Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-07-12

from hopin' somethin' would happen,
the boys went q little farther, and got
to plannin' how to make 1t happen.
81 amt goin' to tell much about any
plot. took care not TO know much
about it for fear I'd run across some
thin I'd feel bound to try to bender,
and | didn't want TO bender nothin',
that's the fact. Only there was no
murder nor nothin' like that in it; the
men wasn't that kind-leastways, most
Of em wasn't
No, we amt a-goin' to hurt nam
my's darin'-bless his pretty little
heart mot less he gifts in the way,
when he'd better be out of it, says
Tom, with q grin. But if the play
thing he's so tickled over jest flies to
flinders some day. and the noise scares
him SO that he gives it up and runs
home, it'll be the best thing for him
and all the rest of US
Seemed like nobody doubted he'd
be easy scared and SO the whisperin'
and black looks and secret meetin's
went on.
"One day in summer box was
brought into the room where we
worked. ! shall always remember
that day, just how everything looked
1t had been bright, warm mornin',
but about noon il clouded up slowly,
and every breath or wind died away.
Not leaf moved on the trees, and
everything was still, like as if the
world was holdin' its breath and wait
IN for somethin'.
''lnside the mill everything looked
darker and gloomier than usual in
that queer gray light Great piles of
castin's throwed black shadows over
the slippery floor; the long iron shafts
was like hungry arms forever reachin'
down and drawin' back empty, and
from under the brick archway the
round door of the furnace seemed
glarin' out like big red eye. There's
times when common things don't have
a common look, and it's mostly them
kind Of times that git burned into
your mem'ry, somehow
'Nothin' seemed to go that day the
way folks had calculated. That mis-
er'ble little box had no sooner been
set down in the room than somebody
called: Hist Look outr and there
was Boss Darlin', comm back from
his dinner at an onarthly hour when
he'd never been known to come be-
fore. He had rose stuck in his but
ton hole, and looked like a dancin'
master goin' to party, as l heard
Bob mutter, as he slipped the box out
of sight under pile of stuff at the
end Of the room. They couldn't carry
out their plan then, so there was
nothin' left for 'em but to hide it.
1.-The boss looked round kind of
smilin' and pleasant like. He'd got
that model he was busy with about
into workin' order, and he was won
derful pleased over it. And what did
he do, that day, but have it brought
out into our room because, the weather
havin turned gloomy like, there was
better light by big window there.
So there he stayed fussin' over it, just
as il he was on guard.
Then it began to thunder, and
there was sudden dash of rain, so
that Jim Bryce's little girl, who had
come down with his lunch basket,
couldn't go home. Jim was a piece
worker, and always said he could do
twice as much work in an afternoon
if he had snack bout 3 o'clock.
Jim looked sort of uneasy now and
then, when little Jinny'd get of to
the back part of the room anyways
nigh where that box was But he
couldn't say nothin' and maybe there
wasn't any danger; only was sure
he didn't like her round there, and
was glad when she wandered off into
the room beyond-a storeroom where
she was let stay sometimes while she
waited for her fathers basket.
The storm grew heavier instead of
lighter, till we could hardly see tc
work. All at once there was blind
in flash of light and crash, as if the
whole earth was a-tearin to pieces
and we all started and tumbled il
every direction. The minute we coulo
get oui senses and look round We
found that the whole end of the room
, was blowed off a"d a gully plowet
way down to the foundations like a.
if a bomb shell had tore through
/ beyond that ragged openin' thu
great brick wall was stiA standin', bu
we could see that it was swayin' an(
weavin' just ready to fall. I've never
, seen anything look so awful as tina
: tremblin wall did, for over on tn,
| other side of it run another buildin'
where the fnishin' rooms was, ant
, all hands at work.
Z II s'pose the same thought strucl
: us all at once-that the only hope TO
em was peal of the bell that woul'
} send 'em all flynn to the entrance a
} the far end OF the buildin'. Twas il
e the old days, you see, before the new
l part of the mill was built or we ha'
, any alarm connection with all tn
rooms There was only the big bell
8 and the rope to it was danglin' besid
e that totterin' wall.
e you can't tell about such things a
t quick as they are in happenin'.
The bell' says somebody; bu
t there wasn't chance to say any more
= for the boss sprang past US with just
:, word or two, short and quick, as b
J, pushed us right and left.
0 " Back, men, back Thatis my place
!, You have families
0 ''ln a minute he was leapin' dow
ka - ,el II.