The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-07-13

main street of View England msnufactn
ing town. recently. we were especially a
,raeiei by very long, very subsianti.
brick and granite structure iha, s,retche
its solid walls for many rods along the sid,
walk.
What high, deep windows, said. Ever
i one ia the lower story is protected by
y strong wire screen. and there is no door q
i all
: The doors all front to this yard, said N.
husband. as we came TO q small enclosnr
. at the cod Of the building. and saw taste
ful iron fence and gate, and smallisl
: boy in faneifnl little lodge, wh'
was looking thoughtfully out through
the dismond-shaped window.panes int
the street.
That is all for show, OF course, said
and the effect is pretty ivy.growr
lodge ard an honest faced keeper. just
look in. There is an armchair, a case Of
books, a cat asleep on table, and flow.
ering plant in pot on the wndow.sill.
Let us go in. !.
My husband tried the gate. but ii was
securely fastened, and the bright-looking
lad came Immediately up to the window.
politely bade us good morning, respectful.
ly asked our business, and said he would
communicate with the company's office
through his speaking.tube.
Visitors are not admitted TO the building
withou: pass, he said.
The grave manner and earnest tones in
enc so young amused us, and to see what
stuff the lad was made OF, we resorted to
various arguments TO induce him to open
the gate and let us in.
No, he said good humoredly, my tusi-
ness is TO let the workmen in and ont, and
to communicate with the Office as to all
Others who wish 10 enter
As we had no real business with the
company, and not wishing to trouble any
one for pass, we went on our way.
That evening at the hotel we were intro
duced to the manager and principal stock
holder OF the company, and spoke to him
of our entertaing little episode with his
young gatekeeper. The gentleman look
ed pleased. aud said
The President Of the United States could
not cajole that boy into opening that gate
to him with out leave He is wonderful
ly trusty lad. The boy who preceded
him at the post could not stand the strain
upon his integrity. / would like to tell
you about him and the circumstances of his
discharge If you have time to hear me.
When the factory was first erected we
employed bright boy for gatekeeper.
whose father was a skillful aud trusty
workman in the mill He had large
family Of children with sickly wife, and ,
the wages we gave the lad (for the position
is responsible one and the daily duty I
continuous and long, were quite help.
At that time we had only sort of n i
lean-to-box for the keeper, simply to shel |
ter him from the wind and rain, and it WAS {
very dull for the boy to stay ip it all day.
1t was not long, however before he began q
10 make friends with the street boys, and {
soon the Iron Gate" as they call it in
their trashy and pernicious boy-newspa- a
per style, came to be a regular loafng |
place for them. I
Our young gatekeeper was now known t
rs "Ralph of the Bloody Key" These t
used to buy boy novels, news t
papers, and magazines Of the most dramat- I
&c and Objectionable kind, and as "Ralph' S
was the best scholar of hem all he used to I
stand at the little lookout window and Q
'ead aloud the most exciting passages to
he idle group gathered outside. /
Occasional complaints were made 10 the i
,lerks employed in our Office that a crowd Q
II boys collected on the sidewalk in front s
If the gate, making it disagreeable for t
aides to pass; but that class of boys had i
inuek of scattering at q note OF alarm like q
coyey of patridges e
II transpired at last that they had +
'chemed to rob onr counting. room Of the Il
attractive and costly specimens of the cut r
cry We manufacture and which we kept h
IN exhibition, after u plan OF like detail I
aid down in one the Juvenile periodicals
hat had fallen into their hands. They /
lad a regularly organized gang, with mem. II
oers in all parts OF the village, among r
whom the spoils were to be distributed
The lookout window was very small il
,ne; but il You have never seen it tried, i
gou have no idea how small an aperature a u
BOY Of this sort will crawl through. 1t is @
aid a cat will wiggle out Of hole through /,
which it can put its head, which is ali i
rue. 1t is equally true with some boys, Il
however impossible it may seem. il
The night the raid on our merchandise a
vas to he made was cold and rainy. Late
n tho evening there was timid ring at G
ny door-bell A slight little fellow, drip. s
ing with rain, was ushered into my Il
library. He was shivering Nth cold and I,
Embarrassment, but he toll straightfor. G
gari story. and this was the substance Of "
!; al
Our counting room was TO be plundered ic
hat night. Tue boys had long known Of p
be stock OF costly samples there. but So
Ralph OF the Bloody Key" had informed tc
hem OF a large quantity Of silver coin that y
ad been left therein the previous day,
nd which was soon to be melted up for at
ur SILVER plating department p'
One Of my clerks told me today that he "
ad noticed boy dart through the entry NJ
nd look into the counting room door, As
Nd to the little fellow. but questioned III
alph, and he told me that no boy had m
cen through the gate that day; he was
y