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Read Ebook: Haworth's by Burnett Frances Hodgson
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Ebook has 3104 lines and 98698 words, and 63 pages
HAWORTH'S FIRST APPEARANCE 1
"YO'RE TH' VERY MORAL ON HIM" 80
"SIT DOWN," SHE SAID, "AND TALK TO ME" 116
"I STAND HERE, MY LAD," HE ANSWERED 182
SHE TURNED HER FACE TOWARD HIM. "GOOD-NIGHT," SHE ANSWERED 278
"YOU'VE BEEN HERE ALL NIGHT" 323
IT WAS REDDY WHO AIMED THE BLOW 330
"HAWORTH'S."
TWENTY YEARS.
Twenty years ago! Yes, twenty years ago this very day, and there were men among them who remembered it. Only two, however, and these were old men whose day was passed and who would soon be compelled to give up work. Naturally upon this occasion these two were the center figures in the group of talkers who were discussing the topic of the hour.
"Aye," said old Tipton, "I 'member it as well as if it wur yesterday, fur aw it's twenty year' sin'. Eh! but it wur cowd! Th' cowdest neet i' th' winter, an' th' winter wur a bad un. Th' snow wur two foot deep. Theer wur a big rush o' work, an' we'd had to keep th' foires goin' arter midneet. Theer wur a chap workin' then by th' name o' Bob Latham,--he's dead long sin',--an' he went to th' foundry-door to look out. Yo' know how some chaps is about seein' how cowd it is, or how hot, or how heavy th' rain's comin' down. Well, he wur one o' them soart, an' he mun go an' tak' a look out at th' snow.
"'Coom in, tha foo',' sez I to him. 'Whatten tha stickin' tha thick yed out theer fur, as if it wur midsummer, i'stead o' being cowd enow to freeze th' tail off a brass jackass. Coom in wi' tha.'
"'Aye,' he sez, a-chatterin' his teeth, 'it is cowd sure-ly. It's enow to stiffen a mon.'
"'I wish it ud stiffen thee,' I sez, 'so as we mought set thee up as a monyment at th' front o' th' 'Sylum.'
"An' then aw at onct I heard him gie a jump an' a bit o' a yell, like, under his breath. 'God-a-moighty!' he sez.
"Summat i' th' way he said it soart o' wakkened me.
"'What's up?' I sez.
"'Coom here,' sez he. 'Theer's a dead lad here.'
"Latham wur bendin' ower him, wi' his teeth chatterin'.
"'Blast thee!' I sez, 'why dost na tha lift him?'
"Betwixt us we did lift him, an' carry him into th' Works an' laid him down nigh one o' the furnaces, an' th' fellys coom crowdin' round to look at him. He wur a lad about nine year' owd, an' strong built; but he looked more than half clemmed, an' arter we'st rubbed him a good bit an' getten him warmed enow to coom round 'i a manner, th' way he set up an' stared round were summat queer.
"'Mesters,' he sez, hoarse an' shaky, 'ha' ony on yo' getten a bit o' bread?'
"Bob Latham's missus had put him up summat to eat, an' he browt it an' gie it to him. Well, th' little chap a'most snatched it, an' crammed it into his mouth i' great mouthfuls. His honds trembled so he could scarce howd th' meat an' bread, an' in a bit us as wur standin' lookin' on seed him soart o' choke, as if he wur goin' to cry; but he swallyed it down, and did na.
"'I havn't had nowt to eat i' a long time,' sez he.
"Seemt like he thowt it ower a bit afore he answered, and then he sez:
"'I think it mun ha' been four days.'
"'Wheer are yo' fro'?' one chap axed.
"'I coom a long way,' he sez. 'I've bin on th' road three week'.' An' then he looks up sharp. 'I run away fro' th' Union,' he sez.
"That wur th' long an' short on it--he had th' pluck to run away fro' th' Union, an' he'd had th' pluck to stond out agen clemmin' an' freezin' until flesh an' blood ud howd out no longer, an' he'd fell down at the foundry-door.
"'I seed th' loight o' th' furnaces,' he sez, 'an' I tried to run; but I went blind an' fell down. I thowt,' he sez, as cool as a cucumber, 'as I wur deein'.'
"Well, we kep' him aw neet an' took him to th' mester i' th' mornin', an' th' mester gie him a place, an' he stayed. An' he's bin i' th' foundry fro' that day to this, an' how he's worked an' getten on yo' see for yoresens--fro' beein' at ivvery one's beck an' call to buyin' out Flixton an' settin' up for hissen. It's the 'Haworth Iron Works' fro' to-day on, an' he will na mak' a bad mester, eyther."
"Nay, he will na," commented another of the old ones. "He's a pretty rough chap, but he'll do--will Jem Haworth."
There was a slight confused movement in the group.
"Here he cooms," exclaimed an outsider.
The man who entered the door-way--a strongly built fellow, whose handsome clothes sat rather ill on his somewhat uncouth body--made his way through the crowd with small ceremony. He met the glances of the workmen with a rough nod, and went straight to the managerial desk. But he did not sit down; he stood up, facing those who waited as if he meant to dispose of the business in hand as directly as possible.
"Well, chaps," he said, "here we are."
A slight murmur, as of assent, ran through the room.
"Aye, mester," they said; "here we are."
There was another stir and murmur, this time rather of consultation; then one of them stepped forward.
"Mester," he said, "I'm to speak fur 'em." Haworth nodded.
"What I've getten to say," said the man, "is said easy. Them as thowt they'd getten grievances is willin' to leave the settlin' on 'em to Jem Haworth."
"That's straight enough," said Haworth. "Let 'em stick to it and there's not a chap among 'em sha'n't have his chance. Go into Greyson's room, lads, and drink luck to 'Haworth's.' Tipton and Harrison, you wait a bit."
"You two were in the place when I came," he said. "You"--to Tipton--"were the fellow as lifted me from the snow."
"Aye, mester," was the answer, "twenty year' ago, to-neet."
"Dead! Eh! Long sin'. Ivvery chap as wur theer, dead an' gone, but me an' him," with a jerk toward his comrade.
Haworth put his hand in his vest-pocket and drew forth a crisp piece of paper, evidently placed there for a purpose.
"Here," he said with some awkwardness, "divide that between you."
"Betwixt us two!" stammered the old man. "It's a ten-pun-note, mester!"
"Yes," with something like shamefacedness. "I used to say to myself when I was a youngster that every chap who was in the Works that night should have a five-pound note to-day. Get out, old lads, and get as drunk as you please. I've kept my word. But--" his laugh breaking off in the middle--"I wish there'd been more of you to keep it up together."
Then they were gone, chuckling in senile delight over their good luck, and he was left alone. He glanced round the room--a big, handsome one, well filled with massive office furniture, and yet wearing the usual empty, barren look.
He rose from his chair and went to the window to look out, rather impelled by restlessness than any motive. The prospect, at least, could not have attracted him. The place was closed in by tall and dingy houses, whose slate roofs shone with the rain which drizzled down through the smoky air. The ugly yard was wet and had a deserted look; the only living object which caught his eye was the solitary figure of a man who stood waiting at the iron gates.
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