The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-03-24

and violet and tender browns; and the
kelp palpitsted on the red rocks over
on the headland by the lighthouse as il
it breathed; the quarry men worked one
day in their wooden shirt sleeves. Clear
ly this was we'll over now. The wind
had set its teeth into the east, and all
the world gathered itself for the coming
storm.
The quarrymen had their share of
Stoneport weather, be it understood;
they understood it. 1t was no light job
to be fisherman, perhaps; but there
were other people in the world than fish
ermen. Three hundred men looked up
at the offended sky from the great quar-
ries and works of Stoneport and said,
each man to himself or TO his neighbor,
according to his temperament, "We're
goin' to have spell of weather"
1t was sometimes pretty cold chipping
stone in winter in Stoneport, but it was
not fsshio Enable for the quarrymen to
complain. There were good many
Scotch among them. They had reserve
and pride-a man attended to his own
business and took his own risks; he
was not an object of pity to summer
visitors or newspaper reporters; he re-
spected his calling and defended it; he
WAS even in the habit Of comparing it
with others, to the disadvantage OF any
man not privileged to be Stoneport
quarrymsn. Grievances he had; but
he did not babble about them; he treat
ed them with guarded reticence, as
cultivated people do their physical in
firmities, and brought his hammer down
upon your question to remind you that
his time and skill were marketable COM
modities. Every line in his heavily
chiseled face, which looked as if his
own tools had hacked at it for half
century, expressed skeptioism as to the
national usefulness of any person who
had nothing better 20 do than to ask
why he called his stand "berth," or
how deep a quarry was. Nevertheless,
in the winter it was cold cutting granite
in Stoneport.
well have the quarry to shovel come
mornin'," observed an authoritative
looking, square built fellow from the bot
tom of the busiest pit in town. They
were loading the derrick as he spoke;
it groaned like living thing beneath its
mighty burden as the huge slab swung
around and off into the snowy air. The
men watched it with glances of some
thing like sympathy, as if they felt q kin
ship between themselves and the strain
ing, senseless thing. They were muscu-
lar men, most of them, and bent to their
work sturdily.
'You're out there, Washington Rock"
a cheerful voice made answer from the
door OF the engine-house. ''I'd like to
see the Granite Company that'ud set you
shovellin' on holiday"
christmas I forgot it, that's the
gospel truth. She's got up some kinder
rinktum for us to remember it by, Her
self; hain't she, Jefferson2 I wonder L
forgot it"
ITS kind of party; it's gatherin'
at her house. It's the day she cole
brates, replied another, chatting his ears
briskly, for it was undeniably growing
cold and colder. 81 had letter myself
for an invite. 1t was written ont: Mr..
Madison Rock. r. 8. V. p My woman
said them two fust letters meant Rite
soon,' but what ". p stood for she
warn't SO sure. Say, Monroe. what did
you make ont? Did you have one?"
Islands to sense had one, growled Mon
roe from the pits stairway. "Did ye
ever know her to slight anybody, or
sarse anybody? She's the only person L
ever knew that treated me like gentle
man sence / was born quarryman.
Lord bless her My GIRL" he added
with an air OF not being too proud TO
mention it-"My girls been to high
school two seasons, and she says V. P.
means very Prompt that's what that
stands for. But there's girl alongside
of her that's been to Boston, who says it
stands for Verse OF Poetry"
The other men listened with defer
ence. The Rock boys were held in great
respect in the quarry; there we're four of
them-two brothers, two cousins, named
by patiotic parents in the Presidential
order mentioned. The Rock boys had
always felt the dignity Of their names,
and perceived that they had something
to live up to. They did not get drunk;
they had money at the savings-ba
they "bossed" the rest of the gang as
matter of course. Now and then an old
Scotchman by the name of Dawse re-
belled family, and there was Finland
er who had lost one eye by an explosion,
reported to be "worth something" him
self, and maintaining on both grounds
certain right to private opinion.
"There's a book of etikwette at our
house on top shelf somewheres along of
the Bible and the cookbook" said Wash
ington Rock. att amt no greet of chore
to find out what Il. 8. V. P. dooz stand
for. She knows we can read if we amt
rich"
Miss Laurie, by the way, understood
the qusrrymen very we'll in this matter.
The more ceremony about her hospital
ity, and the less they understood it, the
better they liked it.
"Yon gaes the marster," observed the