Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-05-24

rascal had given me one blow that had
cut open my cheek, and left mark
until this day. Tom Brinton had
run like deer across the fields, the
farmer said. Anyhow that was the
last seen of him in the neighborhood
as long as | remained. Bess and
were married, and came to America as
happy and loving a couple as ever
crossed the waters. When / landed
in New York my pocket was picked
of all my money! few pounds | had
saved to buy me little land-and I
was friendless. It was an awful time
that followed.
AFTER this misfortune | tried to OBJ
tain work. Now and then l got Job
that gave me enough to buy us little
food. But what could l, farmer and
a farmers son, do in great city that
needs artisans, not farmers 1t was a
hard and bitter struggle for life. I
had got a place as porter, at good
wages, when my dear, darling Bessie
died. After Bessie's DEATH he con-
tinued with a shudder, "I took to
liquor just to stop thinking, to have an
easy spell. But / only made matters
worse, and finally, after touch of the
tremens, l went on board ship and sail
ed to Cape Town, in Africa. 1t was
five years before | got back to Ameri-
ca. | was tired of sailing and of life
but not having the courage to commit
suicide, though was always wishing
myself dead, | struggled along as of
old to get my daily bread. Drifting
hither and thither, working a week in
one place, a month in another, ! finally
brought up as laborer in all elevator
in Chicago. 1t is not nice work I
must say; but one grows to be proud
of the great things that dot the
wharves along the nasty creek. To
me an elevator always seemed a mon
ster, restless with hungry life and we
poor fellows did nothing but tend to
its wants, running up and down stairs
through clouds of checking dust, and
deafened with the din of rattling ma.
chinery-no light job l can assure
you, seeing that an elevator is seven,
eight, ten stories high and big enough
to hold the houses of a small village
All they are wonderful things, those
elevators And now that am away
from them feel the strength of their
size, and what little thing | was in
such place. Then the rattle of the
cups going up or down with their fill
of grain, made music to my ears, and
started many queer thought through
my mind as | went through my hours
of day or night at work.
at was strange to see how quick
their armies of banded cups woull
drink to emptiness, car or a vesse
loaded with grain, and carry it up tc
giddy heights to be tumbled into huge
bins. These bins, sir, are forty tc
sixty feet deep, and funnel-shaped a
the bottom, where there is sort OF
, valve or gate which when open, let
, the grain into spout. If gate il
! lowered when a bin has six or sever
> thousand bushels in it, you can imag
, inc there would be a whirlpool tina
o would suck down the strongest man t.
horrible death. Wonderful, terribl
> monsters these elevators, with thei
! huns of houses on their roofs, thei
: awkward spouts, their dizzy heights
: aud dismal, dusty chasms of empt
. bins. 1t makes me sick to think O
them now"
| The man really did look a littl
V winter in the face and nervously finger
ed the empty sleeve of his jacket; bu
It he was over with the feeling in me
e ment and went on with his story.
{. al had been at work about a wee
in one of the largest of these elevator
: when, one afternoon, | was sent
r: company with another laborer. biz
y whiskered, swearing, rufian fellow t
!. tend another bin that was to be emf
tied. We were sitting on the edge o
D. the bin, waiting for the grain to ruI
when my companion who seemed to /
D. under the influence of liquor, calle
o out:
% "'I say, Mike 7
d "As | have said, the fellow was
h rufian in appearance. He seemed
have quite liking for me as he trie
to be with me in my work as mut
Il as possible; but I could not be;
er him, and did everything to be rid {
him. He knew my name well enoug
If and it angered me to have him ca
" me in this way, so | said sharply:
,e "'My name is not Mike !
I'd How should l know" he aske
looking angrily into my face, as if
OF wished to make quarrel with me.
ed ~ You have heard more than one
IS. l said. You know very we'll what
no Is, CUc, dllu bucI = 10 uO OCuoC III Slfi
,r. man name as does MT belong
by him. 1I c93sc 81
ed "'Then don't call me Joe Th
amt my name.9 1t 8 counterfeit.
no I'm Tom, which is better name.'
no "He had a piece of chalk in
ed hand and began to print with it on
ms big beam where we sitting. To.
nd he scratched in large scrage
TO letters, all the while looking at
from under his heavy eyebrows. Th
M he made B, and rubbed his ha
I'VE across it as soon as it was made.
ate Bob, its a long way down the
inc pointing into the half-flled bin.
,an '.Twenty feet, perhaps a9ta9p
Mt u'Twouldn't kill man, the f
viii eh p moving closer to me. ae
.sRut, it's as good as water