The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-07-21
Eleventh Page
Thrilling Story of Packin$toWn!
Novel that has Startled Nation!
By
Upton Sinclair

singing, each group Its own song 4
AS time goes on there Is a variety OF drunken
ness, among the younger men, especially, Some
stagger about In each Others arms Whispering
maudlin words; others start quarrels upon the
slightest pretext, and come to blows ana nave 70
be pulled apart, Now the fat policeman wakens
definitely and feels OF his club to see that IL ~
ready for business. He has to be prompt--fcf
these Observation-Disclosures fights, II they
once get out OF hand are like forest fre ana
may mean the whole reserves at the station;
The thing to do Is to crack every fighting head
that you see, before there are so many hghtiny
heads that you cannot crack any OF them There
Ia but scant account kept OF cracked heads IN
back OF the yards. for men who have to crack the
heads of animals all day seem to get into the
nabit, and 10 practice on their friends, and even
on their families between times THIS makes .s
DDS very few men can do the painfully neceS
sary work Of nead-cracking for the whole OF the
cultured world
There is no night that night-perhaps because
Jurgis too, Ia watchfu--even more so than the
policeman. Jurgis has drunk great DEAL as any
one naturally would ON an occasion when It NIL
has to be paid for, whether 1t is drunk or not;
but he Is q very steady man, and does not easily
lose his temper Only once there is tight
shave-and that Is the fault Of Maria Berczyns
kas. Marta has apparently concluded about two
hours ago that II the altar in the corner with the
deity In soiled white be not the true home OF the
muses. It Is, at any rate, the nearest substitute
on earth 0btainable. And Maria is just fighting
drunk when there come to her ears the facts
about the villains who have not paid that night
Maria goes on the warpath straight on, without
even the preliminary OF good cursing, and when
she is pulled of It Is with the coat collars of two
villains In her hands. Fortunately the policeman
Ia disposed to be reasonable and 80 It Ia not Ma
RIA who Is flung out OF the place
All this interrupts the music for not more THAI
a minute or two. Then again the merciless tuLe
begns-the tune that has been played for the
last half hour without one single change Il IS
an American tune this time one which they have
picked UP ON the streets; all seem to know the
words Of tor, at any rate, the first line OF IT,
which they hum to themselves over and over
again without rest: In the good old summer
time--in the good old summer time! In the
good old summer time--in the good old summer
time!" There seems to be something hypnotic
about this, with its endlessly recurring dominant
as well as upon the men who are paying It. No
one can get away from 1t, or even think OF get
ting away from It; It Is o'clock In the morning,
and they have danced out all their Joy, aud
danced out all their strength, and all the strength
that unlimited drink can lend them-and still
there Is no one among them has the power 10
think OF stopping D
Ing they Will every one Of them have to be In
their places at Durham's or Browns or JOnesn,
each in his working clothes II one OF them be a
minute late, he will be locked an hours pay, ana
4 ne be many minutes late, ne will be apt to md
his brass check turned to the wall. which will
send him out to join the hungry mob that waits
every morning at the gates OF the packing
houses from o'clock until nearly halfpast eight.
There is no exception TO this rule not even little
Ona--who has asked for a holiday the day after
her weddingday. holiday without pay, and
been refused. While there, are so many who are
anxious to work as you wish, there Ii no occa
sion for incommoding yourself with those who
must work otherwise w
Little Ona Is nearly ready to faint--and half in
q stupor herself, because OF the heavy scent W
the room She has not taken drop, but every
one else there is literally burning aconoi as tne
lamps are burning oil: some or the men VINO are
sound asleep In their chairs or on the hoor are
reeking Of It 50 that you cannot go near them.
Now and then Jurgis gazes at her hungrly--be
has long since forgotten his shyness; but then
the crowd is there, and he still waits and watches
the door, where carriage Is supposed to come II
does not, and finally he will wait no longer, but
comes to Ona who turns white and tremblea. II6
puts her shawl about her and then his own coat
They live only two blocks away anu Jurgis does
not care about the carriage 1920 If4T
There is almost no farewell--the dancers do
not notice them. and all of the children and many
OF the old folks have fallen asleep OF sheer exhau
ton. Dede Ananas IN aaleen and M ara tha