Year: 1874




me, Moike," said the wife in softer


tone; you'll leave it all to me, won't


you?"


''Do as you please, Molly :" said her


spouse, ''l'm not the boy to quarrel


with you if your ways Of thinking are
different from mine.'


The woman tu"eA suddenly toward
her husband with changed look in her
face; she moved her lips as though she
was about to speak, but the intention
was hardly born till it died again, and
she turned back slowly toward the
table and began to gather up the dishes
that had contained the evening meal.


The autumn followed the summer
slowly, but inevitably, as death follows
life, and the O'Ratferty rent was paid.
The juvenile 0 Raffertys, careless and
sometimes happy, rollicked in the dirt.
and grew slowly and unconsciously
toward the woes Of maturer life; the
paternal 0'Rafferty toiled doggedly and
almost ielplessly at his daily tasks,
and fought his old enemy with little
new prospect of success.


Going down to his work one morn.
ing little before time, Michael over
heard, just as he was starting out, the
fragments of a conversation between a
conductor and the station master, which
puzzled him sorely at odd intervals
during the days work. But in the
evening, when his wife had borrowed a
paper from neighbor, he was able to sit
down and pick out some of the news
about the great excitement at New
York. From what he could gather
(aided by his wife) he concluded that
there had teen either great fire or a
great burglary, since somebody had
lost so much money that had been ''put
into stocks.' Why this should be such
an insecure place to put money. Michael
could not imagine; the only point on
which his mind was clear, developing
itself into fixed determination never
to deposit any of his money in such a
place. ''There was no prospect of any
monetary disturbance whatever in con-
sequence" the paper said, sthere
might and probably would be some un-
easiness through the country for the
next two or three days, but the busi-
ness community at large could hardly
be affected by it,


But the next morning, when Michael
came to the station, there was more
talking among the men assembled there
and more news. Several large and prom.
inent eastern firms had failed as we'll as
those reported. The <*uneasiness'' that
had been so glibly spoken of by the
newspaper, had developed itself into
terror which spread itself in rapidly ad-
gancing waves over the whole country.
Men who had money, boarded it like
nisers; men who had none sacrificed
heir goods by thousands to obtain it;
business clogged, banks suspended, and
the land was swallowed up in panic.


To Michael and his co-laborers all
Ill this was vague and delusive, and
hey were as men who hear the mutter-
ng of far off storm and yet feel none
'f its effects. Day by day for the en-.
suing week the trains rolled in and out
from Fitchburg, and day by day
the section hands went out with the
and came back with the even
:g, dusty, and tired and worn. The
workmen toiled on with blind feeling
Of security, which came from the belief
that however the panic might affect
mankind in general, the Pan Handle,
Princetown & Gridiron railroad was in



But all things are prone to come to
an end land so i'll this case there
was an interruption in the monotonous
Of the great railway. The
local superintendent received one dull
October day circular from the gener-
al superintendent, which was duly for
warded by the former official to the
track master, by whom it's contents
were communicated to section boss
and the men in his employ.
''In view Of the present financial and
business stringency," so the story ran,
'the company announce that they are
compelled to order reduc-
tion of ten per cent on the wages of all
to take effect Nov. LIST, 1873.


The men on the road remained quiet
for few days, but the reduction of
wages was leaven that worked every
day little nearer the surface. 1t
made little difference to the official who
had an income Of five thousand dollars
per year, for the reduction did not
reach him, and if it should the remain
ing ninety per cent. would supply all
his wants. But when the reduction
came into the wages of five hundred
dollars per year, it meant, not reduc-
ton of the usual expenditures for wine
and cigars, but withholding of the &C.
tual necessities of life, saving, where
economy was already the highest virtue
in the calendar. When mans needs
and income are so nicely balanced, it
takes but little to disturb the cquipoise.
It was the removal Of the tenth that
lightened the latter side of the scale,
and the needs pressed down heavily.