River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-12-07

versation with a sort of bang. 1t hurt
Dave as though his finger had been
caught against the door jamb. and the
worst of the pain was that Jessie had
heard. The manager had not said any
thing so very bad if he had not said ii
before Jessie, Dave wondered If there
was any foundation for the girls Cos
sip about the pink shirt and all that.
lie turned a flushed and injured face
toward Jessie.
Hurt, JESSE" he asked.
NO. she laughe still reckoning TO
the cans. That wasall, but il seemed
to soothe Dave, and he laughed. Jessie
laughed, too, The manager was in his
office, seriously divesting himself Ct
apricot juice and sugar.
u seemed cooler in the steamy kitch-
en-, though the mercury was rising.
Through the open door Dave soon saw
the manager strolling among the hurry
ing cutters. Some of the girls could
halve the cot and flip out the pit with
one quick twist of the knife and thumb.
The motion seemed simple, but YOU
could not understand il al first sight.
Have EN- look a little sharper after
their sorting, Miss Bumblei" the man
ager called, after a fash of his quick
eye around the room.
A right. sir!" said the "forelady.''
who was clicking a hole with a ticket
punch in the tag of a fat and wheeling
cutter, who had brought her pile of pits
TO get credit for having finished a box
of the cots. 4 hole in her tag was
worth six cents 10 her. MY. amt il
hot!' she pulled, wiping her face with
her apron. 1t was late in July ard the
sun beat remorselessly on the CORFU
gated iron roof. The fat woman won
dered why the manager had not set
some eucalyptus trees around the
works. as she stood in the doorway for
a moment and gazed longingly at the
mountains half hidden by a gray gauze
of dust. Looks like a Santa Ana" said
the wheezy one.
"Trays!" ang out a shrill trio of so
pranos in the cutting-room.
always short of trays! Ibelieve the
boys eat 'em!" growled the manager,
passing through to the kitchen and
shaking things up all along the line.
The manager spent more time in the
kitchen han in his office, not altogether
to the qualification of Dave. The cook
ing was a critical process; and then
from the back door of the kitchen the
manager could keep one eye on the la
being. Privately, Dave had expostu-
lated to Hebe that it didn't do the heir
any good to eye 'em all the time; where
at Hebe winked privately and lumi-
nously at TIE sealer.
The last batch of the forenoon had
been put in to cook, and Dave scanned
the water closely to see if a tell TILE
bubble was escaping from a leaky can.
Suddenly the water quivered. Dave felt
a little jar, and heard a crash as II a
tall stack of loaded trays had topplcd
over in the cutting-room.
True to his trick. the manager Ieaped
up and stood astride a corner Of one of
the big tanks, peering across the half
partition to see what the mischief
There came a creaking sound. The
building swayed, the partitions heaving
and the boards grinding against each
other. There was another jar, as if a
freight-shifter had bumped into the
cannery-then a tremendous splash,
and sprays of water Kissed upon the
s~ealer's hot irons.
\ second of staring, startling silence
was followed by a chorus of shrieks that
overwhelmed all things. After the
earthquake was ovef the girls had time
to be frightened.
"My!" yelled the sealer, "the boss is
parboiled."
For a %quivering moment the whole
cannery seemed horror-stricken. then
all rushed for the tank. One woman fell
in a faint, and the others swept by her
Dave stood as if paralyzed. but with a
queer look on his face that was either
lunacy or amused self-possession,
There were sounds of a struggle in the
tank, but no cry was heard.
With blanched face the sealer brushed
by Dave and reached for the steam
valve.
No" said Dave. holding Kim hack.
that's a cold tank
The manager was clambering out, re-
iecting courtesies. He was dumb. pale,
unreconciled. 1t was his weakness to
take himself too seriously. If nobody
else laughs at him, a mar should jolly
himself once in awhile.
There was only one litter, and it came
from the labeling-shed. The manager
turned, colored, bit his lip and wrune
out his brown side whiskers. Then one
word of fire escaped him, and he hur.
ried off, the pink shirt clinging to him
like a shiny stieker on a can.
When the new pie label came out il
was decorated with a striking figure OF
a mountain lion showing his teeth and
crouching for a spring-which was al
once businesslike and appetizing. the
manager said to the artist.
Jessie" Dave whispered, as they sat
on the porch one September evening.
after she had put on the ring. would
it have been any different if there
hadn't been any 'quake?"
Jessie laughed. WHO knows?" she
evaded. Jessie was always rather elu-
sive; but Dave caught her in his arms
| and took several satisfactory answers,
Can EranciSeo ArUDnaut