The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-08-13
THE MILL CHIMNEY.

Twas when was counting Katie that
the accident I'm going to tell you about
happened. But for that same accident,
L don't think Katie an L would be man
an wife this day, for you see my father
was set agin' the match, Katie being
only laborer's daughter, while he HIM
self was foreman in the mills, getting
good wages, and thought a great deal OF
by his employers. An if it 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 a plan that
never once came into the heads of me
or my comrades-aye, or of those that
you'd have thought would know more
than any of us.
WAS not brought up to my fathers
trade, having been taken, when young,
by brother of my mothers, master
bricklayer living in the town. When
my uncle died ] came home to Lisgar-
ven Cor a bit, just to see my father, and.
finding that they were at work on the
new buildings at the mills, looked for
employment there, an got 1t ut once.
Lisgarven Mill is n 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 larger one IA little lower
down, an the tide comes up as far as
the mill, so tbs in boats that most of the
corn is brought in, an the flour carried
away. "Tisn't half SO pretty place
now there are big whitewashed build
ings alongside of the old brick ones, the
big wheel is stopped, an you hear the
whirr of the engines instead of the sound
of she water. But they makes n power
of money there, an gives deal of en-
pioyment.
As / was saying, L got taken on as a
bricklayer. Katie's father was working
there, too, an | used to see her bring
ing him his dinner, and, after bit, |
began to think that I'd like to have her
bringing mine, too. She was as pretty
al girl then as you'd see anywhere-she's
good-lOoking to this day-an' / soon be-
came that fond of her that I'd have done
anything Almost to get her. She her
self was willing enough twas my father
that made the difficulty. He was n
proud man, as proud III his way as any
gentleman, an he was right down mad
at tine notion of my marrying a laborer's
daughter. To be sure, L was earning
good wages, an might have married
without asking any ones leave, if I'd
Ibeen so minded, but didn't like to go
3 AGAIN the old man that had always been
good to me. Beside, Katie was just as
.prAua MS himself, an would have moth
ing 40 shy to me unless he was satisfied.
L got the owner to speak to him, but
sure 'twasn't bit of use.
Z" How would you like, sir" he says
to the owner, elf L had daughter, to
have Master Philip take up with her,
an wouldn't that be the same thing ?"
believe that the owner didn't think
it would be at all the same thing, but
my father wouldn't hear the reason from
INN Smy more than from me, SO Katie
an i 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 n steam-engine
an the mill, we had, of course, to have
big chimney, an we got n man down
from town to build it-one of them chaps
u that builds chimneys an nothing else,
aaS thinks nobody knows anything about
with him, and, indeed, twas L that
built the most of it, an "A right good job
IT was. Twas finished 10y Christmas.
ten year ago this Christmas coming on
all but the lightning conductor, and
TINT was not put up, owing to the own
.er's wanting to make inquiries when
he'd go to town, an to see for himself
what would be the best kind to use. The
proprietor was a scientific sort of gen.
4leman, an had ideas of his own-some-
times they'd be better than other peo-
pies, sometimes maybe not SO good.
At any rate, there was n delay about
the conductor, an in the meantime the
engines were at work, an the big CHM
ney was smoking away like blazes. Mr.
Brown, the strange workman, had gone
away, saying, very condescending-like,
that he was sure Jim Forde chat was
.me) would he able TO fasten the rod to
the chimney as well as he could clio it
himself. He took all his scaffolding
with him, but before he went away he
fixed beam with pulley Ill it into the
top of the chimney, an left n long rope
hanging through it, so that a man could
Ibe boisted up at any time an there the
rope hung dangling, week after week,
until the owner came home, bringing
the rod along with him.
Once it had come, there was no good
losing any more time in fixing it, SO one
Saturday afternoon in January, up /
went on plank, slung securely at the
lend 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 am
stormy to work, an the owner was as
impatient TO get the job done as if il
hadn't been himself that was hindering
it all this time. / was as much mt home
atop of the chimney as / was on the
ground, and worked on without once