The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-10-28
THE CHIMNEY AT LISGARVAN MILL,

THE CHIMNEY AT LISGARVAN MILL.
1t was when was counting Kate that
the accident I'm going to tell you about
happened. But for that same accident
don't think Katie and would be man
an wife this day, for you see my father
was set again the match, Katie being
only laborers daughter, while he was
foreman of the mills, getting good
wages, and thoughts deal of by his en-
plOyers. An fic wasn't for Katie, I
don't think I'd be here now to tell you
about it, for twas she that saved my
life, through hitting on plan tina
never once came into the heads of me
OF my comrades-ay, or of those that
you'd a thought would have known bet
ter than any of us.
was not brought up to do my fathers
trade, having been taken when young
by a brother of my mothers, master
brick-layer living in the town. When
my uncle and came home to Lisgar-
van a bit, just to see my father, and
finding that they We're at work on the
new buildings at the mills, I looked for
employment there, an got it at once,
Lisgarvan Mill is flour mill, an a
pretty place it was in those days, with
the river running Just by the old II d.
brick buildings, an the big water-wheel
always going round an round The
river falls into larger one little
lower down, an the tide comes up as
far as the mill, so It's in boats that most
of the corn is brought in, an the flour
is carried away.
AS | was saying, | got taken on as
a bricklayer. Katie's father was work
ing there too, an I used to see her
bringing him his dinner, and, after a
bit, l began to think I'd like to have
her bringing mine too. She was a
pretty girl then as you'd see anywhere
shes good-looking to this day-an' |
soon became that fond of her, that I'd
have done anything almost to get her
She herself was willing enough; twas
my father that made the difficulty. He
was proud man, as proud in his way
as any gentleman, an he was right
down mad at the notion of my marry
ing laborer's daughter. TO be sure, l
was earning good wages, an might
have married without asking any ones
leave if I'd been so minded, but didn't
like to 60 again him that had al
ways been good to me. Besides, Katie
was just as proud as himself,
an would have nothing to say
to me unless he was satisfied. Igot
the one master to speak to him, but
sure 'twasn't bit of use. GLOW would
you like, sir" he says to his master, "if
| had daughter, to have Master Phil
lip take up with her, an wouldn't that
be the same thing?" I believe that
the master didn't think it would be at
all the same thing; but my father
wouldn't hear reason from him any
more than from me; so Katie and 7
had just nothing for it but to wait in
the hope of his coming round, an very
little hope we had of the same.
AS we were putting up steam engine
in the mill, we had of course to have a
big chimney, an we got a man down
from town to build it--one of them
chaps that builds chimneys an moth
ing else, an thinks nobody knows any
thing about it but themselves. I was
working along with him, an indeed
twas | that built the most of it, an a
right good job it was. Twas finished
by Christmas-ten years ago this
Christmas coming on-all but the
lightning conductor, and that was not
put up owing to the masters wanting
to make inquiries when he'd 90 to
London: an see for himself what would
be the best kind to use. The master
was scientific sort of a gentleman,
an had ideas of his own-sometime
they'd be better than other peoples
and sometimes maybe not so good At
any rate, there was delay about the
conductor, an in the meantime the en-
gines were at work, an the big CHM
ney was smoking away like blazes.
MIR. Brown, the strange workman, had
gone away, saying very condescending
like, that he was sure Jim Forde THAT
was me would be able to fasten the rod
to the chimney as we'll as he could do
it himself. He took all his scaffolding
with him, but before he went away he
fixed beam with a pulley in it into
the top of the chimney, an left long
rope hanging to it, SO that a man could
be hoisted up at any time; an there
the rope hung dangling, week after
week, until the master came home,
bringing the rod along with him.
Once it had come, there was no good
losing any more time fixing it, so one
Saturday afternoon in January, up I
went on a plank, slung securely at the
end of the rope, my tools along with
me, an settled myself astride on the
stone coping Twas rather late in the
day. but the morning had been too wet
and stormy to work and the master was
as impatient to get the job done as if
it hadn't been himself that was hinder
ing it all the time. was as much at
home atop of the chimney as was on
the ground, and worked on without
once looking down until my job was
finished, an was putting up my tools.
Then all of a sudden, heard a rafting
noise, an looking over, see the plank
going down very fast. 1 called out,
"Hullo there! send that up again will
YOU" but the only answer 1 got was a
loud laugh for all the world like silly
Jerry's, the natural: and sure enough
there he was standing by the windlass,
jumping and clapping his hands. Il
looked about for the man whose bust
ness it was to manage the windlass, but
not a sign of him was there, an in a
minute 1 heard the rattle of a pulley
again, an saw the rope was running
through it in the wrong direction. I
made a grab at it, but it was ierked
out of my hand, an before [ could
catch it the end had slipped through.
an there was more than hundred
feet from the ground not knowing how
was to get down, an Jerry cappering
below calling out, "Conae down and
thrash me now, Mr.. Forde, won't your"
Then remembered that few DAYS
before, had found this boy annoying
Katie, an had given him a cut with a
switch | had in my hand. He had
SUNK away without word at the time.
but it seems he had remembered the