La Junta tribune., 1908-08-22

\ ttHit. ! Nth tttl tpN. toi w
the company d siuk lot more money
in such nonsense. 'Twasn't our mon
ey. and so we hadn't no reason 10
grmmble. you sayg Well. there's two
sides to that There's two sides to
most things II body II only take the
| trouble to look for 'em.
did you ever think how you'd feel
to look down at yo,ir hands-btg.
strong and w!llin'. but helpless to pro-
vide for them depcndin' "n you-and
| then see a pair M soft white hands
careless,y wastin' what wouh le life
to you and yours,
That's how II looked To us. For
| times had been hard with US. and. ~
| told you. old Keswick had always
calculated that the losses must be
eycned up on wages somehow.
And this feller. I'll he bound he's
never Invented nothin more useful
| than a new lie to his cravat- says Jim
Bryce. He'll fool away no eud Of
money, and then either the mill will
have to go down or wages will. and
mine has got about to the foot OF the
| ladder now
"'Oh. there's no doubt well 20 down
unless some OF his experiments blows
| him up Wish they would answers
| Tom. only he put 1t rsther ugiier than
that,
"Of course twas only talk. but the
| feeiin' was under ii. aud after awhile
| from hopin somethin' would happen
the boys went little further and got
TO plannin' how to make 1t happen.
| "a ip't ..nfp' N toll uiti,sl "A hput any
plot, took care not 10 know much
about II for fear I'd run across some
thin I'D feel bound 10 hrnder. aud
didn't want To hcnder nothin' that's
the fact. Only there was no murder
nor nothin' like that In il: the men
| wasn't that kiud--leastways. most OF
| 'em wasn't
mo. we aiu't a-goin' To hurt mam-
my's darljn - bless his pretty little
heart!-not less he gifts in the way
when he'd better be out OF It, says
Tom. with grin. But if the play
thing he's so tickled over jest flies to
| flinders some day and the noise scares
him 50 that he gives up and runs home
it'll be the best thing for him and all
the rest OF us.
Seemed like nobody doubted he'd be
easy scared. and so the whisperin' and
black looks and secret mcctin's went
on
'.One day In summer a box was
brought into the room where we work
Ell shall always remember that
day. jnst how everything looked. 1t
had been bright. warm mornin hut
about noon II cloudcd up slowly. and
every breath of wind died away. Not
leaf moved on the trees.
Inside the mill everything booked
darker and giooniier than usual In that
queer gray light. Great piles OF cast
his throwcd black shadows over the
slippery floor: the long iron shafts was
like hungry arms forever reachin
down aud lrawiu back empty. aud
from under the brick archway the
round door OF the furnace seemed glar-
in out like big red eye.
''Nothin' seemed 10 60 that day the
way folks had calculated. That mis-
cr'ble little box had no sooner been SET
down in the room than somebody call
ed: Hist. Look outr And there was
| Boss Darlin'. comm back from his din
ner AT an onarfhly hour when he's
never been known to come before.
He had rose stuck in his butionhole
AMI looked like dancin' master goin
to n party. as | heard Bob muiter as
he slipped the box out OF sight under
pile of stuff at the end Of the room.
They couldn't carry out their plan
then. so there wasn't nothin' left for
'em but to hide 1t.
"The boss looked round kind of
smilIn' and pleasant-like. He'd got
that model he was busy with about
into workin' order. and he was won'ier-
full pleased over it, And what did he
do that day but have ii brought into
our room. because the weather havin
turned gloomy-like there was better
light by a big window there. So there
he stayed fussin' over 1t. just as IL he
was on guard.
.Tllen it began to thunder. and there
was sudden dash OF rain. so that jim
Bryce's little girl who had come down
with his lunch basket wouldn't go
home. Jim WAS n pieceworker ana al
ways said he could do twice as much
work In an afternoon II he had
snack bout o'clock.
Jim looked sort Of uneasy now and
then when little jimmy Il get on to the
back part Of the room anyways nigh
where that box was. But he couldn't
say nothin'. and riaybe there wasn't
any danger. only WAS sure he didn't
like her round there and was glad
when she wandered of into the room
beyondra storeroom. where she was
let stay sometimes while she waited
for her fathers basket.
.The storm grew heavier instead Of
lighter till we could hardly see to
work All ut once there was biindin
aash OF light and crash us II the
whole earth was tearin' To pieces. and