Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-12

/ Ter. WOulQ ne warn MS aunt Oi the I'M
| pending calamity Tim pondered seriously
! over this question on his way home. With
! o degree of courage and common sense
rare in one so young, he concluded silence
would be the better policy for the present.
| Nothing would be lost by it, and he hoped
it would not be as bad as Eph Murtland an
ticipated.
Seems TO me you're uncommon lively,
! considerin' our bads uek" Tim ceased
| whistling on the instant, set his baby sister
! down on the floor, and looked anxiously at
| his aunt One arm - the right - was
| sWathed in bandages.
What is it, Crissy?"
More bad luck-tbat's all. Things
wasn't bad enough. with Bobby going to
! have the measles or worse, and / had to go
| and scald my hand and arm"
Tim was all alive with sympathy on the
| instant He propoGnded query after query
until The details OF the accident were made
| known to him. He did not heed the baby
! plucking at his trowsers as he souatted,
I boy-like, on the floor by the fire. clasped
| his chin between his hands, and stared
solemnly into the fire.
Something's up Tim, " said Crissy pres
emily, noting his preoccupled manner.
Has the CATERS been scolding you ?"
| Tim shook his head. Then you've been
! quarreling with some of the bOys9'
Tim reflected. If he told the truth it
| would not mend matters. II might be as
we'll To let her think she had surmised the
! truth. Yes, for the present he would keep
| his own counsel.
He looked an1io lsly OF his mothers wan
| face and thin han is that night He was
yey kind to Bobby, who was little fin
| gy," to use his aunt's words, and sang all
| the songs he knew over and over again to
the baby. The baby clapped her hands and
! Mrs. Bennett smiled. Ii was the first time
she had smiled in many weeks, and some
how, when Tim crept into the truck bed
in one corner of the room, beside his
brother (the invalid, babe and Crissy occu-
pied the bedstead in the box termed bed
ROOM, and recalled his mothers smile, his
cheeks were wet with tears.
What would become of them If it should
be as Eph predicted, and he should be un-
able to get another situation Immediately.
| If there was anyone to speak to, but they
were all alone, aud. as poor Tim repeated
to himself over and over as he shook his
| head on his pillow, 80 poor"
| The furnace seemed TO require unusual
attention next morning Tim wondered if
it was because his head was 30 sore. He
! felt tired, too, but that was because he had
not slept well. He worked manfully how
( ever. 1t required, as Eph Murtland init
mated more than once. when compliment
! ing him, judgment much above that which
the average boy of l6 displays to keep the
| furnace up. The other -teaser w3s a mid
dle-aged, lame man. Nov Tim began TO
think of it fer the first time he did not
know a teaser that wasn't full-grown
man. But since he essayed the task no
! fault had been found with him.
! The work the " teasers perform in a
glass factory looks very easy. The vast
| pots containing the metal are placed on q
/ shelflike circle forming the base of an i'm
mense cone-shaped furnace. The pots oc-
| Cupy all that can be really termed the floor
! OF the furnace. The hre-grate occupies the
! center Of the furnace. The extraordinary
| heat Of the furnace must be uniform. This
! is maintained b. the constant addition of
| fuel in small quantities apparently. To
/ insure this, coal in Jumps Of a convenient
| size are tossed into the furnace at exceed
! ingly brief intervals with q regularity APP
/ preaching the ticking OF a clock The
workman employed for this purpose is
J termed teaser" The heat of the furnace
I Is so intense that the visitor strains his eyes
I in vain, yet fails to see the metal which
| fills the glass pots. AS Tim looked into
! the furnace, its glowing eyes seemed to
! pierce his brain He fancied, when bis
eyes were not blurred, that he saw in the
animals, trees and birds. There was
dullness approaching g stupor in his head
at times then again he experienced pain
as though a needle were thrust through his
temples. There was a ringing sound, like
the rushing of waters, in his ears,
and sometimes the sounds around him |
seemed muffied in strange way. The !
oldest thing Of all, ne thought was the |
queer looking things he saw in the furnace. |
There were fish in the furnace; the fish |
became ducks aud geese, and the geese and !
ducks became elephants, and the elephants !
turned into trees, with hocks of birds on |
them. On those occasions be fastened to /
the WATERFALL, drank eagerly and bathei I
his face freely. If he should confess his
inability to perform the work he might lose
his situation. What if he should really 7
become unable2 How would Aunt Crissy |
ever manage now. She could not wash or
iron until her arm was better. 1t might
not be better for weeksl If he should be
SICK they would all have to go to the poor
house. Everything in the world was going
wrong all at once. He felt as though the
ground was slipping away from under his
feet.
Hello, therel Look out Catch him p
Eph Murtlands warning cry ran through
the factory, but it came too late. As he
sprang forward, Tim fell prone upon the
brick floor of the factory before the fur
mace.
The world had in truth slipped away
from Tim, the teaser.'
Aunt Crissy threw the last article in an
uncommony large lot of washing back
into a basket as she said " Lie there! AL
the money in you is for somebody
else. If I didn't need the money this
burn wouldn't be hurting me now
She Strengthened herself and looked
around detantly, as though some
body might question the asseg ton. e
Then she leaned against the table -
fortunately baby was asleep, and E.
Bobby was still a5ed, though it Was
near n0Onl and essayed for the thou
sandth time TO solve 8 problem that go
puzzled the keenest brains in the ma
ton, bafiled great writers on political -
economy, and caused many wise, far
seeing men much concern-hoW to
house, clothe and provide food for
five on dollar day. When she
was able TO wash and iron, size man
aged to earn dollar day FIVE days
IN the week, all OF which was con- -
sumed. With what medicines for
her sister and school books for Bob
by, she was unable at the end of the EsA
month to count q dCllaT-what would ESs
happen nOW Il 4iCT arm SDOIiiG Dc
disabled for fortnight Aunt Crissy SeeS
differed in no respect from thousands
Of plain-spoken, unpretending, faith
full, self-sacrihcing women to be found
III every community composed of en-
terprising hard working people Szss
As Crissy counted and recounted
in dazed way, her wits as usual -
began to tangle. and as usual, when -
her wits failed her, her temper rose. -
She looked at her sound hand an
grily. Il was hard-knobby with
hard WORK; 1t. t had adv, washed, iEOned IIA!
had smoothed her sisters weary
pillow, and stroked baby's cheeks
when poor Aunt Crissy's poor head
was racked with pain. (
Well, worse couldn't happen. We've |
got to the bottom at last. Until we're in our |
Coffins we won't be bothered more Than We |