The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-03

resolutely rolled out proof after proof,
felt sharp twinge of conscience, and
never swore at him again. When the
last form was sent down, and Tote
was busy asserting the dupes for
the printers, the foreman startled him
by saying, suddenly:
What are you going to do on the
Fourth, Tote?"
"If you won't miss me much -
Hello, boys! Totes asking me if
we can get the paper out without him"
The laughter made Totes cheeks
burn.
"Never mind, Tote. 1 was a boy
once myself. How much have you got
to spend?"
g. can spend two days wages if I've
a mind too"
GA dollar. A whole dollarr'
wish it was-but it amt"
What's that?" The foreman turned
to him abruptly.
Why" said Tote, " its easy count
ing. Flo's counted it so often there
can't be no mistake. Two dollars and
quarter week is thirty-seven and
one-half cents day-and I'm to have
seventy.five cents"
The foreman's face was study as he
looked down at Tote. You tell me
you have only been getting 1926 ever
since you began here?''
Tote nodded, still smiling. The fore
man looked around him incredulously.
Those nearest him curled their lips;
one or two laughed aloud. Then Tom
Duncan exploded. His wrath assumed
tho ,,cuo1 forp, Int it,ot ,ubop tho ,,a,,
began to look around, noting the color
of the air, the foreman checked him
self suddenly.
"That'll do this morning, Tote. You
can 60 now"
When Tote had disappeared Tom
Duncan stood nodding his head medi-
tatively, then suddenly he turned and
said, with an eXpletivc | need not repro
duce 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
dictator. When Peters joined issue
with the foreman Tom walked down
and addressed himself to the editor
Rumor says his sentences were terse
Anyhow, they struck home. Mr.
Peters Immediately after these inter
views looked like man carrying a
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 receiving "a a week
shortly afterward, and this, taken in
connection with the hump on Peters
back and his breathless condition,
spoke volumes.
The indicator affected an extraor-
binary 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
a piece of paper. The day after the in
cident referred to Tom Duncan smelled
the flowers gravely and suddenly asked
Tote where he got them.
" My sister sent them, sir. We think
you -
!" Tom shut him off. "That's
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 a sister.
In the hurry burly of great city, the
human wheels in as representative es-
tablishment often find as little oppor-
tunity for the manifestation of passing
interest in each others revolutions out
side of the establishment as the cogs in
a metal wheel experience. Accident
one day revealed the truth.
Tote had served his six months
faithfully when the foreman said one
day, in tones loud enough for one-half
the compositors to hear him: " Tote,
you can try your hand setting type to-
morrow"
Tote was in the act of lifting a dead
cad" to the stone at the entrance OF
the adjoining room. The assistant at
the makeup" 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 bruise, but he
looked like the dead. There was the
faintest futtering of the pulse. A mes.
senger was dispatched for physician
some one wanted to send another tc
his home, when the foreman frowneC
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, mix
ing it with water, poured few spoon
fuls down Totes throat. lie was stand
ing up, with a dazed look, when the
doctor came. The doctor looked a
him narrowly and advised that he b,
sent home Immediately.
The next day hush fell upon the
room as Tom Duncan raised hand
and minute later young woman
emerged from the stairway and walked
straight to the foreman's desk. She
was dressed very simply in darl
brown dress. Her hat was very be
coming. Her features were per
fect-soft in their outline and beauti
full in themselves-but the beauty o
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