The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-09-22
CHAPTER xI-contlnued.


then the soul Of Jurgis rose UP within
him like a sleeping lion. There were
tour days that the Ashland avenue
cars were stalled, and in those days,
Tor the first time In his life, Jurgis
knew what 1t was to be really oppos-
ed. He had faced difficulties before,
but they had been child's play; now
there was a death struggle, and all
the furies were unclaimed within
him. The first morning they set out
two hours before dawn, Ona wrapped
all In blankets and tossed upon his
shoulder like sack of meal, and the
little boy, bundled nearly out Of sight.
hanging by his coat-tails. There was
a raging blast beating In his face, and
the thermometer stood below zero;
the snow was never short of his knees
and In some of the drifts 1t was near
ly up to his armpits. 1t would catch
his feet and try to trip him; 1t would
build itself into wall before him to
beat him back; and ne would fling
L.mself into 1t, plunging like a wound
ed buffalo, putting and snorting in
rage
So foot by foot he drove his way,
and when at last he came to Dur
hams he was staggering and almost
blind. and leaned against a pillar,
gasping and thanking God that the
cattle came late to the killing beds
that day. In the evening the same
thing had to be done again; and be-
cause Jurgis could not tell what hour
OF the night he would get Off, he got
saloon keeper to let Ona sit and wait
for him In a corner. Once It was IL
o clock at night, and black as the pit,
but still they got home.
That blizzard knocked many man
out, for the crowd outside begging for
work was never greater, and the pack
ers would not wait long for any one.
When 1t was over, the soul of Jurgis
was song, for he had met the enemy
and conquered, and felt himself the
master Of his fate. So 1t might be
with some monarch Of the forest that
has yanquished his foes in fair fight,
and then falls into some cowardly
trap In the night time.
A time Of peril on the killing beds
was when a steer broke loose Some
times, In the haste of speeding up,
they would dump one of the animals
out on the floor before 1t was fully
stunned, and It would get upon It's
feet and run amuck. Then there
would be yell of warning-the men
would drop everything and dash for
the nearest pillar, slipping here and
there on the floor, and tumbling over
each other. This was bad enough In
the summer, when man could see;
In winter time It was enough to make
your hair stand up, for the room
would be SO full OF steam that you
could not make anything out five feet
In front of you. To be sure, the steer
was generally blind and frantic, and
not especially bent on hurting any
one, but think of the chances of run
ming upon knife, while nearly every
man had one In his nand And then,
to cap the climax, the floor boss would
come rushing up with a rifle and be-
gin blazing away ~
IL was In one of these melees that
Jurgis fell into. his trap. That Is the
only word to describe It; II was 80
cruel, and so utterly not to be fore
seen. At first he hardly noticed It, 1t
was such slight accident-simply
that in leaping out of the way he turn.
ed his ankle. There was twinge Of
pain, but Jurgis was used to pain, and
did not coddle himself. When he came
TO walk home, however, he realized that
1t was hurting him a great deal, and
In the morning his ankle was swollen
to nearly double It's size, and he could
not get his foot into his shoe. Still,
even then. he did nothing more than
swear little, and wrapped his foot In
old rags, and hobbled out to take the
car. II CHANGED to be rush day at
Durham's. and all the long morning
he limped about with his aching FOOT
by noontime the pain was SO great
that It made him faint, and after a
couple Of hours in the afternoon he