Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-09-08
CHAPTER XVI.
WHAT WILL THEY BRING?

WHAT WILL THEY BRINGs
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 bad new tones of decision; his step
had grown firmer and his eyes met glance
with new steadiness.
One morning the three men who had been
once on the fire escape committee met in the
doorway of No 2 mill restored after the fire.
They had left their work for a breath of
fresh air.
"He is closer than his father; he scrimps
and saves like poor cuss trying to support
family on IS the week. What show is there
for us!'
"Yell mind it's all jist as told We, 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
more'n a six month ago in front of old
Breton's. AS soon as the lad feels his oats
that's the last of his kind heart"
'The boys had hard luck since them" said
Rogers, handling his pipe out of old force Of
habit. "Pr'aps he's punishin' us for it. 1t
seems so strange somehow his changin' all so
sudden"
''Taint that" said Graves, as he turned to
20 back to work, and then lingering mo-
rlent longer; "It is the natur' of a man and
crops out sure as he gets his swing There
amt a one of us but would make meaner
rich man than him. 1t comes easy to be
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 man drunk when he feels the
reins in his hands, and him nothin' but man
of the same stuff as the rest on us. Look at
Curran now; how much better'n the rest is
he? He deserted us at the most critical mo-
ment Somethin' made him throw us up as
if we had all of a sudden sickened on his
stomach. We're poor stuff, all on us, boys.
l 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 no 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, Ill
his hand.
"Do we pay our help ennugh9"
A thousand eager voice. 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 the young mill owner.
1--WE can get 1000 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 such advisers as thisf
mo" said Philip, slowly. ut isn't ex-
actly what l mean; can we raise the wagesF
"Can you; why yes, suppose you can step
right into the mills and give 500 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 well go
up street and insist on paying a fancy price
for your flour?"
"Butdon't they find it hard to live on what
we give them9 And what life it 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 fiat2 You can't make a ninety cent
laborer worth a dollar and a quarter by CIV
ing it to him. You insult him and damage
business by making it all uncertain with the
gratuitous element"
81 see YOU don't believe in benevolence, my
dear jennings" and Philip smiled curiously
"Yes, do, for sick people and paupers, but
if you don't want to make paupers of every
body you MUSTN'T
''But am not pauper, and never earned
a penny in my life till few months ago"
Philips eyes flashed at sudden revelation.
"But, ah-but that is different. Drop that
then. To make our cloth there are number
of expenses; there is the mill and the ma
chinery, the money locked up in fabrics and
material These are fixed; you don't think it
your duty to pay extra prices for raw ma
terial, nor make a gratuity with every dollar
you spend ON machinery, no matter how poor
the man that sells 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 go to market With
your cloth you don't ask any gratuity, nor
does the buyer claim any; the price is fixed
better than the caprice of moment could fix
it. The element of labor enters into the cost
The difference between the cost and price Is
your profit. If labor stands you in its mar
ket price your profit will reward your efforts,
and it will pay you to keep up your mill. If
you paid higher wages your profits would be
small; you would give up your enterprise
and all would suffer-"
81 didn't know you could be SO eager But
supposing they tell me my profit is too large,
that my labor pays me SO well ought to
make it up to them" The young proprietor
was looking musingly out Of the window
! where the autUnn wind was chasing the