rat.
tie in my pocket. Howsomever, my
mind was made up; and frightening up