The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-30
Miscellany.
from All the Year Round.1
In Jeopardy.
A TALE OF WORK AND WAGES.

Pm a. bricklayer, am; and, what's more,
down in the country, where people amt so
particular about keeping trades distinct as
they are in the great towns. This may be
seen anv day in general shop, where, as one
might say, you can get anything, from half
a ouartern OF butter up to a horn lantern: and
down again to hundred of short cut brads-
well, down in the country I've done a bit of
lob now and then as a mason, and not So had
ly neither, should suppose, for got pretty
well paid considering, and didn't hear more
than the usual amount of growlin' arter it
was done-whch is saying deal. Ours amt
tie most agreeable OF lives and if it warn't
Tor recoiectrng little about the dignity of
labor and such like, one would often erumble
more than one does. o 49,.
Some time ago, it don't matter to you, nor
m }, nor anybody else, just when it was, work
WIZ precious slack down our way-all things
co lsidered, | amt going to tell you where
oar way is. A days work a week had been
ali I'd been able to get for quite two months
SO Mary, that's my wife, used to screw and
pinch, and screw and pinch, and keep on
squeezing shilling arter shilling out of the
long stocking, till at last it got so light, that
one morning she lets it fall upon the table,
where instead of coming down with good
hearty spang, it fell softly and just like piece
of cotton that was empty. And then, poor
lass, she hangs on to my neck, and burst out
a-crying that pitiful that I'm blest il didn't
want my nose bowed about every quarter of
a minute. hadn't minded the screwing and
pinching; not bit of it. First week we went
without our buildings. Well, that WASN'T
much. Second week we stopped nv half
pints O. beer. Third week put nv pipe. out
Mary KEEP on saying that things must look up
soon, and then l should have an ounce of the
best to make up for it. But things didn't look
up; and in spite of all the serewing. we cot
down to the bottom of the stocking, as / 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-getting paler and thinner every
day, till couldn't a-bear 10 see it, / run out
O the house, and down to Jenkins yard,
where I'd been at work last. --
l soon found jenkins, and says to him,
Governor" says, "this won't do, you know:
man can't live upon wind" 40 %
True for you, Bill Stock" he says.
% "And man can't keep his wife upon wind"
says. - 100
fright you are, Bill" he says: and he went
on and spoke as fair as a man could speak:
and said he hadn't job he could put me on.
or he would have done it in minute. "Pm
VERY sorry, Bill" he says, "but if times don't
mend, FL tell you what Pm going to do"
"What's that?" I saws. M ll55
"Go up to London he SAYS; "and if was
young man like you, wouldn't stop stary-
ing down here, when they're giving first class
wages up there, and when there's building 60
ing on all round, as thick as thick, and GOOD
big JOBS, too; hotels and railways and bridges,
and all Sorts" T. I gH
faces round sharp and walks off home for
when afellers hungry and close up, it lays
hold on his stummick, more especially when
there's somebody belonging to him in the
same fix. So walks off home, where / finds
Mary looking VERY red-eyed; and I makes no
more ado but gets my pipe, and empties the
bit O. dust there was in the bottom o. the Jar
In It, lights up, and sits down aside o. Mary,
and puts my arm around her Jest as l used to
do in old counting time; and then begins
smoking and thinking. Very slow as to the
fust, and VERY fast as to the second: as smok-
ing costs money and the dust was dry: where
as thinking came cheap jest then-and it's sur
prising how yer can think on empty inside.
Isuppose it is because there's plenty o. room
for the thoughts to work in.
Well, hadn't been sittin' there above a
minute like this, when my lass laws her head
on my shoulder, and though she wouldn't let
me see It, knowed she was a-giving way;
but didn't take no notice. Perhaps I held
her little bit tighter; and there sat think
ing and watching the thin smoke, till could
see the buildings, and scaffolds, and heaps o.
bricks, and blocks o. stone, and could almost
hear the ring o. the trowels, and the ssar-iar,'
o. the big stone saws, and there was the men
running up and down the ladders, and the
CANCERS giving their orders, and all seemed SO
plain, that began to grow warm. And
keeps on smoking till it seemed as though
was one OF great crowd o. men standing
round little square wooden Office place, and
being called in one at a time; and there 1
could see them takin'- their six-and-thirtv
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 KEEP on drawing, but nothing come, and
found my pipe was out and there was moth
ing left to light agen. So I knocks the ashes
out-what there was on 'em-and then
breaks the bipe up bit by bit, and puts all the
pieces in my pocket-right-hand trowsers
pocket.
"What for? ' says you. ile-- llAs
Nothing at all as knows on; but that's
what 1 did: and am telling YOU what han
pened.,. Perhaps it was because i. felt uncom-
Portable with nothing to rattle in my pocket
Howsomever, my mind was made IN: and
Frightening up and looking as cheerful as if
ia and-thirty shlings to take on Satur-
day, 1 says to her as was by my side: 7T,1F
Polly, my lass, Pm going up to London"
Going where" she says, lifting up her
head.
London" Isays; and then began to think
about what going up to London meant For.
mind yer, it didn't mean a chap in a rough
jacket, making up a bundle in clean blue
handkerchief, and then shown his stick
through the knot and sticking it over his
shoulder, and then stuffing his hands in his
pockets, and taking the road upwards. whis
tim like blackbird. No; itmeant somethin'
else. 1t meant breaking up quiet little home
as two young folks common people, in
course-had been a-saving up for wears. to
make snug; it meant half breakinT poor
simple lasss heart to part with this little thing:
tearing up the nest that took SO long a-buiid-
ing, and was allus so snug arter cold days
work. l 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 ftist at one thing and
then at another, all so clean and neat and
homely and all showing howproud nv lass
was of 'em all, and then thought a little more
of what going up to Londnn really did mean.
and suppose it must have been through feel
ing low and faint and poorly and Pm almost
ashamed to tell it, for Pm such big strong
chap, but truths truth. Well, somehow a
blind seemed to cover my eyes, and my head
went down upon my knees, and 1 cried like a
school-boy. ''.oil- '3a
But it went of, for my lass was kneeling
aside me in a minute, and got my old thick
head upon her shoulder, and began ADDING all
she could to make me believe it was all right,
and she wouldn't mind bit, but we'd get on
wonderfully well up there; and SO we talked
it over for long enough, while shemade believe
to be so cheerful, and knelt at my side, a-ci-
phering away--putting down nought for her
SELF and a-carrying 1 don't know how much
for me-tin l glowed up under the discovery
that whether work was plenty, or whether
work was slack, l, Bill Stock-christened Will
liam-was rich in my good wife.
inns l was as something like thought, that
bone and muscle into fellow until he fejt
strong as lion; 50 we set to talking over
the arrangement, and two days arter. Polly
and was in a lodging in London. o"'
Mex morning was up at five, and made INV
self smart; not fine, but clean, and hooking az
IL / Marn't afraid Of work: and I fi,aIse %