The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1884-07-05
WORKING FOR A HOME.
The Old Printers struggle TO Buy
= House and Lot.

[Burdstte in Burlington Hawkeye.l
There was wife and there was a
boy. Long before anyone now in the
Office had a sit in news-room, press
room, business office or sanctum, and
before the old man had begun to look
out at the world through spectacles,
and his figure was as straight as it
was tall, the typos and reporters used
to hear a great deal of talk about buy
Ing lot and building house out on
the hin, where he could have a patch
or garden. And by aud by he was
going To quit sticking type and get
into something that would let him
stay hot1e at night and get acquainted
with his family. And the suit of
clothes he bought in the fall lasted
long way into the next Summer. and
then they came out again in the Win
ter, and the old man "rushed' more
than he ever did again while that
dream of home was inspiring him.
II is an old story, this struggle of
printer to get home; any one of these
restless mariners OF the land, drifting
from port to port and back again,
lurvd by the ignis fatnus of so many
cents more IA thousand, and a price
and a half after o'clock, and big
bills with four ar five nights work.
Never wandering journeyman
printer got a chance to stand at the
old mans case while he was saving
money for a house and lot, and the
subs looked at him with dispairing
glances OF starvation. But it is hard,
uphill work for a printer 10 bny
home. His pay is easily reduced aud
hardly raised; long strike means on
the road for HIM, and IL he has a fam
lily and can't tramp, he breaks his
heart, puts dust oil his head and goes
out OF the union aud wearlly works ut
the bosses rates. so the old man
worked bravely OIL. AS many printer
has worked before and since his time,
anu the little plant in the bank began
tU grow brighter as the old clothes
grew shabhier.
Aud the boy, growing into his tenth
year, used To be seen IN the office, af-
ter school, standing at his tail falher's
elbow, learning, in very irregular
boyish, unapprenticed fashion, with
cataract of questions, to stick type.
The old man never intended the boy
should DO "A printer. And he was 70
proud OF MIN and his standing at
school, aud once the boy wrote "A ten
line account OF a boy falling down
stairs, that a good-natured reporter
sent In just as IL came, although il
WAS n dull day. aud the scribe wanted
awfully to make it a column and put
on a hanging head. And th old man
sent marked copies of that paper 10
every soul he knew in this world.
But one day an unbIdden guest
came home from school with the boy
and sat down by the hearthstonein the
old mans rented home. Aud the
long DAYS of fever and Doctors bills
drew out nearly all that little home
bank account, and ono black day the
old MANS case was empty and the
business office told the undertaken
that all his bills would be paid there,
and he mustn't take any money from
thee old man. And pale and quiet
and sad, looking ola and worn. WAS
the printer who came the next day
aud took his place at the case. The
types didn't click very fast in that al
Ioy for DAYS after that. And some
times the printers face would be lying
in his folded arms. and how pathetic
looked the half filled stick in the
clasped hands, the composing rule
fallen out of its place, and the pied
type and leads all tumbled together.
More than one printer, going on his
way to empty his stick In the galley,
was a long time bending down To find
the take his one followed; and more
than one, looking across at the heart
broken picture OF sorrow, leaned close
down to hts copy to read fair writing
that was never blurred when it came
off the hook, and grimed his eyes with
an unsteady hand, saying something
aboutth0 dust or the glare of the light.
And then about five years after that,
the boys mother. weary OF the long
pilgrimage, lay down to rest in cool
arbor, rooted with waving grasses
and blue violets, and awoke TO kiss
her boy.