The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-02-24

might have been a death warrant
for all that Jim understood of it.
The home was built, and Jim and
his wife and the feeble minded boy
went to live in it, and had rheuma-
tlsm. and worked hard in the garden
which gave but scanty yield for all
their hard labor, and suffered many
lnconveniences. But this is not the
story.
There was expected in Jim's house
hold the very biggest event that
takes place in the life of a married
couple-the birth of their first baby!
Unfortunately the little stranger had
no way of giving advance notice of
the exact time of his arrival, which
made it rather inconvenient for Jim
and his wife. So Jim made the fol-
lowing arrangements: When his wife
telt that the long-expected was going
to happen she would send the boy to
the grocery store and ask the grocer
TO telephone to the factory, so that
jim might be notified and could
hasten home with a doctor.
But somehow things worked out
differently. When one morning the
woman felt that the awful miracle
was going to take place, she sent the
boy to the grocer, who telephoned
message for Jim 20 the factory
where jim worked. But the message
was never delivered.
Th superintendent of the factory
was an average man, neither better
nor worse than the average superin-
tendent. His business was to run
the factory economically, so that it
would pay dividends and he would
be able to keep his position and pro-
vide for his family in decent mid
dle-class sort of way. Now Jim was
hired by the week, and the superin-
tendent did not like to see any of
his men lose days work. Besides,
they were short of hands, and any
way the superintendent thought that
Jlms wife could give birth to a
child very we'll without Jim. OF
course, he did not know the circum-
stances; but then he was not sup
Anyway, when Jim returned home
that night he found his. wife and
baby dead upon the floor and the
feeble-minded boy hiding in the
Wood-shed. Jim wept as the AVER
age man would weep in the face of
such q tragedy. He buried his wife
and child and went back to the fac
tory to work.
am sure that he did not mean to
! nave trouble with the superintendent,
ne might not even have said any,
thlnS at all. for he was submissive
man; but the door Of the office hap
pcned to stand open, so Jim went
IN and in a plaintive sort of way
told the superintendent that if he
mad not kept back the message Jim's
wife and child might be living now
and Jim would not be alone in the
world.
now it so happened that just that
morning the superintendent had re-
celVed a letter from the directors
which he thought was a very unjust
letter and which threatened the safe
ty~ OF his position. So the superin-
tendent-who, being an average man:
might have otherwise sympathized
with Jim-answered CURLY and peev-
lshly, telling him to he about his
work. Then the friedman submits
siveness melted away from Jim, his
back Strengthened, and he stood up T.
man. There were hard words and
threats of firing, and Jim's hot decla-
ration, II don't wive. damn what
I think Of you - !. ~.-,4.....s
To which the superintendent re-
plied-thinking all the time of the
letter and his dear ones at home
. TX on 60 to. hell, you, and your wife!
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