The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-01-22
HARD TIMES.
4 rHRlILINo pIcrunr or REAL LIFE.

on coorse you'yo read about IL in the
fapers, dir. There didn't seem to be
much else In them, one time. A bank
faiiin' hero an another one there, am
some big concern that everyday sup.
posed wa worth millions going TO
smash. An maybe, seeing you're a
writer yeseif, an il.aginin, Is sort Of
how the working class felt about the
hard times, an taken o satisfaction
Iayin' the blame on Cleveland, or the
folks that passed the Silver bill. But
L tell yon, sir, there can't no imaginin'
nor newspapers, nor hearsay-nothin'
but jest havin' BEN there yerself,
mako yer realize the feelin' that comes
over . man when he walks up to git
his Saturday night pay, an In the
envelope is q slip. sayin' the force must
be cut down, an he wont be needed
there any more.
1t don't so much matter IL he's alone
1nFthe world. but 1t generally happens
he amt. An when L read that slip.
the first thing / thought want about
gittin' another place, or bein' disap-
{ pointed myself, but the way my vile
would look when 1 broke tho nows to
e There WAS the lit4le girl, too.
An though children of twelve amt
supposed TO know much about money
affairs, she bein' tho only one, an old
) for her age, has got to takin' in such
things most as we'll az her mother.
She amt very strong, an we'd planned
to save up an give her q little trip out
in the country through August-hire
her boarded to some old farmhouse,
whore she could have her fill of coun-
3Fali. ' "s"'n =
Al toll you, sir, I never had many
Chances. Worked out Summers an
vent to school Winters till l was
'fteen, an then como into the city to
arm q trade; and my wife had to keep
ouse for her father until the old man
ed, an then she married me, SO her
ucation amt much to boast of,
her. But we'd talked it over be-
zen us, and made-dp Our~mffSds our
10 girl sheSfd have a show. ITO
ough tSc high school, aud through
~...go; too, IL she wanted an keen
on Just as long as we was able TO work
for her.
"Never mind" says my wife, when
come home, blue enough, an she
found out what was the matter. You
ought to get another place. Au' if you
don't the shops will start up in II week
or two, an q little vacation will do you
good"
WANT ure about tho shops starting
up, but I'd always held a strong, able
rodies man. that kep' away from rum,
could find work somewhere, an the
next Monday morning | started out to
look for 1t. / tried the machine shops
first. No chance there. They was all
runnin' short; an ONE Of them Just
laughed when [ asked for u Job.
!" You're the seventh that's BEN here
this morning" one boss said, "What
do you suppose we want OF you when
we can't keep own hands employ
ed ?"
Times werc hard, / knew, an that
want much more than l expected but
/ hadn't reckoned on getting the same
particulars after awhile. tried them
a~il-groccry stores, an butcher shops,
an expressmans, an w~oodyards. An
every time l camc home my wife would
ask, meantn' to mako her voice oInd
as II Ii WANT much concerned.
well. did you find any work to-
day !" An / would answer cheerful
as l could, becuaso of little Nell takin'
In every word we said, "No, didn't
to git along very well to-day.
Presume likely I'll strike somethin' to-
morrow"
But the ne t day things would go on
jest the same, an / began to feel dis
couraged. We hadn't much laid by.
I'd taken out n three thousand life in
surance, In case anything should hap
pen to me; but when times are pros
porous folks git into the notion of
thinlJn' they're goin' to continue that
way, SAM spendin' the, money as it
comes. An there was the rent to pay,
the same as II / YVES to work. AM the
grocer sent in word hold got t o have
cash hnr.nn (fn nj he hnt1l - .NIt.A 49,
h hard times was pinchin' him. l
pawned my watch-a silver ono, but it
brought a little-an' the ring | gavc
my wife once for her birthday, an n
locket Of little Nell's.
An ono night you might have seen
me sneakin' out of the back door with
my winter overcoat done up in u bundle;
Another time it was my wife's silk
M $50, an then the rug in the parlor.
:, <Qgs at night, though; fur however
! 4 man ia 1t hurts his pride to
70 his neighbors know he hain't had
sight to provide for u day like
Y Yof> remember that hot spell we
had therlast part of July? I come
home one - them days when I'd ben
Iookin' fur wo"k to find Nell lynn on
the sofy-with ba".dly strength to raise
her head, though 81 , did try to bright
en- up when she saw mH2s.
"An' then my wife SID she'd ben
sort of ailin' fur q week or ts'o. Du tho
little thing had made her proTlse mo-
to tell, "bccause papa had so much to
worr"' him now, an he'd want to get
y doctor, an she was sure he
.idnt afford it,"
There vas just two dollars in my
pocket, every cent / had in the world;
but she had the doctor in less than
half an hour. He laughed an told
her he guessed she'd BEN playin' too
hard, an a little medicine would make
her all right, but when he got me out
n the hall he looked grave. 81 find
considerable trouble with the heart"
said. mo settled disease, but 1t Is
al highly irritable condition, an she
GEMS much run down. Has she BON
'ettin' over anything? Anything on
,r mind?"
/ told him I was out of work, an I
resumed she was botherin' about that.
y oh, yes she sees you looking
gloomy, l suppose, an 1t reacts or her.
Now / am going to speak plainly with
you. Cheerfulness is one thing your
daughter must have. Icannot answer
for the consequences il this anxiety
continues. Send her into the country
amonth or, II you can't afford to
that, you must keep her from
ting about things she cannot help.
or The hard times, most people are
wing thamaalyea ,,nneneeoart,