American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-12-06
VOL. XXIII.

her earnings. Whenever could without
| mahing,a fuss, L helped them along lit
tie. Aud when we got well acquainted,
! used To hurry through my work so as to
| be able 10 see her home every day after
SIX o clock. Sometimes, too, We used to
| go 10 concerts and lectures together; and
very often found time to visit them all
of an evening. hadn't said word of
Love To her yet, but was waiting till my
| wages We're increased enough TO enable
| me to keep home of my own, and then
| ask her to fill it. OF her state of feeling
| toward me l knew nothing, except that
she looked upon and trusted me as 4
brother.
One thing used to rifle me, though, ard
| that was the sneaking sort of liking that
| Hardness seemed to have for her; and
worse, he showed it plainly enough by
the way he prosecuted her with his odious
attentions whenever he got the chance.
She told me she would leave the place if
she could only get another.
| | have said that it was sixteen years
ago that entered the box factory. If you
will take the trouble to subtract, you will
| the year of the great financial crash l had
been in the factory about three months,
and was getting used to the general run of
| things; and though it was out of my line,
| and none of my business, l could not but
! notice how slack trade seemed to be. Ru-
mors of failures up the street, down the
street, on the corner, at Nos. 35 and 81
over the way, met my ears. Rumors OF
failures past and failures to come. Ru-
mOrs of great distress east, west and
south. Rumors of threatened general
smaSh-up- Money men tell me that when
| the market is tight, it only needs such a
wholesale panic to bring down every one
1t is the apprehension, not the reality, that
does the work. But this is not telling
my story, either.
Wei, old Hardness kept on with his man.
ufacturing, though could see that, day by
day, fewer calls for work were made. He
always wore cheerful smile through
those troublous times, as much as
70 say, Look al me, if you want to see
model man of business, don't, specu-
l tie. Z don't get involved. Mark my
consequent prosperity" Now, when l see
a man with good deal Of bluster and
swagger about him, always make up
my mind that he is coward at heart
| And when some people parade their
financial soundness, the Wall Street ami
mails alwayss sniff rottenness somewhere.
1t must have been on this principle that
l began to suspect that Hardness wasn't
so safe after all.
One night was delayed by an unex-
pected breakdown in gearing, and stayed
| in my cellar long after the girls, the clerk,
and the fireman had gone, hard at work
| tinkerIng at the engine. No one was in
the factory but Hardness and myself. l
do not think he suspected my presence.
As was taking off my overalls and fix
ing up, heard a heavy dray come up to
our door. There were four or five men
with it, who were not our regular cart
men. They jumped out, were let in
| through the half-closed doors of the
main floor above me, and were led up
stairs by Hardness. Presently they re-
| appeared, bearing cases of various kinds
of stock, fancy paper, gliding stuff, light
machinery and different odds and ends,
with which they loaded the dray,
and then drove off again.
All was done in such quiet, mysterious
way, that it was evident that something
wrong was being done. What could it be :?
The men were not robbers, for there was
Mr.. Hardness, and he sole owner of the
factory. A man does not commit lar
ceny on his own property. l couldn't
make it out at all.
l started to go. Just as I entered the
Office from below, Hardness came in by
the passage-way door from the floor
above. He started pereeptibly when he
saw me, but instantly regained his COM
posure: and said, as cool as you please:
| to-day? Hope you won't blow us up for u
week or so yet. We're doing a Shaving
business, Bill" Il think l see him now,
"washing his hands with invisible soap in
imperceptibe water,r with that self satis-
ned, hypocritical leer on his face. "Just
sent load of fine boxes down to the
Winged A17o,o. She sails tomorrow, so
We had to ship in hurry. Fine boxes !;
and beautiful vessel, Bill. Good night
| to you"
Good night, SIR" said 1, and left.
| As l went up the street another dray
| passed. driven toward the factory. l had
| the curiosity TO tnrn and watch to see
whether it, too, stopped there. 1t did, and
when l reached the corner of Broadway
| l stopped and looked back once more
| There, in the darkening twilight, The
same process of hurried loading was being
| repeated. 1t seemed to be all right
Hardness was there, but somehow, l
| wasn't quite satisfied. Trimming ma
| chimes are not fine assorted gilt-edged
boxes, by any manner of means, you
| know. And l knew it, too, though, very
| likely, Old Hardness did not give me
credit for being so well posted. Well, if 1
couldn't settle the question, the next best
thing was to give it up. And give it
up did.
Next morning I went over, as usual, to
| the factory. Jim, the stoksr, opened the
| doors always, as he had to be early to
tend TO the fires, which we banked every
night. I expected to see Jim, but was
much surprised when / saw Hardness.
This time it was he who came up through
the cellar door and through the other.
As before, we met unexpectedly. Now it
was my turn to be surprised. He was in
tensely pale, and seemed much agitated.
With strong effort of the will he strove
| to conceal his strange manner. He en-
deavored to speak calmly, and half sue
ceeded.
BILL" said he, "Jim has tended to the
engine; it's all right; come outside with
me, l want to talk to you.''
He turned to the cellar door and shout
ed: = 49,
.tJim, come up, come up al. once Run
over to Mr.. Bents private house-you
know where that is-and tell him not to
discount that bill to-day. Be quickl"
"4es, sir, coming" sung out Jim, lei
surely
Suddenly he tore up the cellar steps.
His face was ten shades paler than Hark-
nesss' an expression of horror was fixed
on his features-an expression of agony
and fear that 1 shall never forget 1t
haunts me still. 1t will stay by me till
my diving day. Poor fellow, he's gone,
too, since then.
Jim hardly stopped in his wild flight,
as he hOarsely whispered, rather than
cried:
"Husdred and ten on the steam guagel
Safety valve clogged.! Run for your
Iivesn," 80 Z -
/ took in the situation at once. Terri
hie tho danrpr waS The old boiler was