The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-04-30
OUT OF WORK.

| "Why, anything that you can do.
eyes, I've tried other things. l
have been to more than q dozen of
my frieuds and offered to help them
if they would hire me-" y
"And what did you intend to d
for them ?"
81 offered to post their accounts,
make out accounts, or attend at the
counter"
Mrs. Stan wood smiled as her hus-
band spoke.
"What makes you smile ?" he ask.
ed.
"To think that you would have i'm
agine that dyou would find work in
sucn places. But how is Mark
Leeds ?"
"How SO He has nothing in his
house to eat"
1t was a shudder that crept over
the wife's frame.
"Why do you tremble, wife ?'
"Becsuse when We shall have eat
en- our breakfast tomorrow morning
| we shall have nothing"
"What !" cried Peter Stanweod,
half starting from his chair. "Do
you mean that ?"
81 do"
"But our -four ?"
GAIL gone t; I baked the last this
| afternoon"
"But we have pork ?"
"You ate the last this noon."
"Then we must starve !" groaned
the stricken man, starting across the
| room.
Peter Stanwood was a bookbinder
By trade, and had now been out of
employment over month. He was
one Of those men who generally cal.
culate to keep square with the world
and who consider themselves partic.
ularly fortunate if they keep out of
debt. He was now thirty years of
age and had been married eight
years. He had three children to
provide for, besides himself and
wife, and this, together with house
rent was heavy draught upon his
purse even when work was plenty,
but nowhere was nothing.
"Maria," he said, stopping aud
gazing his wife in the face, "We
must starve. I have not a single
penny in the world"
"But do not despair, Peter. Try
again tomorrow for work. You may
find something TO DO. Anything
that is honest is honorable. Should
you make but shilling a day, we
would not starve."
"But our house rent ?"
"Trust me for that. The landlord
shall not turn us ont. If you will
engage to find some work to do, I'll
see that we have house room.'
81 will make one more trial." ut.
tered Peter, despairingly.
"But you must 90 prepared to do
anything"
"Anything reasonable, Maria"
"But what do you call reasona-
BILE ?"
"Why-anything decent"
The wife felt almost inclined to
smile, but the matter was too serious
for that, and cloud passed over her
face. She knew her husbands dis
position and she felt sure that he
would find no work. She knew that
he would look about for some sort of
work that would not lower him in
the social scale-as he had once or
twice expressed it. However, she
knew it would be OF no use to say
anything to him now, and she let the
matter pass.
On the following morning the last
bit of food in the house was put upon
the table. Stanwood could hardly
realize that he was penniless and
without food. For years he had
been gay, thoughtless and fortunate,
making the most ofthe present, for
getting the past, and leaving the flu.
ture to look out for itself. Yet the
truth was naked and clear and when
he left the house he said
"Something must be DONE"
No sooner had the husband gone
than Mrs. Stanweod put on her bon.
net and shawl. Her eldest child
was girl seven years old, her
youngest four. She asked her next
door neighbor if she would take care
of the children until noon. These
children were known to be good and
quiet, and they were taken cheerful
ly. Then Mrs. Stanwood locked up
her house and went away. She re-
turned at noon bringing some dinner
for the children, and then vent
away again. She came home in the
evening before her husband carrying
q heavy basket on her arm.
"Well, Peter" she asked, after
her husband entered and sat down
"what luck ?"
"Nothing I! nothing !" he groaned
81 made out to squeeze dinner out o.
an old ohum, but / can't 6nd work.
"And where have you looked to
"Oh Everywhere, I have beer
to hundred places, but it is the
same in every place. 1t is nothing
one eternal no no no ! am tireo
and sick of it."
"But what sort of work did yol
offer to do ?"
"Why, l even went so far as t.
offer to tend in a liquor store dowr
town."
The wife smiled.
SHOW what shall we do ?" uttered
Peter spasmodically.
"Why, we'll eat supper first, ant
then talk the matter over"
supper Have you got any ?"
"Y.s-plenty ofIt."
"But you told me you had none.
"Neither had we this morning
but l have been after work to-day
and found some"
"You? You after work ?" uttered
The husband in surprise.
"But how where I? what
"Why, first went to Mrs. Snow
I knew her girl was sick, and
went to her and told her my story
and she set me to work at once do
ing her washing. She gave me foot
. to bring home to the children, ant
paid me three shillings when / 60
through"
"What ! you have been out wash