Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1874-04-11


lures together; and very often found |
time to visit them all of an evening I |
hadn't said word of love to her vet, |
but was waiting till my wages were in |
creased enough to enable me to keep |
home of my own, and then ask her to |
fill it. OF her state of feeling toward |
me knew nothing, except that she |
looked upon and trusted me as a
brother.
One thing used to rile me, though,
and 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 persecuted 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 I entered the box factory. If
you will take the trouble to subtract,
you will find that makes 1857. It puts
us just in the year of the great financial
crash. 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. Rumors of
failures up the street, down the street,
on the corner, at Nos. 35 and 81 over
the way, met my ears. Rumors of fail
ures past and failures to come. Rumors
of 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.
| Well, old Hardness kept on with his
manufacturing, 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 to say, "Look at me, if you want to
see o model man of business. I don't
speculate. Idon't get involved. Mark
my consequent prosperity" Now when
/ see man with a good deal of bluster
and swagger abont him, always make
up my mind that he is coward at heart.
And when some people parade their
financial soundness, the Wall street
animals snuff rottenness somewhere.
1t must have been on this principle that
began to suspect that Hardness wasn't
so ssfe 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. do not think he suspect
ed my presence. AS 1 was taking off
my oyeralls and fixing Up, I heard a
heavy dray come up to our door. There
were four or five men with it, who were
4 not our regular cartmen. They jumped
out, were let in through the half-closed
doors of the main floor above me, and
were led up stairs by Harkness. Pres
entity they reappeared, bearing cases of
various kinds of stock, fancy paper,
gliding stuff, light machinery, and diff
forent odds and ends, with which they
loaded the dray and then drove off again.
ALI 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., Harkness, and he sole
owner of the factory. A man does not
commit a larceny on his own property.
, Icouldn't make it out at all.
started to go. just as I entered
, the Office from below, Harkness came in
, by the passage-way door from the floor
above. He started perceptibly when
he saw me, but instantly regained his
! composure, and said, as cool as you
please:
"Ahl you're late. Bill. What's
wrong to-day? Hope you won't blow
us up for week or SO yet We're do
ing staving business, Bill" Ct think
: see him now washing his hands with
invisible soap in impercepible water, y
with that self-satisfed, hypocritical leel
on his face.) "Just sent load of fine
boxes down to the Winged Arrow. She
sails tomorrow, SO we had to ship in a
: hurry. Fine boxes; and a beautiful
vessel, Bill. Good night to YOU
"Good night, sir" said I, and left.
As went up the street, another dray
passed, driven toward the factory. ]
: had the curiosity to turn. and watch to
3 see whether it, too, stopped there. II
: did, and when I reached the corner o1
: Broadway, stopped and looked back
once more. There, in the darkening
l twilight, the same process of hurried
loading was being repeated. 1t seemed
l to be all right. Hardness was there
, but, somehow, wasn't quite satisfied
9 Trimming machines are not fine assort
ed gilt edged boxes, by any manner Of
0 means, you know. And I knew it too
though, very likely. old Hardness didn'i
l give me credit for being so well posted
: Well, if couldn't settle the question,
s the next best thing was to give it up
|. And give it up did.
o Next morning I went over, as usual
!, to the factory. Jim, the stoker, opened
8 the doors always, as he had to be early
: to tend to the fires, which we banked
T every night. 1 expected to see Jim
: but was much surprised when I saw
Hardness. This time it was he who
{ came up through the cellar door and !
= through the other. AS before, we me
/, unexpectedly. Now it was my turn tt
be surprised. He was intensely pale
4 and seemed much agitated. With
i strong effort of the will he strove te
!, conceal his strange manner. He en-
8 deavored to speak calmly, and half sue
d ceeded.
~ "Bill," said he, "Jim has tended t,
= the engine, it's all right come outsid,
= with mel want to talk to you"
!, He turned to the cellar door ant
= shouted:
!, Jim, come up, come up at once
g Run over to Mr.. Brent's private house
!. you know where that is-and tell hin
- not to discount that bill to-day. b
quick - %
r. Yes sir, coming" sang out Jim, leis
- urely.
It -ouuuenly ne TORE up tne cellar steps
n His face was ten shades paler tha,
9 Hardness, an expression of horror wa
O fixed on his features-an expression O
agony and fear that shall never forget
i 1t haunts me still. It will stay by m,
i till my dying day. Poor fellow, he'
II gone, too, since them
d Jim hardly stopped in his wild fight
k as he hoarsely whispered, rather thar
It cried:
IS Hundred and ten on the steam
d gauge Safety valve clogged |! Run
!. for your lives !ll'
r : took in the situation at once. Ter
n rible the danger was. The old boiler
was registered at eighty pounds to the
!, square inch, but we never dared rnr
g higher than thirty. And a hundred
J, and ten We arc standing directly ovel
i it, and while / hesitated, the pressure
g must be steadily rising. 1t flashed upo1
g me that there might be no more DANCE