Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-07-20

them that haven't been brought UP to
| any trade, as was my case, and / was
glad to do almost anything / knew
there was the rent behind hand, and
the missus was only just getting better
! of her last illness, and there was the
children-they, of course, had been
neglected while the missus was i'll;
their clothes were nearly off their
backs, and they'd hardly a bit of shoe
to their feet. However, [ felt that
things might have been worse. I
was in work, such as it was,
and that was a comfort. Still /
thought how nice it would be if | had
only as much money every week to
take home as many of the mechanics I
met that morning going to their work.
l never was one to look at the worst
side of things, however, and therefore
l didn't envy them. L believe / really
felt glad that they were not so bad off
as / was. Well, / went on with nv
load, and when we got to the corner of
the street where the Goals was to be
delivered | stopped the horses, and
went behind the wagon to put stone
under the off wheel, just to prevent
the wagon slipping back, you know,
the road being little hilly just there.
Well as [ was STOPPING, what would I
see but dirty-looking paper sticking
4 in % 1o1 hxrt I,o !,
| wheels having passed over it, and fixed
it like. / don't know what it was. but
something made me pick it up and look
at it-perhaps it was that being very
hard up just then I thought it might
be something worth having. Well,
SmOOthed it out on my knee, SO as to
have good look at it, and when [ held
it up, and saw it was q fve-pound note
you might have knocked me down with
a feather. How long [ stood staring
at it | never shall know was fairly
| daZed. | had never had so much money
Of my own at one time in all my life
| thought of all the things it would
| buy-hOW it put the rent straight
what we'd have for dinner on Christ
mas day, and whether my mate (who,
| told you, was ILL, was fairly entitled
to half of it. Of course, if he had
been with me, he would have
had half; but then, as he WASH
| didn't see that he had any
claim. However, / thought I'd
talk that over with the missus,
Cher heads ever so much clearer than
mine, at least she says so) and do
what was right and proper. How long
l should have stood dreaming | don't
know, if servant girl hadn' run out
and asked me if [ was going to stand
there all day. So [ started the horses
again, and in a few minutes was hard
at work unloading. Still, | couldn't
forget that / had a five-pound note of
the Bank of England in my pocket,
ana this so disturbed me that / won
der now [ didn't shoot myself into the
cellar along with the Goals. / fancy,
too, that, knowing that / had all this
money in my pocket, / felt a little bit
independent and careless and BESIDES
this was one of those particular houses
where the missus is always saying,
"Oh, Mr.. Coalheaver, don't make
more dirt than you can avoid;' or,
IN afraid" Mr.. Coalheaver, your
boots are very heavy" People of this
sort always get in your way, and make
their remarks just when you've got
two hundred weight of Goals on your
back; and if you happen to make any
answer back again, which you're pref
ty sure to do, as people of this sort are
always stingy, they threaten to report
you. Well, she kept on bothering me,
and when she made a remark upon
my boots, [ said, "All right, marm,
I'm going to get my patent feathers
out of pawn before [ come again"
With that she said / was an insolent
fellow, and that she would write a
complaint to my employers. She kept
her word, too, but my master WASH t a
bad sort, and wrote back as follows:
MADAM: We regret that you should be
compelled to complain of any of our serv-
ants. During the twenty years we have
been in business we have endeavored to en-
gage gentlemen to do work-hitherto with
out success.
We are, etc.,
CLAY, Cross 81 Co.
Wallsend Wharf, Camden Town.
believe he always sent this form of
letter to people who complained of the
conduct of his men, though why he had
two names and a Co. at the end of 'em
[ never could make out.
Well, to go on with my story. I got
through that days work somehow, and
when / got home at night me and my
old woman talked the matter over.
Dear me, how it did cheer her up to be
sure. It did her more good than all
, the doctors stuff she had been taking.
) and even our brand-new baby crowed