The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-08-25
Eleventh page
Upton Sinclair

nara 10 tell WnaC was the InhJJ0T Will
children who worked In the yards. In
those days there had been no law
about the age of chlldren--the pack
ers had worked all but the babies.
AT this remark the family looked
puzzled, and Grandmother Majausz-
kiene again had to make an explana-
tion--that It was against the law for
children to work before they were six.
teen. What was the sense of that?
they asked. They had been thinking
of letting little Stanislovas go to
work. Well, there was no need TO
worry. Grandmother Majauszkieno
said--the law made no difference ex.
cept that 1t forced people to lie about
the age of their children. One would
like to know what the lawmakers ex.
pected them to do; there were fami-
lies that had no possible means of
support except the children, and tho
law provided them no other way Ut
getting a living. Very often a man
could get no work In Packingtown for
months, while child could go and
get place easily; there was always
some new machine, by which tho
packers could get as much work out
of a child as they had been able to get
out OF man, and for a third OF the
pay. s
To come back to the house again, 1t
was the woman of the next family
tnat had died. That was after they
had been there nearly four years, and
this woman had had twins regularly
every year-and there had been more
than you could count when they NOV.
ed In. After she died the man would
go to work all day and leave them to
shift for themselves--the neighbors
would help them now and then, for
they would almost freeze to death.
At the end there were three days that
they were alone before It was found
a "foorsman" at Jones's, and
wounded steer had broken loose ami
mashed MIN against pillar. Then
the children had been taken away,
and the company had sold the house
that very same week to party OF
emigrants. 5 Isl
SO this grim old woman went on
with her tale of horrors. How much
OF it was exaggeration--who could
tell? II was only too plausible.
There was that about consumption,
for instance. They knew nothing
ebout consumption whatever, except
that II made people cough; and for
two weeks they had been worrying
about a coughing spell Of Antanas. It
seemed to shake him all over and It
never stopped You could see q red
stain wherever he had spit upon tho
floor. a @ tT G3 &i
And yet all these things were as
nothing to what came little later.
They had begun to question the old
lady as to why one family had been
unable to pay, trying to show her by
figures that It ought to have been
possible; and Grandmother Majausx-
kiene had disputed their figures
You say twelve dollars q month; but
that does not include the interest"
Then they stared at her. interest"
they cried.
Interest on the money you still
0we." she answered. 133
"But we don't have to pay any In.
terest!" they exclaimed three or four
at once. I'VE only have to pay
twelve dollars each month"
And for this she laughed at them.
you are like all the rest" she said;
they trick you and eat you alive.
They never sell the houses without
interest. Get your deed and see."
Then, with a horrible sinking Of
the heart, Teta Elzbieta unlocked her
bureau and brought out the paper
that had already caused them co
many agonies. Now they sat round.
scarcely breathing, while the old lady.
who could read English, ran over t.
Yes" she said. finally, "here It Is. OF
course: With interest thereon month
ly at the rate Of seven per cent ner