The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-07-11
the air, the fOrmau checked himself sud.

can stood noddiDg his head meditatively
then suddenly he turned and said, with
an expletive need not reproduce here.
That's Peters all over ! But he's got to
make this right. I'll fetch him."
We all knew what he meant. The
foreman's fetching way was well
known to every compositor on the Yin
dicdtOr. When Peters Joined issue with
the foreman Tom walked down aud ad-
dressed himself to the editor, Rumor
says his sentences were terse. Anyhow
they struck home. Mr.. Peters imme
diately after these interviews looked
like a man carrying hump on his back.
Whether Totes wages were ever lev
eled up to the date he began no one in
the composing room knew, for Tom was
loyal to the office, But everybody knew
he was received 81 week shortly after
ward, and this. taken in connection with
the hump on Peters back and his breath
less condition, spoke volumes.
The VindicdtOr affected an extraor-
dinary transformation in Tote. The
barefoot boy had neatly trimmed hair,
was well shod, comfortably clad and
often brought bunch of flowers to the
foreman. The flowers were always
neatly tied with thread wrapped around
piece of paper. The day after the in
cident referred to Tom Duncan smelled
the flowers gravely ind suddenly asked
Tote where he got them,
my sister sent them, sir. We think
you"-
"Pooh |" Tom shut him off. "ThaLs
all right, Tote. Prove up that galley
with the ads, quick"
That was the first inkling any of us
had that Tote was blessed with sister.
In the hurly burly of a great city, the
human wheels in representative eSlab-
llshment often finds as little opportunity
for the manifestation of passing interest
IN each others revolutions outside of the
establishment as the cogs in metal
wheel experience. Accident one day re.
yealed the truth.
Tote had served his six months faith
fully when the foreman said one day, in
tones loud enough for one-half the COM
postors to hear him Tote. you can
try your hand setting type to- morrow"
Tote was in the act of lifting a dead
lad" to the stone at the entrance of the
adJoining room. The assistant at the
''make-up" had called him. He was
carrying the galley with the type in it
when the foreman spoke TO him.
| He turned to look at the foreman, his
foot caught under huge splinter, and
galley and Tote went down together.
He lay so still that everybody was
alarmed. They lifted him up; there
was no sign of cut or hruise, but he
looked like the dead. There was the
faintest futtering of the pulse. A mes
senger was dispatched for a physician;
some one wanted TO send another to his
home, when the foreman frowned at the
suggestion. 1t was time enough to send
bad news when it could not be helped,
The foreman, finding the physician was
slow, sent to the nearest drugstore for
some whiskey, and, mixing it with wa
ter, poured few spoonfuls down Totes
throat. He was standing up, with
dazed look, when the doctor came. The
doctor looked at him narrowly and ad-
vised that he be sent home Immediately.
The next day hush fell upon the
room as Tom Duncan raised hand, and
a minute later young woman emerged
from the stairway aud walked straight
to the foreman's desk. She was dressed
very simply in dark brown dress. Her
features were perfect-soft in their out
line and beautiful in themselves-but
the beauty of her expression was the
surprising loveiness that surprised
those who got glimpse of Totes sister.
She carriedsa small basket of flowers in
one hand, which she placed on the fore
mans desk, said something in a low
tone, and withdrew. She seemed Wis
ion of light and beauty for one brief
minute.
After that everybody knew that Tote
and his sister Florence lived alone.
When Tote returned to work, three
days later, the compositors on the Vim
dicdtOr were resolved that he should
have "the best show going" Always
liked before, he became prime favori;e.
The man that stood in Totes way incur
red the ir-will of bis fellows.
Tote was at the case a year-another
boy had taken his place-when great
change came over him. He was not less
mirtEful. There was the same play of
the feature, the same impefturbable
good will, the same accommodating
spirit, but there was not the same buoy
ancy. He was ambitious. as some said
as his work proved he had settled pur-
pose. He became a rapid compositor
before he turned his sixteenth year.
When he was seventeen he was pltted
|
He grew up graceful, self contained,
self radiant, manly fellow. AS his fel.
ow-workmen had opportunity to see
him with his sister, their resemblance
was remarked. Tote Potter was as
handsome as she. AS he grew older he
seemed shy: certainly he was sensitive.
About this time one man discovered
that Tote Potter was "kiliug himself to
In oil ha q
too greedy for money. Tom Duncan
rebuked the fault-tinder, and ever after
the foreman openly avowed his friend
ship for the apprentice. Among the few
that had discovered how close the bond
was between Tote and his sister none re.
spected Totes motives more than the
foreman.
All Tole's thoughts were devoted to
his sister Flo. Florence and George 10
the outer world, the two were always
Tote and Flo to each other. Tote had
an alma clearly defined aim. His sis
ter should have her own home. She had
stinted herself, walked nine miles in
snow and slush with thin-soled, leaky
shoes, fighting his or her battle before
he was nine. She refused TO be separat-
ed from him. And now there could be
nothing to good in this world for Flo.
The only draw back to Totes plans, in
the opinion of Peters, the one man that
never Joined in Totes praise, was his
fondness for physic. Peters had OBJ
served him on several occasions emerg-
ing from the office of the physician who
was called in the day he fell, Peters
said plumply that be was too eager to
make money. This coming to
Tom Duncan's ears, Totes envelope the
next week held 81 more, and never was
diminished.
However, the change in Totes appear
lance a month after he was his own man,
and stood proudly at his own case
seemed to give a color to Peters's insin.
uation, 1t was plain to everyb odythat
Tote was working too hard.
He began with eleven thousand the
first day he was his own man, and no.
body ever saw his "string" below that
notch. 1t rose gradually, until some Of
his fellow. workmen wondered il there
was any limit to Totes working capaci-
ty. Presently bis "string" averaged
twelve thousand a day, and now and
then, when there was pressure, and no
one could complain how mu he made,
he spurted ahead, and his "dupes'
showed that he had ave ragged thirteen
thousand day, and did it easily.
He did not stop there. His average
rose, until one envious printer called to
another across the room Heaven
Erskine, Potter's going to set the paper
up himself. He has five thousand up,
and it's not five o'clock ~
Erskine deliberately walked over and
looked at Potter. whose hands moved
with the regularity of machinery. Never
false nor a nervous motion; straight,
easy, naturally as child picking up