The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-02-26

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! Curly had walked rDidly in the direc
ton of Browns mill. He was not
coward. as he had truly said; but if hi
intention to turn ''black Sheep had got
ten wind the less he was seen alone afte
dark the better. Smoketon police wer,
not distinguished for their efficient vigi
lance, and many a striker would hav,
asked no better fun than to knock tn,
''traitOr" quietly over the head.
Browns mill stood at the end O
Brown street, with the hill behind it.
Not Immediately behind. however
There was quite stretch of compare
lively level ground, even before one
came to the railroad, which ran along q
sort of ledge or terrace. just before the
really steep ascent began. But, unless
one turned and went back some distance
along Brown street, and then fetched
a compass" by means of alleys and
other circuitous byways, the only mode
of getting from front to rear, or vice
versa, of Browns mill was through the
! mill-yard. All of which Curly knew
| without noting, as We all know perfectly
unimportant matters which may never.
theless come to influence our future.
The gates were closed, but they opened
at his knock and he passed within the
wide inclosure.
The great strike ut Smoketon was
caused by something only too familiar
to our day and gcneration-haste to
get rich. A secondary cause was over
production. There were several other
causes not entirely creditable to our hui
man nature, and finally there came a
reduction of the scale of wages.
Browns mill, after standing idle for
four months, had secured the services
of number of feeder-nailers and was
now prepared to go to work. A part
of the mill had been fitted up as dor
mitory. ample provisions had been laid
in. and there We're signals, passwords,
etc, already in vogue among the hands,
most of whom came from neighbOring
city. In short, it was evident the own
ers did not expect to carry out their
plans without opposition.
Nor did the strikers intend they
should. Thisbe Barton knew that per-
fectly well, but had not used it as an ar
gument in speaking to her lover, partly
from a latent fear that ne ght be in
tluenced thereby, for in her heart she
liked the '.black sheep too well to wish
to see him prove coward. Theirs had
been a strange alliance. Thisby, the
youngest of eight children and the one
daughter, had during her twenty years
of life been petted, spoiled and indulged
by father, brothers and weak and some
what silly mother, who thought no one
in the world so beautiful or clever as
her young daughter. And indeed the
girl must be allowed the credit of being
a magnifi cent animal. Her auburn hair
when unbound, fell to her knees in a
mass of shining ripples; her eyes had
the bri ghtnesS, not only of perfect
health. but of fearless spirit; her COM
plexion all the brilliance possible to
Smoketon, while her form was that of
beautiful Amazon. Curly, on the
other hand, small. slight. and appar-
emily predestined to nailers' consump-
ton, was the only son of widowed
mother; and while the Bartons were
comparatively well off in this worlds
goods. the Schwartzes had not a penny
beyond what Curly could earn by his
work in the mill. Thisby Barton had
stood by him wOmanfully ever since, in
his eighth year he had been left father
less and well-nigh friendless. She was
in age year younger, in appearance
several years Older; than the puny,
sickly boy whom she loved better than
any of her seven brothers, and pro-
tected with the fierceness of a tigrcss in
defense of her young. The taunts of
her brothers about her '.little sweet
heart. who could not even read circus
poster" had merely the effect of induc-
ing her to impart her own scanty stock
of Information to him after work hours,
which amateur pedagogism. reacting
upon herself, gave her a much more
thorough knowledge Of what she had
learned than has been usual among
''sweet girl graduate" since the youth
full days of our grandmothers.
When they grew up this state of
things underwent some little change,
and Curly, who had always looked
upon Thisbe as his personal and pc
culiar property, was overwhelmed with
to find himself snubbed
and neglected, while the young beauty
laughed, firted and accepted candy and
buggy rides-favorite offsprings of
brave to SmoketOn's fair
from those more favored by fortune
than himself. True, it was only her
head that was turned; her heart was
still in the right place-that is to say,
in the possession of Curly himself; but
how was he to be sure of that?
1t was a matter upon which Thisbe |
grew to have little doubt in the long
days that followed his turning "black-
sheep" Perhaps the bitter abuse |
showered upon him helped to enlist her |
in his behalf; but she kept her |
own counsel, and was credited by her
brothers with having at last ..got over |
ner nonsense about that fellow" But |
rhisbe had her reasons for being silent. |
The attack on Browns mill had not |
been abandoned but only delayed by |
he absence of one of the leaders. 1t |
vas very little the girl could learn in
-elation to it, her brothers and their
friends being by no means given to i'm
parting their intentions to women; but
~ close observation and diligent atten-
ion to every word let fall in her pres
,nce she at last became acquainted with
he time and manner in which the
'opprcssor" was to be ''enjoined."
The time was the night of the very
Law upon which her information was
gained. Perhaps the weather had
exercised determining influence upon
he situation, for it was just the day for
! conspiracy, with fog almost equal
o London particular" Thisbe re-
ired to her own room as soon as posi-
BE after the supper, of which her
,rothers and their guest, Godfrey Wal
on had partaken with the appetite per-
aiming to an approving conscience.
N;th N ,rn,,,an'c sl;ll che bod v,,ona nod |