Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-08-04
CHAPTER XVI.
WHAT WILL THEY BRINos

CHAPTER XVI
WHAT WILL THEY BRINos
| Days passed till they made weeks, and
weeks till they made months, and no change
came for the mills or for the lives Of the
creatures who worked within their grim
walls, except the change from poor TO more
poor.
! His acquaintance saw new expressions on
his face-the open, boyish look had gone, and
his voice had now tones Of decision; his step
had grown firmer and his eyes met glance
with new steadinees.
/ One morning the three men who had been
once on the fire escape committee met in the
doorway of No. mill, restored after the fire.
They had left their work for o breath Of
fresh air.
| HE is closer than his father; he scrimps
and saves Ikea poor cuss trying to support
family on &5 the week. What show is there
for usf"
"Ye'll mind it's all jist as told ye, Bill
Rogers" suggested Graves, the comfort Of I
told you So being left to him out of the
general wreck. "Jist as told ye that night
morc'n a six month ago In front Of old
Bretons. As soon as the lad fesls his oats
that's the last OF his kind heart
1.-The boys had hard luck since then, said
Rogers, handling hispil,e out Of old force of
habit. "P'r'aps he's punishin us for it. 1t
seems SO strange somehow his changin' all so
sudden"
"'raint that" said Graves, a. he turned to
SO back to work, and then lingering mo-
ment longer; ut is the ntur' Of q man and
crops out as sure as he gets his swing. There
| amt one Of US but would make a meaner
I rich man than -bim. II comes easy 70 he q
| labor reformer and radical as long as fellow
| is poor, and it's just as easy for man to talk
beautiful if he amt looked to to do nothing.
But it makes a man drunk when he feels the
reins in his hands, and him nothin but a man
of the same stuff as the rest on U.s. Look at
Curran now: how much better'n the rest is
hel He deserted us at the most critical mo
ment. SoInethiu' made him throw US up as
if we had all of sudden sickened on his
stomach. We're poor stuff, all on us, boys.
never seen finer feller than that Curran,
but he's forgot all about the wrongs and
rights he used to holler so purity about.
There's 10 chance for us in any mans mercy;
we must depend ON ourselves"
At this very moment Philip Breton was
pressing the little brass bell on his counting
room table For an answer his paymaster
came in with his pen, wet from the ink, in
his hand.
"Do we pay our help epT4ghf"
A thousand eager voices would have shout
| ed no to him that would have shaken the
foundations of stone, but Mr. Jennings, the
paymaster, put his pen behind his ear, took
it down, looked keenly at it, then in surprise
at tho young mill owner.
.We can get 1 900 as good for the same, If
that is what you mean" All, what chance
have the poor mills people, when the young
master choo es stfch advisers as thisl
NO" said Philip, slowly. ut isn't ex-
actly what mean; can we raise the wagesT
"Can you; why yes, / suppose you can step
right into the mills and give $l0O bill to
every hand But you couldn't afford to do
that thing long, and don't think it would do
ANYBODY any good. l wouldn't assume to
advise you, sir, but why not just as we'll go
up street and insist on payinga fancy price
for your fourf"
"Butdont they find it hard to live on what
| we give them. And what a life 1t is at that"
suggested Philip, sadly. Apparently he had
not quite forgotten them.
"No doubt, no doubt!" repeated the pay.
master with the querulousness Of his class,
"but is there any sense in putting in your or
my fiat. You can't make ninety cent
laborer worth dollar and q quarter by Civ.
| ing it to him You insult him and damage
| business by making II all uncertain with the
gratuitous element" t-.... .ss,,,
~ see you don't believe'i in beneyofence, my
dear Jennings," and Philip smiled curiously.
| .Yes, I do, for sick people and paupers, but
IL you don't want to make paupers Of every
body you mhstht 81. - Z :. .,...
'But am not pauper, and never earned
O penny in my life till few months ago"
| x,ll:x A. -. oscillation
"But, ah-but that is different. Drop that
i then. To make our cloth there are number
4 'of expenses; theTe Is the mill and the ma
chinesyc ctheamA6eE hoked, up}h faBrtNeud
mAttttaA ThAssAsA ksd ;:ytAr DON'T thihk II
your -dtAy Il ply exera prizes FOR raw ma
terial, nor make gratuity with every dollar
you spend on machinery, no matter how poor
the man that 'selis to you Now comes an
other element, labor That should be as fixed
as the rest and all calculations based on its
market price. When you 60 to market with
! yorr cloth you don't ask any gratuity, nor
does the buyer claim any; the price is fixed
better than the caprice of a moment could fix
l It.. The element of labor enters into the cost.
The difference between the cost and price Is
your profit II labor stands you, in its mar
ket price your profit will reward your efforts,
4 and it will pay you to keep up your mill If
you paid higher wages your profits would be
smali; you wopld give up ycar entsfprise
\ 1nd all would suffer"
.'Ididnt know you could be sosassF, But
surprising they tell me my profit b too lafg%
that my labor pays ma so we'll j ought 10
make it up TO thsfa,n ThA young prom
was leSEing smdsiagly out of 'the window
where the autumn wind vas chasing the