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

CHAPTER XII.
For three weeks after his injury
Jurgis never got up from bed. II was
a very obstinate sprain; the swelling
would not go down, and the pain still
continued AT the end OF that time,
however, he could contain himself no
longer, and began trying to walk a lit
tie every day, laboring to persuade
himself that he was better. No argu-
ments could stop him, and three or
four days later he declared that he
was going back to work. He limped
to the cars and got to Browns, where
he found that the boss had kept his
place-that Is, was willing to turn out
into the snow the poor devil he had
hired In the meantime. Every now
and then pain would force Jurgis to
stop work, but he stuck IL out until
nearly an hour before closing. Then
he was forced to acknowledge that he
could not go on without fainting; 1t
almost broke his heart to do It, and
he stood leaning against q pillar and
weeping like child Two of the men
nad to help him to the car, and when
he got out he had to sit down and wait
In the snow till some one came along.
So they put him to bed again, and
sent for the doctor, as they ought to
have done in the beginning. It trans
pired that he had twisted tendon
out of place. and could never have
gotten well without attention. Then
he gripped the sides of the bed, and
shut his teeth together, and turned
white with agony, while the doctor
pulled and wrenched away at his swol.
len ankle. When finally the doctor
left. he told MIN that he would have
to lie quiet for two months, and that
4 he went to work before that time
he might lame himself for life.
Three days later there came an
otner heavy snowstorm, and Jonas
and Maria and Ona and little Stan
isl0vas all set out together, an hour
before daybreak, to try TO get to the
yards. About noon the last two came
back. the boy screaming with pain.
His fingers were all frosted, Il seemed.
They had had to give up trying to get
to the yards, and had nearly persisted
In drift. All that they knew how to
do was to hold the frozen fingers near
the fire, and so little StanisIovas
spent most OF the day dancing about
In horrible agony, till Jurgis few into
passion OF nervous rage and swore
like a mailman, declaring that he
would kill him II he did not stop. All
that day and night the family were
nalf crazed with fear that Ona and
the boy had lost their places: and In
the morning they set out earlier than
ever. after the little fellow had been
beaten with stick by Jurgis. There
could be no trifing In case like this;
u was a matter Of life and death; lit:
tie Stanislovas coula not be expected
TO realize that he might a great deal
better freeze in the snowdriit, than
lose his Job at the lard machine. Ona
was quite certain that she would find
her place gone, and was all unnerved
when she finally got to Browns. and
found that the forelady herself had
failed TO come, and was therefore com.
PEELED to be lenient.
One OF the consequences of this emf.
sOde was that the first Joints of three
OF the little boys fingers were perma.
nentiy disabled, and another that
thereafter he always had to be beaten
before he set out to work, whenever
there was fresh snow on the ground.
Jurgis was called upon TO do the beat.
ing. and as 1t hurt his foot he did it
with q vengeance; but It did not tend
to add to the sweetness of his temper.
They say that the best dog win turn
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