Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-03-26
MY PRAYER.

MY PRAYER.
I'M not cock-sparrow with nest in a
Water-spout, and my half-dozen young
ones tucked up warm in amongst hay,
and wool, and hair, with new suit o.
clothes growing out o. their skins-best o.
quality, best o. fit, and certain to come
again regularly every year at noting
time. Victuals, too, in plenty waiting to
be fetched from hundreds OF doors in the
shape Of crumbs.
No; I'm not q cock-sparrow; but, pom
my word, I've been ready sometimes to
envy the birds hopping about in the gut
tiers when I've been down and stood in
some quiet corner off the noisy street,
listening to their chirping and twittering.
They've seemed so different to me, and to
have such an easy time of it. No rent to
pay; no need to trouble themselves about
anything; only got to take peck here
and peck there, and then find a corner
where the wind don't blow, tuck your
head under your warm wing, and then go
to sleep.
You see things had gone hard
with me for long time. Some people,
who are given to talking great
deal and thinking very little, say
that a man has only to be industrious
to get on. IF ever there was mistake
it's this, and for the simple reason that
for every bit of work that wants doing
there are half-a-dozen men waiting to do
it, although it's only enough for one. I'd
tried rs hard as any man could try, but it
all seemed thrown away, that trying of
mine, and it used to be quite matter
of course for me to go home and find the
wife looking pale and trying very hard to
make believe that there was nothing the
matter, when all the time there had been
some upset while I'd been away.
Now it was the landlord who had been
to say that we must turn out. Another
day one OF the little ones-Dick that was
little curly-haired chap--had run his head
against the saucepan of water his mother
was taking off the fire, and was scalded
horribly. Only week had gone by and
/ went home to find lilly down with
measles, and for the next month I'd only
got to go home and find first one and
then another down, till we had regular
sick house and all the time me out on
work.
They say il never rains but it pours,
and SO | found it. We'd hardly
got the last one through the sick
ness before poor Polly slipped on the
stairs, fell, and that night / came
home ighthearted and happy, as 1
hadn't been for months, to find my poor
girl lying down and looking very white
and drawn of face.
why, Polly" | says, "what is it now?"
and | ran to the bedside and got hold of
her hand as it lay on the counterpart.
Nothing much, Dick, only [ feel a
bit faint. / slipped on the stairs-better
soon"
She said no more, for all her time was
taken up with trying to keep her poor
face from working, and contriving to hide
from me the agony she was in.
1t Gid not need that, though, for as l
told you | took hold of her hand, when a
horrible sickly sensation came over me,
the room swan round, and the great drops
of perspiration stood on my forehead, be-
cause of the pain | knew | must be Civ
ing her, as the arm | lifted came up in a
strange, awkward way, making me in my
horror let it fall directly back on to the
bed
Poor Polly and she trying to hide all
her suffering from me, for her arm was
broken.
1t might have been worse" she said,
smiling, after had got doctor to come
and set it. at might have been worse,
Dick" she said "Suppose it happened
and you without workr'
For l had been telling her of my luck
in getting taken on job of road-making,
but seeing how weak and i'll she was, and
in what trouble with pain, l hadn't the
heart to tell her where.
l was a bit out of heart myself about
where it was, and if she had been well,
perhaps-I'm not sure-I might have
told her all about it; but as it was, of
course it would have been like poisoning
her peace of mind, for my job was on the
permanent way of one of the London
lines, and | fully expected that whole
lot of my work would be in the tunnels
with the trains roaring by night and
day.
| went on the very next morning, and
it was just as expected. Our first Job
was III d tunnel half a mile long, and
about in the middle, where the way was
little sunk from the level.
Our party, which consisted of six, had
hicks. shovels and great levers, and we had,
besides. four of those naphtha lamps--port-
able Gas some people call them-same as
vor,ye seen used at fairs or stalls in the
husv streets; and in this fashion we
walked early to the mouth of the tunnel
There was one thing [ couldn't help
noticing about the men of our gang, and
that was the peculiar dull, heavy way
with which they moved arm or leg, while
their heads seemed to be never at rest.
They'd good cause for it though, as ! soon
learned, every man working at railway
Jobs having TO divide his time in two,
half being for the job on hand, halt being
taken up in looking out for danger;
We hadn't gone fifty yards into the tun-
mel. which got blacker ard closer, ana
more wet and reeking with damp, at
every step, before | began 70 near a ou u
heavy roar. We were walking on the
richf,hand side between the metals, so as
to meet any train upon the line, and my
first movement was to step on to the other
line" four-foot'' we call it-so as to be
ont of the way till the train had come by.
Here, hold hardr' shouted the leader
of our gang, and he laid hand on my