Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-10-20

| Down beyond the foundry the DeSln'
ming Of the line, the head or the SER
! p"nt was lost at the stairway leading
| 10 the second floor Of II long, narrow
! luilding in which wh!sk .Dgooms were
| manufactured.
An hour before on the sounding or
II brass gong at the front that same
| line had wound round the same corners
into the building whence now 1t
crawlcd. There. the men had seated
themselves on fourlcggyd stools be-
| fore benches that stretched across the
room in rows. Before each man was
set tin plate of boiled meat, heavy
cup of black coffee, Il knife, n fork,
and II thick bowl of stenming, odorous
soup.
During the meal other men, dressed
| like the hundreds who were sitting, In
suits Of dull gray. with little round
crowned, pcakcd-vizored caps to match.
moved in and out between the rows.
distributing chunks of fresh white
bread from heavy baskets. Now and
| then one of the men would shake his
head and the waiter would pass by hut
| usually II doarn hands were thrust INTO
II basket ut once to clutch the rcgua-
ton hit" of half II pound. The men
ate ravCnously, as IL famshcd.
And now, their dinner over they
were marching back to the shops and
mills of the prison. where days and
weeks We're spent ut labor. Those en-
ploycd in the wngon-wo;kS dropped ont
Of the line when they came opposite
tie entrance to tn 'ir building. Those
behind pushed forward AS their prison
mates disappeared and never for more
tlum ten y cundS was there Il gap in tn,
long, gray line.
A dozen men in blue informs
from the mcss-hall, six on each side,
mt two yards distance. Their caps bore
"Guard" in gold letters, and each
carried Il short, heavy. crooked cane of
polished white hickory.
On entering the workroom of the sec
ond floor, the men assembled before
rallied platform, upon which red
faced. coatlcss man stood behind
desk. In cold. metallic tones he called
the numbers of the cOnvictS employed
ION the whisk- broom contract" and
the latter, each in turn, replied Here"
when their numbers were spoken.
"Twenty -thirty-four" called the red
faced man.
There WAS no RESPONSE
Twenty thirty-four." The rcd-faccd
man leaned over the desk and glared
down. Then Il voice from somewhere
Oh the left answered, "Ierc!'
What was the matter with you the
first time?' snapped the foreman.
The man thus questioned removed
his cap and took three steps toward
the platform. In feature the word
hard" would describe him. His head
was long. wide at the forehead and
yet narrow between the temples. His
eyes were small and close toy, Their.
HIS nose was fiat. and his moutl llrrd'y
more than a straight cut in the lower
part of his face. The lower jaw was
square and heavy. and the ears p:O
truded ahnOrmally. a tlitic above me-
dunn height, with pair of dropping.
twtching shoulders, the man looked
criminal.
TO the question he replied dogg cdly,
81 answered the first time. sir, but l
guess you didn't hear me-"
The foreman gazcd steadily at the
man. Their eyes met. The forenlan's
did not WAIVER. hut OOH" lowered his,
and fun bed nervously at his cap.
"All right" said the foreman. quietly.
"but guess you'd better report to tn,
warden as soon as YOU get through in
here. Don't wait for any pieccwork. |
Go to him rs soon rs you have iinish;d
your task. I'll tell him you're coming.
He'll be waiting for you in the front
Office"
Yes, sir" The convict did not raise
his eyes. He stepped back into Inc.
Then, ut Il clap of the fOrcman's |
hands, the men broke ranks. and each |
walked away to his own bench or ma
chine. Five minutes later the swish
OF the corn-wiSps rs they We're scpur-
atcd and tied into rough brooms. and
the occasional tap of Il hammer, were
the only sounds in that long room
where i5 men toilcd.
Now and then one of the men would |
go to the platform where the foreman
sat bent over half Il dozen little books,
in which it was his duty to record the
number of tasks" completed by each
of the workmen ION his contract'-a
task In the prison vernaculnr, beng
the amount of work each man Is COM
PEELED to accomplish within Il given
space of time. On the approach of
workman, the foreman would look up.
and few whispered words would
pass between the two. Then the
broom maker would dart into the
stock-room, adjoining the factory.
where, upon receiving Il written rcqui-
siton from the shop foreman. the Of
fetal in charge would give him The
material which he needed in his work
ii ball of Irvine. or strip of plush
with which the handles of the brooms
were decorated.
At ten minutes past three o'clock,
2O3l crossed to the platform.
What do you WANT" asked the fore.
man. as he eyed kecnly the man in the
dull-gray suit.
"A paper of small lacks" was the
reply. quietly spoken. The order was
written, and as 2O3i moved away to.
ward the door leading to the stock
room, the man on the pl t 'orm watch ID
him closely from between half-closCd
lids.
n guard who had come round from
behind the b:oom-b!ns noticed the way
in which the foreman followed cvcly
movement of the convict and stepping
over to the platform asked, in an un-
d"rtone, Anything wrong. Bill?"
That's what don't know, George"