Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1902-11-27
ON THANKSGIVING DAY.
"For life"


gray and black statue, facing the wall.
Little muscles showed above the sag
ging irt-band; loose, hopeless hands,
a prison face, a voice of dead notes.
Iron bars straight up on all sides,
iron slaves stripping the light through
the high windows, whispered conver-
sations, convict wiping his eyes on
his cap, and whispering goodbye to
an elderly woman, guard sitting in
the middle Of the room, the hush of
prison.
"Will you tell me?"
The gray image did not move.
II have permission to talk with in.
mates"
He lifted his eyes.
"It's for murder" he wet his lips.
"That's what they called it; and
I've been here nine years-nine years
tomorrow" He wet his stiff lips
again. "You see, I'm mechanic
it came from that-and from the time
I could walk my head has been full
of notions-even this hasn't killed
them.
"I was married when l was nine
teen; we both worked in the mill
twas there l met her-and the spin
dies and shuttles were always giving
me points, and nights l worked at
them. Next to Mary, my models
were dearer than anything. 1t was
while l was helping her that my idea
came. You see, when my own work
was done in the card-room | would go
down and tie threads for her, and so
keep the looms going, which meant
an inch of cloth every so many min
utes, so many yards cut, and cut
ten cents.
"Poor Mary she had hard time
of it; she wasn't strong enough to be
quick, and a thread would break, and
before she could stop the loom there
would be pick-out of perhaps quar-
ter of yard. One day, after having
watched her tired little fingers pick
out with steel comb nearly quar-
ter of yard of the close filing, the
question came to me, Gould not a
loom be made to stop the instant
thread broker l thought Of it and
thought of it, day and night, until my
idea came-then, recollect, got up
and worked at it till morning. 1t WAS
to be 'stop-motion that depended
upon every individual thread in the
warp to keep it plumb with the shut
tie; the instant one broke it dropped,
threw a brake which slid the belt over
to the loose pulley, and the loom
stopped. 1 explained it to Mary and
we both agreed that l had found our
fortune. Oh, how l worked Night
after night till dawn, l filed, measured
and hammered. Sometimes was
sure I had it, then the last trial
would throw me into despair.
THAT fall I lost my place in the
mill-half the help were laid off for
lack of orders. I begged them for
anything, but times were terribly hard,
and they were constantly reducing
their hands, so there was no chance
for me. Then the baby came, and we
were poorer than ever. l could hard
ly, with the odd jobs could pick up,
keep the roof over our heads, and SO,
while Tommy was still mite, Mary
had to go back TO her looms, taking
him with her, and keeping him in
basket from six in the morning till SIX
at night.
"He was never well, and didn't
seem to grow right. He died when
he was two. Poor Mary she cut the
white geraniums and put them in bis
little hands, and went in her work.
dress, as far as the mill gate with him,
then we went on and buried him,
while his mother kept her looms go
ing.
"She failed after Tommy died !;
| what with breathing bad air and cot.
ton-fuz, and the sickening smell Of oil
from six to siI, there is not much
chance for woman. Every night
she came home looking whittier and
whittier, till I got go I couldn't see any
thing but her white face.
"Days I walked the streets hunting
for work, and nights 1 filed and meas
ured and hammered desperately at
my stop-motion, and both of US pray
ing for success.
Zone night it came to me like a
Aash-the missing point 1 didn't
dare tell Mary for forty-eight hours,