Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1869-03-17

ars in his already full Golfers. No though
lot pity for the shivering, half fed men ant
boy, struggling to meet the hard conditions
he had forced upon them, ever entered hi
mind, as he seated himself at his well spreat
table. He was growing rich very fast ricl
IN houses and lands, but miscrably poor il
all that makes life beautiful, laying up treas
ure for moth and rust to corrupt.
One of Joe Miller boys cut his foot, Ions
before one half of the wood was chopped
The family was suffering for sufficiently
nourishiug food. The high prices of food
and clothing were bidding fare to swallow
up the greater part of his labor II was tax
ing more days than he anticipated to work
elsewhere, and earn the food necessary te
keep them from starvation. The fierce, bit
ing cold Of mid winter was purpling the
lips and cheeks of his little ones, and the
racking coughs, from colds taken by constant
exposure to the weather, while gathering
chips from the woods to keep them from
freezing, smote heavily upon the father
heart. Sometimes the temptation to give
up the job, or not try and complete it in the
speblhed time, was strong upon him; but
to do this would be to give John Rankin
too much of his hard earnings. He had
learned that Thomas Barnes was to have
one dollar per cord, and that angered him,
and made him feel all the more determined
to finish the work in fifty days.
II must have COW in the spring." he
would sometimes think, as he redoubled his
exertions.
II was too grasping myself; had I taken
only one hundred cords | could have done
1t with ease, and not distress my family !;
but the temptation was too alluring
| the thoughts ever present. Then would the
conviction of the real truth force itself upon
him that John Rankin urged the two hun
dred cords from no other motive than selfish
ness. As the expiration of the fifty days
drew nigh, he became fearful that he should
fail to fill his part of the contract His Sec
ond boy caught severe cold, and was
confined to the house with pneumonia He
had calculated on the full help of his two
Oldest boys He telt weak himself; his food
was not sufficiedtly nourishing for such ex-
cessive labor. The last two Sundays found
him in the woods, splitting and pilpg wood
instead of in his accustomed seat at church.
''On John Rankin's soul rests the sin, :"
said the poor man, repeatedly, as he wiped
the perspiration from his brow
Early one cold snowy IN morning, Mrs. Ran
kin was startled by neighbor woman rush
ing in, and asking for some remedy for the
Group, saying one of Joe Millers children
had severe attack. Mrs. Rankin, very
much against her husbands wish, he fear.
ing she might take cold in such storm,
took what remedies she thought proper, and
proceeded to the house across the fields,
about half mile distant As she entered
the house, the scene was appalling. Seated
in rickety arm chair was Mrs. Miller, with
boy about six years old upon her lap. gasp,
ing in the last agonies of death. while a cry
of wailing went up from the agonized faith
er bending over him, and from the frighten-
ed children, crouched in one corner of the
room. Mrs. Rankin advanced and laid one
hand upon the white brow of the little suf.
ferer. and parted back the heavy locks of
shining hair.
The poor woman's face lighted up with a
strange unearthly glow, as she shrieked
Don't touch him l would not have his
precious body contaminated by touch so
vile Do you think, by your hard bargains,
to grow rich on the bone and muscle of a
poor man and his family-tO sap the life
blood out of his little ones, that your own
may be clothed in purple and fine linen ?
| o my poor, dead boy |" moaned the wretch
| ed mother, as she hugged the lifeless form
| to her bosom.
Heaven knows, poor woman, am not
accountable for your misery sobbed Mrs.
Rankin, sinking upon broken chair. 81
did not deem you half so needy" she con.
tinued, glancing at the untouched breakfast
of baked potatoes and salt to be washed
down by cold water.
May be you are not but your husband
is. My husband went to him few days
ago, and told him he feared he should fail
to have the wood cut at the required time,
in consequence of one of the boys cutting
| his foot, and the others being sick, begged a
few dollars to buy the food for which we
| were suffering, promising to cut more than
| the two hundred cords. He knew, too, that
Mr. Rankin will not want to remove the
wood for some months, as he will not draw
it till it is seasoned but he told him he
must abide by the contract, and that be had
no money to spare. He let him have few
potatoes, saying we could get along very well
on bread and potatoes for few days. Did
he think the bread would come down like
mama? l took the children out to the woods
to gather chips rom the chopping to keep
rs from freezing; we have had no wood for
long time, only what the children and l
have gathered. That is the way my darling
caught his death-cold. We must give him
a christian burial How can we bear the
sound of the axe while our dead boy lies in
the house How do we know that every
stroke would not be rivitipg nail for the
coffin of another? o my dead boy my
poor dead boy 7"
Mrs. Rankin covered her face, and groan.
ed in agony of spirit. Was this one of the
results of her husbands grasping after rich