The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-06-08


leave the bleak New England coast or
its dread grip on him, but change of
climate might effect cure. The ply
sicians told me all this, and let Lit
and his mother know as much as dar-
ed. It was decided that Lit should go
ON the road under my guidance and
companionshfp, while the mother re-
manned at the old home. There was 4
sad parting between mother and son.
Rumors of my old roaming days leaked
out now and again, and imagine 1t
was an added anxiety to the poor, lone
ly mother that her son was touring in
company with one mot as steady as he
might be- The parting over, we were
soon ON the road For four years we
roamed over the south and middle west,
faring we'll, faring poor. A better, mer-
rier, accomplishing 'pard' g tourist
never had than I in Little Bill He
made sacred duty of sending his
mother SO month-that and the
amount she derived from renting part
of the old home sufficed for her modest
wants. Lit never seemed strong and
we'll as when we were counting ties;'
AOA I4eII 1CdoOA y" ACSC1 1S11A<lAACu AOA6
in one place, except during the winter
months in the south. The winter be-
fore Lit died we were in large south
ern city with about million other
subs; work was bum the worst I had
ever known it, and it was all we could
do to meet expenses and send the
money home to mother but we did it,
though we were ON our uppers' when
1t was time to think of going north
we migrated like the birds during the
seasons. Lit was anxious to be on
the wing but thought it better policy
to wait at least a month. Lit over;
ruled my objections, and we again be-
came enumerators of ties at large.
Subbing was poor all that trip; other
wise all went fairly smooth until we
reached southern Illinois, where we
were caught between stations in a
heavy, chilling rainstorm.
1t was not long before Lit complain
ed of feeling i'll, but kept manfully
counting ties, hoping to reach the sta
ton before he gave out. We reached
the town in time, and paid out our last
cent for a nights lodging. That night
Lit was much worse. The landlord
of the house told me we'd have to pull
up stakes and get out; he didn't want
no hospital made Of his house, I went
to the only paper in the burg to pan
handle enough to get Lit to c..
learned the proprietors of the paper
had discharged the union force and
were getting the sheet out with non
union men. Lifts case was desperate;
there was nothing to do but hit the
rats-for at least, thought, Lifts con-
dition would move them to sympathy
for a fellow-printer. Not a cent would
they give; one Of the proprietors order
ed me off the premises; he'd had
trouble enough with - union men,
when I reached our lodging place
on my return, met Lit on the side
walk; the genial boniface' had told him
to get After futile attempts to find
a. union man in the measly burg, I was
informed there wasn't a card man
connected with any trade in the town.
That accursed place needed Pied
Piper most damnably. WE'LL that
night Lit and I beat a blind baggage
to c. a. thoroughly union town, and
on the way my 'pard' had a terrible
hemorrhage. The union boys of G 49,
secured us a boarding house, furnished
a doctor for Lit who stated the poor
fellow had but a short time to live
the exposure had been too severe for
his enfeebled constitution-and warned
us that his relatives should be sent for
at once. Then it was true unionism
ccme to the surface. Finding it impos-
sible for his poor old mother at her ad-
| vanced age to make the journey to the
bedside of her dying boy, the union
men, at a special meeting, voted money
| enough from their funds to send him
home in a sleeper. with a trained nurse
and myself, and $50 for incidental ex-
| penses. When we arrived at his home
Lifts hours were numbered. I shall
never forget the expressions of graft
tude to union men made by his mother
when she realized it was due to their
noble generosity and sympathetic fore
thought that she was enabled to. see
her boy before he died. Yes, '3O' came
to my old 'pard' while his head was
pillowed on his mothers breast, and
his last glance of recognition was con-
scious of the dear old face at home