The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-01-02
CHATTER III.
. THE BoOKBINDER.

CHATTER Ill.
THE BoOKBINDER.
On the same block As the hOnse Of the
Homebodys Old Morocco kept house and
bound books, all in two fourth story rooms.
The outer room had . half flllegibie sign
over the door, which he had bought at aue
tion one y ar when work wa4 plenty. In
\ its brilliant youththe sign had said: Fash
ionable Binding Done Here, in Russia,
Cab or Morocco" Now it said nothing 10
speak of except Morocco" You might
study it a long time without making any
more of it. s. the dodgers ON the lower
floor fell into the habit Of regarding IL as a
door plate merely, and the bookbiader as
sold Morocco" Not that he was 50 very
old-hfty, perhaps; but he wore spectaclee
and stopped little in walking, and his
hair was thin.
Times had gone rather hard with him.
The thriving business that he once did had
received fatal blow from the burning
down Of the building that contzine.A I'D
shop. OF course he saved nothing from
& sNre. Book binders are always up Mt
the top of the house, and when there's O
fire they are sure to have everything spoit.
What the flames don't consume the wstef
ruins. But that wasn't the worst. The
bookbinder's wife caught dreadful cold
and fever that night and was sick a long
time, 80 that his stock Of money in the
/ savings bank all went to the doctor and
aPothecary. Then the times grew harder
until there we're hardly any bOoksito b
bound. People kept their pamphfets and
said they could not afford to have them
bound jnst yet. or those who did order
anything were very slow in paying for it,
The boy that helped in the bindery had to
he discharged, and Old Morocco was left
with his invalid wife and two children.
They had lost their elder children years
before, and these two were eight and ten
years oid-just enough, as their father
said. in his cheerful way, to be a great
comfort
This remark was good example OF his
habit OF looking at the bright side Of things.
} When his shop burned he thonght it q
mercy that none of his children were hurt;
when his wife's fever used up all their
savings he was thankful that he lived
through il. and he didn't mind any loss i'm
comparisc~-Eith that great blessing; when
work fell of he said he was glad he had
more time to attend to his family. He was
always impressing upon Jane, ten years
old, how fortunate it was she was older
than Willie, 90 that she could mind him.
If Willie had been the elder it would have
been fortunate that he could take care Of
Jane.
Among the subjects Of congratulation
was the arrangements of the two rooms.
1t was 90 handy to boil potatoes or Indian
meal for breakfast on the little stove in the
bindery, and, when they had been removed
to put on the paste without loss of time OF
fuel. And the work made sush q
capital bedstead for the children at night.
In the daytime, if anybody came on bnsi.
ness, the children could ecuttle away in a
hurry into the other room and shut the
door till the customer was gone, and then
the door could be opened again and the
children could come out, and their moth
er's bed being pulled round 20 that she
could see through the door what was going
on, it was really very sociable.
Jane was getting so that she could stitch
the book sheets. as her mother used to do,
and as for Willie, he could at least pas1
them to her and ''help squeeze, E" and ar
range the books to be Uttered on the backs
1itCE bnCy WCtC OOuuOy WukGu - 1OuECc VI
delight to them both, and . process they
eagerly watched, mounted on two stools
looking over two shoulders holding theii
breath lest they should blow the gold lea
away. When volume was quite com
plete and ready for delivery Jane would
carry it very carefully into the other room
while Willie pranced around her like I
whole troop Of Arabs, crying, ''lpok moth
or, We did that" And Old Morocco woulC
look over his sp~,.acles through the door
and nod, well pleased to hear his wife say
That is as handsome job as ever l saw
Give my regards to the bookbinder, ans
tell him he's a master hand" Back tb,
young ones would 90 with the message
and Old Morocco would listen to it a
gravely az if he had not overheard bit o
it in advance, and would reply: "Giv,
my best respects to the lady, and tell her
shall be happy to do another job for her oI
reasonable terms" They managed, afte
all, to be right jolly at the book binders.
On the day am thinking of Old Nor
roco had just finished a piece Of work fo
: Mr.. Joshua Homebody. Il was nothin,
less than FIVE volumes Of the Christias
} Union, bound in elegant style, with tn
title on the back, on the side of each tn
name of the owner. Two dollars a vol
, ume was very cheap for such work a. tha
and as he rolled down his shirt sleeves. an,
/ put on his well-wo coat to carry tn,
! heavy bundle home, he thought with
) good desl Of pleasure Of the ten dollars b
! should receive, and the manner in whicl
he would lay out the money. Some warn
, stockings and mittens for the children
yes, and he would put the mittens in tn
r stockings, and 80 make a regular Christ
, mas of it, for tomorrow was Christina
Then two dollars must be laid aside for th
: rent, and two dollars for paper and leather
] and two dollars toward the next ton q
ccel. Perhaps there would Be enough lei
fofen oyster supper--say si7 oysters 70
: his Nife and two apiece for the rest q
. round, with plenty of the soup for ever
4 hm1v