The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-12-10

assistant. -s -
Hasn't showed up yet" he replied,
without raising his eyes from some
work. "Same old excuse, s'pose,"
The foreman looked at the smudgy
little clock over his desk.
"A full hour this timehe nauttered.
|'Confound that girl, she'll have to
walk the line if I can find somebody
to take her place after this rush.
"Has anybody seen TEMP" he called to
the girl workers busily setting type at
the cases farther down the room,
"Click, click. There was no reply,
and the bits of metal lifted by the
'deft fingers OF the compositors fell in
to place in the sticks rapidly. AL
though it is understood in most COM
iposing-rooms that answers will be
made to questions when they will
contain needed information, the
silence, as customary at such times,
annoyed the fretful interlocutor more
than the most vague reply possibly
would have done; heitlung himself
into the chair at his desk and
began inspection OF "a pile OF copy, re-
Hecting that all he could do at the
time would be to chide the delinquent
for hardness Work in the estab-
lishment Of McGinnis> & Buck was in
too much OF rush to discharge any
body at present, just; before Thanks
giving, when several OF the papers the
firm printed for publishing houses
were getting out special numbers and
they were working day and night.
Most OF the COmpOsitors working
that night were girls. In fact, Nc
Ginnis & Buck employed only q few
male printers, for the firm was addict
ed to paying as little as possible for
composition, and Typographical
Union No. had not yet admitted
women to membership, and the best
printers to be had at less than scale
rates were girls. Twenty or thirty OF
them were perched ON high stools
around the composing-room, not an
unpleasant sight, for many were pref
ty and all of them were by far more
intelligent than most New York work
ing women. There were few pallid
faces, to which theyellow gaslight gave
an uncanny look, a few racking coughs
were to be heard and a few frivolous
giggles, out, all told, this hard
faced little foreman was proud
OF the appearance and char
acter of his co-workers True, he
looked on them as so many machines,
to be valued entirely by the work they
did and it's cost. Some of them had
worked under his direction for years,
but it would never occur to the man to
assist such were they to become desti-
tute, or even inquire after their health
were they tossing on beds OF sickness
away down in the darkness that pre-
cedes the dawn OF that day when we all
meet as equals. He would recognize
his helpers on the street and commend
them for good work as freely as he
would commend them for carelessness
or ignorance, but it was a matter CT
business with Foreman Sutton. Praise
and censure ne consid cred essential to
working the human machine, and in
making l. part OF his employers bust
ness, a still larger piece Of mechanism.
Slug Ten was one of his best COM
pOsltOrs, the foreman was ready to
admit, and for a long time she had
been a model employe, but for a
month or so, in fact since the begin
ming of the present rush of business,
Mr.. Sutton reflected that the COM
position in question: had been particu-
!ar.l y aggravating in her conduct, and
press OF business had necessitated
work from in the morning until 6
in the evening, then. from s D. M. I'M
til idnight-terrible hours, but not to
lastlong and OF course, they were paid
shy the thousand", for composition.
With the exception OF Slug Ten he had
been enabled to hold his force to the
same rigid observance OF the new
hours OF labor that he had enforced
in less busy intervals. Slug Ten had
been late almost every morning, and
had not yet been in the office in the
evening when "tinae" was called,
hurriedly coming in an hour or so
later with the excuse that the serious
illness tof her mother had detained
her. Discipline must be enforced,
Sutton reflected, as the girl walked
briskly to his desk on the evening of
which Iihave been writing
Slug Ten doubtless had another
name, but she had not heard it for
many months, land it was doubtful if
anyone at MeGinnis 81 Bucks, with
sthe exception .of the foreman, knew
athe patronynic by which she was
known to THE outer world The fore
man's eyes 'and face hardened as she
approached.
II am so soury, Mr.. Sutton" the
girl began, Afbtat my mothers condi-
tion was smeAa that I could not help
being late again. i ran all the way
fnom my Gag and did everything I
could to keep from being so very
late, but I could nothelp it, l.
"The same excuse twice O.. day you
know, Miss -ah-.6lug Fen. Me must
have discipline llene, and if am to
take sthis excuse fnonl you I.lma1st do
the same with everybody else"
The .compositor tried to say some
thing more, but the foreman, distnust-
ing his ability to hear her in patience,
hastily arose and went to anotaer
part OF the room. The gSrl found a
place for her coat and hat in the cup
board used for that purpose and
quickly went to her case.
In little village in the country
Slug Ten had q lover once who had