Year: 1873

| tniuS 10 no. money 50 low tnat
l was ready for anything after fort
night of searching and waiting.
happened to be walking through
downtown cross street, when saw
placard in the window Of paper-box
Acknowledgements WANTED. COOP
SALARY" That's just me" says l, so
l went into the office and asked if l
would do. The manager said he would
try me. lie did try me, and it seems
l must have have satisfied him, for he
told me TO stay.


Now it is about this manager and
this paper-box factory that my story,
such AS it is, will be; and to make
things all straight and plain, Ga sort OF
Oiling up at the start) let me attempt
to describe them both.


First, then, the manager, Mr.. Samuel
Harkness, also sole owner Of the fac
tory. This Mr.. Samuel Harkness was
the greatest villain l ever came across.
Hes dead now, poor man, and hate
to speak i'll of those who are gone,
cause, you see, its much the same as
Ginning behind mans back but he
raS villain all the same. Not one
of Your story-book villains. either.
have read lots of novels, romances,
and such stuh lately, but I haven't
seen anything about their villains that
applies to my villain. Theirs are in.
variably thin, dark men; of 1.-the,
serpentine motion; with yellow faces,
straight black hair, and deep-set,
fugitive eyes. Something Of the evil
one cropping out at every point. Why,
Lord bless you, you'd recognize this
kind of villain soon as ever you clap
ped eyes on him, just as you would
patent machine, with every bit of metal
labeled. My villain wasn't dark at
all was tolerably stout, in fact, and
well-to-do looking didn't squirm bit
and, to cut this description short, was
just like most anybody else you meet.
When | engaged under him, Of course
l didn't know anything about his vii.
lainy. How could J? He wasn't
labeled.


And now for the factory itself. 1t
was somewhat dilapidatcd tive-story
brick concern. Engine in cellar (most
every manufacturer had his own power
then, instead Of just betting on TO the
one big engine of the block, as they do
Low y office and samples, first floor
clipping and folding machines, second
floor; girls pasting, sorting and TRIM
ming. on third floor stock of all sorts
on the fourth and fifth. We used To
turn out an immense deal o: work with
very few hands. There were about
twenty-five or 80 girls, the manager,
his clerk and office boy, q man to hoist
and do odd jobs, the fireman. and my
self. Except when stock was taken in,
or work sent out, there was nobody
else in the building.


l generally kept to my own business,
aud staid down in the cellar, nursin.
the Old engine. She sadly needed it,
being as richetty and patched up
continuance AS one cares TO stay along
side of. She always reminded me of
some old people you see, who are
always in need Of a PICTORIAL for
cough. or a liniment for rheumatism,
or something or other. This engine
of mine was in such state that she
always wanted easing somewhere, a
rivet here, . plug there, new stuiiing,
more felting, or band around the
whole boiler. From boiler TO hy-wheel
she was ricketty, ricketty. But there
was no present danger TO be appre-
hended: all was safe enough with
proper care and attention. There was
the rub. | had to exercise that same
proper care and attention all the time.
But if l was SO occupied, could not
help meeting;the girls now and then in
the passage-way. Most of them were
Of the common sort-coarse, vulgar
creatures. that l never could abide


But there was one little pale-faced girl
| took TO straight off. She wasn't a
bit like the others. and seemed as nice
and quiet, and lady-like, as they were


noisy and common. AS | said, took


TO her, and she--well. she didn't


altogether snub me. We got to be


fast friends soon. She told me the


tale OF her sad life: how her father


had been a prosperous mechanic, and


they had lived in such a dear little


home; how the father died, and lett
: her, mere mite Of a thing, in charge


of her feeble mother and baby sister !;


and how she contrived to get along and


keep grim famine from the door on the


pittance of her earnings. Whenever


could, without making fuss, helped
them along little. And when We got
, well acquainted, used to hurry
| through my work SO as to be able to
f see her home every day after six
O'Clock. Sometimes, too, We used to
J 90 to concerts and lectures together /;
, and very often l found time to visit
f them all of an evening. l hadn't said
, a word of love to her yet, but was
. waiting till my wages were increased
enough TO enable me to keep home of
: my own, and then ask her to fill it. Of
2 her state of feeling toward me knew
2 nothing, except that she looked upon
and trusted me as brother.


One thing used to rile me, though,
and that was the sneaking sort of
liking that Harkness seemed to have
for her and worse. he showed it plainly
enough by the way he prosecuted her


with his odious attentions whenever he
got the chance. She told me she would
leave the place if she could only get
another.


have said that it was sixteen years
ago that entered the box factory. If
you will take the trouble to subtract,
you will find that makes 1857. 1t puts
US just in the year ofthe great financial
crash. had been in the factory about
three months, and was getting used to
the general run of things; and though
it was out of my line, and none of my
business. l could not but notice how
slack trade seemed to be. Rumors of
!. failures un the street down the sfroat