The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-09-10
THE CHIMNEY AT LISGARVAN
MILL.

w AS Wucu WAS COVtIGluS hdGlc
that the accident I'm going to tell you
about happened. But for the same &C
cident, 1 don't think Katie an 1 would
be man an wife this day, for you see
my father was set again the match,
Katie being only laborer's daughter,
while he himself was foreman in the
mills, getting good wages, and thought
a deal of by his employers. An if it
wasn't for Katie, 1 don't think I'd be
here now to tell you about it, for twas
she that saved my life, through hitting
on plan that never once came into
the heads of me or of my comrades
aye, or of those that you d have thought
would know better than any of us.
Twas not brought up to my fathers
trade, having been taken when young.
by brother of my mothers, q master
bricklayer living in the town. When
my uncle died came home to Lisgarvan
for bit, just to see my father, and
finding that they were at work on the
new buildings at the mills, I looked for
employment there, an got it at once.
Lisgarvan Mill is a flour mill. an a
pretty place it was in those days, with
the river running just by the old red
brick buildings, an the big water-wheel
always going round an round. The
river falls into a 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
carried away. 'Tisn't half so pretty a
place now; there are big whitewashed
Buildings alongside of the old brick
ones, the big wheel is stopped, an you
hear the whirr of the engines instead of
the sound of the water. But they
makes power of money there. an
gives deal of employment.
As was saving, got taken on as
brick-layer. Katie's father was work
ing there, Too, an I used to see her
bringing him his dinner, and, after
bit, began to think that I'd like to
have her bringing me mine, too. She
was as pretty girl then as you'd see
anywhere-she's good-looking to this
day-an' I soon became that fond OF
her that I'd have done anv thing Almost
to get her. She herself was willing
enough; twas my father that made the
difficulty. He was a proud man, as
proud in his way as any gentleman, an
he was right down mad at the notion
of my marrying laborer's daughter.
To be sure I 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 the old
man that had always been good to me.
Besides, Katie was just as proud as him.
self, an would have nothing to say to
me unless he was satisfied. I got the
master to speak to him, but, sure.
'twasn't bit of use. "How would you
like, sir,'' he says to the master, "h
had q daughter, to have Master Philip
take ND 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 an had just nothing
for it but to wait in the hope OF his
coming round, an very little hope we
had of that same.
As we were putting up steam-en-
CINE in the mill, we had, of course, to
have big chimney, an we got q man
down from town to build it-one of
them chaps that builds chimneys an
nothing else, an thinks nobody knows
ANYTHING about it but themselves. l
was working along with him. and, in
deed, twas I that built the most OF it.
an a right good job it was. Twas
finished by Christmas-ten years ago
this Christmas coming on-al but the
lightning conductor, and that was not
put up. owing to the masters wanting
to make inquiries when he'd 60 to Lon
don an see for himself what would be
the best kind to use. The master was
a scientific sort of q gentleman, an
had ideas of his own-sometimes
thev'd be better than other peoples,