River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-02-12
THE BAR OF GOLD.


curlecue things on Mrs Jones wall, ain
it,"
$50 tbs, " said Ned looking over his sisters
shoulder. 'Nell can do anything
''This amt SO good said Nell modest
y 81 wish I could do anything, Ned; I'd
paint a NICE lot of flowers to hang over your
bed
''Do, Nell!" Jim exclaimed.
Eyes, make that for us, Nell. Ned added, as
he looked admiringly upon the drawing on the
table AT that instant the little group
around the table were silenced by woman ;
voice
'If I were your father, I'd take them notions
out Of you mighty quick, miss
The girl looked up turning frightened face
to the speaker. Her lips trembled, but she mas
tered her emotions az she replied
Il washed the dishes, ma, aud swept the
kitchen"
''After told you dozen times or more,
Anybody hearing that voice and tone would
have been prepared for bad grammer, and the
gross exaggeration scold commonly INDUCES.
che buttons on them, instead of putting all the
work ON me:#
I'm mend them, ma. l didn't think il was
any harm to learn TO draw and paint little
Learn to paint What does colt like you
know about drawing: It's downright laznesa,
aud I'm going to see if your fathers going 70
encourage it, when you ought to learn to max 9
your own clothes When was as old as you"
The supposed head of the house entering at
that moment, Mrs. Chapman turned to him
wrathfully:
''That girl has just had the impudenee To
talk back to me becauseI spoke to her about
attending to her own clothes instead of frit
term away her time in nonsense on paper.
Mr. Chapman, who, after taking TO himself a
second wife, discovered he had voluntarily
placed heavy yoke upon his neck, looked at
the little group now huddled together mute
and with sacred faces
81 tell her, if twas her father, I'd take that
laziaess andnolsense out of her girl as
big as that ought to be to work You ought to
take her to the factory with you. Chapman.
She can carry spools mp and down stairs, or
do something useful, stead o sprawlin' all
over paper and States usin' up pencils.
Il didn't think Nell big enough to so to
work yet I'll thing about it
The fathers heart PLEADED for the little girl
whose upbraiding eyes forclbly recalled the
dead, and reminded him of his obligations to
the living.
''Wcll-only don't be too long thinking about
it," said Mrs Chapman number two as she left
the room. Nell stole TO her fathers side, and
slipped her hand in his.
Don't mind, pa Fl it wasn't for Ned and
Jim, wouldn't care, but I'd rather be with
you in the factory than at home"
"Hush." He felt ashamed of it but he was
afraid his wife would oyerhear her ''Tll see
about it-don't fret-and don't talk back. You
must be good children" This WAS addressed
to the group collectively. The boy mutineers
were preparing to knuekle their eyes, when he
added harshly, ''None o that now" whereupon
the boys choked Jumps DIVA their tarolts
and pushed their fists straight down into their
pants pockets, while their father glanced at
the paper Nell left lying on the table, He
bent suddenly over it, then turned to Nell
''You copied it"
'.Nc, indeed didn't, pa"
Il saw her do it, said jim, coming TO his Sis
ters aid manfully.
''She did it all ont of her head pa" Ned af-
firmed, they both looked at Nell and Nell
blushed as she cast her eyes down
Il can do ever so much better than that pa 2
Mr.. Chapman sighed. He wished he was not
quite SO poor He wished he could send her
to school He wished-so many things that he
realized keanly for the thousandth Time he had
made the mistake of his life in marrying Han
nah Cone. 1t would not do to let this nonsense
grow-to encourage it, b. st take Nell TO the
factory. Work would occupy her time-keep
peace in the house maybe
So it was settled to the satisfaction of Mrs.
Chapman number two. Nell, at the age of
fourteen accompanied her father to the factory
the following Monday.
Hague's ia ctory was so vast the crowds of
men. women and children who were shut up
in 1t from early morn till night, SO numerous
that a score more or les5 were never noticed.
Ii made great difference to I'M and Ned how
ever The stepmother's breath grew colder
now that Nell was out of hearing 1hey had
more surprises now in the shape OF smart blows,
and the stepmother's voice grew shriiler. Two
pillows were believed oftener with tears, and
two trembling, fearful children became afraid
of their own shadows
Meanwhile the great chlmneys at Hagues
factory projected the smoke of thousands of
tons of coal heayenward, the looms produced
acres upon acres of beautiful and costly fab
rics and Nell Chapman's feet toiled up and
down srairways that seemed to leugthen as the
day wore on YEARLY until there seemed to be
no end of them 1T was easy work, Mrs.
Chapman number two said. "a baby might
carry spOols" Meantime Nell, with dark,
heavy lidded eyes, hollow cheeks, and tired
feet dragged herself to and from the great
factory, until-but will not anticipate
The inhabitants of N-were stunned one
burning July day with sound that smote their
ears like the crash of worlds. Doors were burst
open; walls trembled; the earth vibl ated every
pain of glass in the town was shattered. twas
Just after the MONDAY meal. The great en-
gnes in Hagues carpet factory had made two
or three revolutions, when the workers were
appalled, by a sound accompanied by blow
that threatened the total destruction of the fac
tory. The towns people running to their doors,
looking towards the factory saw puff of yell
owish sm( Ike hanging few moments
over one corner of the mill. When the smoke
cleared away, a hole in the wall as large as the
side of a small house was observed Around
this the workers in the factory, now standing
silent and grim, gathered with pale faces The
towns people mingling with them beheld few
courageous sculls bearing out the dead engi-
neer, and half score manned for life When
the authorities collected their wits, and inves-
tigated the matter, they arrived at the unex-
pected conclusion that it was merciful dis
pensatiOn of providence that so few were in
iured and but one killed, when, had the SAC
cident" occurred five minutes later, or fifty
minutes earlier i'll the day, hundreds Would
have been killed and wounded by the explosion
Of the boilers.
AS it was, the factory would resume opera
tons in a week, or ten days at most
Chapman was among the wounded "All
his own fault" Mrs Chapman number two
said ''If he had been minding his own bust
ness-in his own plaee-it wouldn't have hap
pened
This in the ears of a man to whom the doc
tors limited his chances for ever seeing sky or
earth again was problematical, was as bitter as
anything i'll Jobs experience. To lie up stairs
in close back room a.-d hear shrewish
step-mother scold his little boys all day was
hell on earth. There was, in these days of ut
ter wratchedness, sound that John Chapman
we'll knew; a sound of hurrying feet and then
the shrews tongue dashed the lazy lump that
ought to be working in a neighbours kitchen
As there never was any love in the case at all
on the second wife's part, when dire poverty
flung the door wide open all the windows in the
Nell Chapman sat in silent despair in the one
room set apart for herself and her brothers.
Although it was a little past high noon, md the
air was sitting hot, her little brothers were
compelled to remain in their room Ned and
Jim had been guilty of the enormous offence of
differing the house, with the trimmings and
pieces OF paper they had gathered at Judge
Hammers house, where the paper hangers were
stwork. Such hrilll Mt paper was never seen
before. The boys sWooped down upon it as
misers might appropriate gold mine They
wore 1t round their arms, legs
and bodies, and waltzed away
Chapman gave them ''such warminge that
fb.v 10th cri.I fbar,aseiyas asIssT broad