The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-04-19
BY SCHOFF. VINEGAR & co.


up; and frightening up, and looking as
4 cheerful as if I'd six -and- thirty shillings to
take on Saturday, says to her as was by
my side:
t Polly, my lass Pm going up to Lon
A don =
Going where e she says lifting up her
: head.
e London, says |; and then | began to
think about what going to London meant.
e For, mind yer, it didn't mean chap in a
, rough jacket making up bundle in clean
blue hankercher, and then shown his stick,
t through the knot and sticking it over his
shoulder, and then stuffing his hands in his
pockets, and taking the road upwards, whis-
thing like blackbird No; it meant some
/ thing else 1t meant breaking up a tidy
little home as two young folks-common
. people, in course--had been saving up
for years, to make snug; it meant half
breaking simple lass heart to part with
this little thing and that little thing; tear
ing up the nest that took so long building
and was allus so snug arter a cold days
work. looked at the clean little wiDders,
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 EN- all, and then l thought a
little more of what going up to London
really did mean, and / suppose it must
have been through feelingllow and faint and
poorly, and I'm almost afraid to tell it, for
I'm such a big strong chap but truths
truth. Well, somehow blind came over
my eyes, and my head went down upon my
knees, and cried like school boy. But
it went of, for my lass was leaning aside
me in minute, and got my thick old head
upon her shoulder, and began doing all she
could to make believe it was all right, and
she wouldn't mind a bit but we'd get OH
wonderful well up there; and so we talked
it over for long enough, while she made be-
lieve to be so cheerful, and knelt at my
side, ciphering away-a putting down
nought for herself, and a carrying | don't
know how much for me-till gIowed up,
under the discovery that whether work was
plenty, or whether work was slack, / Bill
Stock christened William-was rich in
my good wife.
That was something like thought. that
1 was, and seemed to stiffen me up, and put
|
strong as lion so we set to talking over
the arrangements and two days arter, Polly
and l was lodging in London.
| Next morning | was up at five, and made
myself smart; not fine, but clean, and look
ing as if l wasn't afraid of work; and | finds
my way to one O. the big workshops, where
the bell was ringing for six o'clock, and
the men was scufling in; while a chap
with a book W as on the lookout to time the
late ones, for stopping on pay day out of
their wages-which is but fair you know,
for if two hundred men lost quarter of an
hour apiece in week, it would come to
something stiff in year. Well, there was
a couple more chaps like me standing at
the gate, come to see if they could get took
on, and one on 'em slips in and comes out
again directly aswearing and growing like
anything, and then t'other goes 10, and he
comes out swearing too, and then | feels
my heart go sinking down ever 80 low. So
says to the fust
ANY chance for job?
Go To- somewhere, he says, cutting
up rough; SO l asks the other one.
Amy chance of a job !? says.
Not ha'porth, he says turning his back
and going off with the first one; and must
say as they looked pretty pair of blacks
So stood there for quite five minutes,
wondering what to do; whether should go
in and ask for myself, or go and try some
where else. l didn't like to try arter seeing
two men refused All at once sharp-eyed
man comes out Of side place and looks at
me quite fierce ZIG
Now my man. he says, whats your bu-
siness What do you want p
Job, SIR says l.
Then why didn't you come in and ask /?
he says
Saw two turned back, says
o, We don't want such as them here he
says, but there's plenty work for men who
mean it, and then he looks through me al
most. i suppose you mean it, eh p
Give US hold of trowel, says |, splitting
on both hands.
. 'Bricklayer ? says ne.
Right says |.
From the country p
Yes
Work slack there p says he.
Awful says |. -e-r..
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 l didn't
for kept it for Polly.
WE'LL wonder how many times I've
said well since | begun II was in work
DOW, and meant to keep it. Didn't make
the bricks and mortar fly My holman did
his days work that day, if he never did
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 O. Paddles to
keep me going, one for bricks and another
for mortar; while one fellow makes hisseIf
precious unpleasant by, by keeping on 60
ing puff puff puff ! like steam eBgin,
because worked so fast But bime-by |
comes to be working alongside of steamer
gin friend, and jest as he'd been going it
little extra, l says to him quietly
Ever been out o. work, matey p
Not to signify, he says.
Cause if you ever are, and come down
very close to the ground, you'll be as glad
to handle the trowel as am He didn't
puff any more that day, not as l heard
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 1 was
put on Jobs where the scaffolding must
have cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds
more than the house, land, and everything
else put together, had ever worked upon.
used 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 big hotel. Right up SO
high that one turned quite creepy, and used
to get thinking of what would be the CON
sequence If sharp puff of wind come and
upset ones balance. | could never have
believed, neither, that such Jacobs lad
der of scaffold-poles could have been built
} up to stand without crushing and swapping
those at the bottom like so many reeds and
} tobacco pipes; but l suppose them that
J builds them knows best what should be
done, and what they'll bear But though
did not like II much took care not 70