The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-08-30
OLD COUGH

rbe men in the wheel factory had
be- becn growing more and more
%prontepted. Perhaps this was
rroly the fault Of the foreman. He
I oid: he bad been on the works
tco he wa a hoy: he had been ap-
en,iced under the old partners, and
IL morning he was likely to be
End dead over the desk in his lit
| rIass cabin in the corner of the
In He maraged badly: he had
Efayorites: the work was not we'll
s,ributed: younger foremen con-
red to shift their poor hands upon
y and to fitch his better men.
%rpc. at least, of his fOrty-odd men
Eoht well have been sacked; but
we'll did those three or four
brked ones know how to turn his
IaEness to their advantage that
ev managed to hang on in spite Of
b.
{At one time the wheel factory had
en what they called on the works
onjct criD'-a day-wOrk shop.
here, in consequence. rates were a
fe higher, and where the work was
hpo,ed to lie Of a better order than
Bewhere. AZ piece-work a man
cht earn half again the amount of
rating, while at day-wOrk he could
lraw hi, rated wages.
Now. it was neither one thing nor
Il other The mechanics had dwin-
t. Il out tiye-and-twenty, and all
h, Of rag-tag had drifted there.
be,e were half a dozen copying
khcs. for example, and a couple Of
Fcular saws. The foreman had
ver been able to get even one hand
h into his shop, and thus a whole
Elton of wcll-paid and compare
Eely skilled work was mOnOpOllzed
own at the mills" Then he had
0 lad, on his hands. These were
led as apprentices. Apprentices.
bey had been let in" without
kmiums, their fathers being old
bployce, Of the firm. All they did
b. TO cut wedges and turn pegs-a
or hours york a day atlng
5Cut for the rest, laying hands on
> and that to curry favor with
5he men
Everything was in a thoroughly
satisfactory state, The wheel
FlOry wa no longer as it had once
zen. a thorouehfare. scarcely ever
anyone pass through it; it was as
sty as a mill, and strangely we'll
esc lied by the pet name it boie,
Fhc Cemetery"
(lhe mechanics were disguised with
all with their work. their fore
30 their colleagues. The machine
(ndS and labOrerS threw in their
with these, their betters, in a
flinon grunhle and vague muir
urhg for higher rates. The de-
Fhds were indeed vague; they
PTceIy knew whether they wanted
PFe work Il higher rate. or each to
MS fortune elsewhere. But about
dIsailection there could be no
p''ahlng-it was strong and gen.
Fave Tor one exception. Old Cough
Yer grumbled. lie was never seen
etIng to the foreman until that
a1eFer turned away in confusion,
up 10 the roots of his hair; he got
"Itu ms job while Others did this.
Years his shop mates had left
70 himself; they did not much
nor hlm-he was too Indifferent.
r!ohe who would banter seldom got
rVH clahge from him. But when
"V"Ieht seemed to be coming to a
|" Il sudden desire arose in the
y 70 convert Old Cough to the
uV'd, ldea. One or another would
wy suing up to him, to open a
'5'Sali0h: it was long before he
N TOOK up and again long before
"'uiu put down the tool he was
Then it would he, with chuck
! dcrlsion:
w. GUY; What are you talking
III most places you wouldn't
N'''h choice, from what I've
Vi you Or. addressed more to
""'!auai, Then why don't you
i0ure Young. Anyone would
|ou three pounds a week before
,,l aown the street. Go, if you're
S,'N.ed; they'll respect you for
| dd re young. It's different for
Tyd man like me-"
aVu lie would chuckle and resume
n MA Old Cough had probably
-s V0ols on his back oftener than
ker "ei OF his trade. lie had been
SVod deal of the world. He
kag zines spoke, in a tone of testing
! poeu'iar to him, of going back
! f,asI'al' But though he took
IA wan no one, he knew when he
,b bo'' on far better than did most
brkoG hlgh.talking wheelers he
looL ~ light thing for an old man
'of d job, though Cough was