The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1873-11-27


Go work e. usual I suppose, SIC, you
haya beAri about lhe strike aud what
. bard times they bring Wei. &, was with
o. pretty much lbe same as ia other
places. only fortunately, 81 did NOT last so
long We were hungry and stubborn,
furnished, aud 81 last iurious. Empty
sfomarhs made bot heads, and rceliuR
OF 90 nights meetings robbed as oi what
reason We had left, tiu even the saberest
and most peaceful among Us were ready
10 take part IN almost any action that
was prupased-i8r We wera not used 10
being idle, aud time hung mighty heavy.
The children began TO look h8ggard aud
cry for bread, and the women 90 mutter
that balfs loaf Is better than none, snd
TO beg us to give 10 or do something
something, they did not care wbat-to
keep the Young ones from dying and the
homes from desolation.
( Ben Knowles and two or three other
such violcut spirits, whom despair made
desperate, proposed to attack The House,
and thus either force or frighten Mr..
Bolton to their terms, OF else help them
selves to the plenty and luxury there to
aIlay their own necessities.
/ lsbsIl never forget the tramp through
the wolds-the solemn tread of so many
feet over the fecks OF sunshine that fell
through the trees; the great branches
stirring and ru-tIing softly in the spring
breezes: the tender sort of peacefuluess
that brooded over the whole pathway,
nor the s'erg, set faces OF the men, silent,
dark and fnll Of dreadful threat.
There was an unnatural stiffness about
the place when we arrived in front Of
The House. There wasn't a soul to be
seen, and the sunshine rested on the front
aud on the vide, green lawn, in way
that can be felt but never told aboui~-a
sort OF reverence and hush in it, as II
there was some melancholy meaning nm
derneath the brightness. We stopped a
moment to settle what should be tie next
move. just then the hall door opened
suddenly, and Mr.. Bolton appeared on
the threshold. 1t was plain enough that
something was the matter-for his face
was very pale, and ms hands trembled as
he put them up as if to keep back the
crowd. Ben Knowles aud the birds Of
bis feather thought it WAS fear: and SO,
believing that it was going to be easy to
get the upper haud, swayed forward again
with an insulting shout. But Gent man
Jim stood straight in their path, gath
cred up all his strength, and whirled it
out in ono word; Halt! Then was such
tremendous authority IN his tone aud
manner that they couldn't help shrinking
= back a moment, silenced and wonder
struck. Then Mr.. Bolton spoke;
My men, he said, / can't say any thing
to you now. Little Willie is dead aud
he broke down and covered his face for
: an instant. Not a sound was heard; not
a man of us moved. There was "a vision
before us Of the 1.-THE, happy figure, bright
and rosy, fiying with curls afloat, down
to The village, on his brown pony-that
we would never see again. We weren't
so bad but that many of us were shocked
and ashamed and wished we hadn't come
Bnt Ben Knowles, his face a1ame, dash
ed into the open space and yelled out like
a wild Indian:
I It's another lie! It's another sham to
keep us out of our rights! He's afraid,
, aud he's cunning, and it's a story he's
got up to keep us away from here tiIl he
I gets the soldiers on to pat It's downl
) Mr. Bolton lifted up his head, and his
} e,c cs flashed like a fire tLat dries up rain.
! lie saw that the meu were beyond reason
aud argument; SO he threw open the
! door and waved his arm. Come aud see !
; was all he said. Some OF us hung back
I and felt worse still at this; bat Ben and
others cried out: Yes! come and see .
1 and moved on to the steps. Gentlemen
! Jim knew there was no holding them
back after that; so he took his place again
J at their head, and went first up the broad
! staircase after Mr.. Bolton.
t There had been something solemn in
, the sunshine outside, bot the house felt
e like a church. In spite Of themselves the
p worst aud toughest lrod softly, aud look
4, ed neither to the right nor left AT tho
c inches in the wal, with TIE costly marble
, statues in them Mr.. Bolton paused in
1 front Of door on the second landing
{ Wait minute, he said, in choking tone
+ and went in, pushing the door hastily to
e behind bin; but great, rough hand
4 pushed it ajar, and two or three Of us IN
front saw, through IT,, that the mother
was kuceliug by The bed. with her face
buried in the pillow beside her boy, and
one arm thrown over the quiet little form
i- Mr.. Bolton leaned over and whispered to
her. She raised her face 10 his, too sad
II to be scared, aud let him liti her up, and
almost carry her througa the opposite
door into another room Then be came
.s back to u waiting there, and wishing
Il more than ever that we were in our owl
4 homes
b? Come and see he laid again, sternly
e Bat had got courage by this lime and
- was 10 longer airaid OF nay fellows.
/; Sir, stid, We had rather NOT Ifyol
= please, we viii 20 away nuw in nesee
=! aud, 10 their credit, | mu.t say, poa'
d among them said me nay. Bat Mr BoI
tou wasn't Of t1c backing down SORT
= either. lie woud stand by bi- word
] though the proof of 70 must ba his owl
Fl dead child; aud by thls time be aa. a