Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-12-20
Seleft&a Iale.
From Dickens Christmas Story. }
THE ENGINEER.

His name, sir, was Matthew Price mine
is Benjamin Hardy. We were born with
in few days of each other bred up il
the same village taught at the same
school. | cannot remember the time wheI
we were not close friends Even as bows
we never knew what it was to quarrel
We had not thought, we had not pos
session, that was not in coD.mon. We
would have stood by each other, fearlessly
to the death. 1t was such friendship as
one reads about sometimes in books fast
and firm as the great Tors upon our native
moOrands, true as the sun in the heavens.
The name Of our village was Chadl6igh
Lifted high above the pasture flats which
stretched away at our feet like a measure
less green lake and melted into mist on the
farthest horizon, it nestled, a tiny stone
built hamlet, in sheltered hollow about
midway between the plain and the plateau.
Above us, rising ridge beyond ridge, slope
beyond slope, spread the mountainous moor
country, bare and bleak for the most part,
with here and there patch of cultivated
field or hardy plantation, and crowned
highest of all with masses of huge gray
crag, abrupt isolated, hoary, and Older
than the deluge These were the Tors, -
Druids' Tor, Kings Tor, Castle Tor, and
| the like sacred places, as | have heard,
in the ancient time, where crownings, burn
| ings, human sacrifices, and all kinds cf
bloody heather rites were performed Bones,
too, had been found there, and arrow-heads,
and ornaments of gold and glass. had
vague awe Of the Tors, in those bOyish
days, and would not have gone near them
after dark for the heaviest bribe
| have said that we were born in the
same village. He was the son of small
farmer, named William Price, and the eld-
est Of a family Of seven; was the only
child of Ephraim Hardy, tue Chadleigh
blacksmith-a well-known man in those
parts, whose memory is not forgotten to
this day. just so far as farmer is sup
posed to be a bigger man than black
smith, Mats father might be said to have q
better standing than mine but William
Price, with his small holding and his seven
boys, was, in fact as poor as many day
laborer whilst the blacksmith, welI-to-do,
bustling, popular, and open handed, was a
person of some Importance in the place
All this, however, had nothing to do with
Mat and myself 1t never occurred to eth
er of US that his jacket was out at elbows,
or that our mutual funds came altogether
from my pocket. 1t was enough for US
that we sat or the same schOol-bench, con-
ned our tasks from the same primer, fought
each others battles, screened each others
faults, tished, nutted, played truant, robbed
orchards and birds nests together, and
spent every half-honr authorized or stolen,
in each others society. 1t was a happy
time; but it could not go on forever. My
father bainor rroSparOur racolyefd tO mt
forward in the world | must know more
and do better than himself The forge was
not good enough, the little world of Chad
leigh not wide enough, for me. Thus it
happened that l was still swinging the
satchel when Mat was whistling at the
plough, and that at last, when my future
course was shaped out, we were separated,
as it then seemed to us, for life For,
blacksmith's son as | was, furnace and
forge, in some form or other, pleased me
best, and | chose to be working engineer.
So my father by and by apprenticed me to
a Birmingham irOn-master and, having
hidden farewell to Mat and Chadleigh, and
the gray old Tors in the shadow of which
| had spent all the days Of my life, turn
ed my face northward, and went over into
the Black country"
am not going to dwell on this part of
my story. How | worked out the term of
my apprenticeship how, when | had serv-
ed my full time and become a skilled work
man, | took Mat from the plough and
brought him over to the Black Country,
sharing with him lodging, wages, expert
encc, ALL in short, that | had to give
how he, naturally quick to learn and brim-
full of quiet energy, worked his way up
step at time, and came by and by to be a
first hand in his own department how,
during all thesa years Of change, and trial,
and effort, the old boyish affection never
wavered or weakened, but went on. grow
ing with our growth and strengthening
with our strength-are facts which | need
do no more than outline in this place.
About this time-it will remembered that
l speak of the days when Mat and l were
on the bright side of thirty-it happened
that our firm contracted 80 supply six first
class locomotives to run on the new line,
then in process of construction, between
Turin and Genoa. 1t was the first Italian
order we had taken. We had had dealings
with France, Holland, Belgium, Germany
but never with Italy. The connection,
therefore, was new and valuable,--all the
more valuable because our Transal pine
neighbors had but lately begun to lay down
the iron roads, and would be safe to need
more of our good English work as they
went on So the Birmingham firm set them
selves to the contract with will, length
ened our working hours, increased our wa
ges, took on fresh hands, and determined,
if energy and promptitude could do it, to
place themselves at the head of the Italian
labor-market and stay there. They deserV-
ed and achieved success. The six locomo-
tives were not only turned out to time, but
were shipped, despatched, and delivered
with promptitude that fairly amazed our
Piedmontese consignee. l was not little
proud, you may be sure, when | found my
self appointed to superintend the transport
of the engines. Being allowed couple of
assistants, contrived that Mat should be
one of them; and thus we enjoyed togeth-
er the first great holiday of our lives.
1t was a wonderful change for two Bir-
mingham operatives fresh from the Black
Country The fairy city, with its crescent
Io DF IrS tho mort prOn1ad