Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1888 — SLUG NUMBER ELEVEN. [ARTICLE]

SLUG NUMBER ELEVEN.

’‘Sever I ten in a printin r-iffii-e Y efore, I suppcse;/ Whir, woman 8 picture is that over tla’ case, you ask? Why, tha's Nan Blenass.ni 11. Oh, no; slu< 11 wasn’t her n'ctnaooe. ’Tsai her numter. tee? Here is a slag 11: II ELEVEN 11 “Prn'era use the r slug numYers Io mars tl oir mat’e ;ele Low con'd they mate uo the r rtr nps? A sr 114? Oh, is yas e all our dupes to.etLer, end tlat mates a str ng ti at sboas wtat.we lave done. Here's my str:ng f>r the d y-re. har tope a u’t ii? ’ Want to know about Nan, eh? Well, ete vas the on y female lyce-setter we lad, and aho wa,a burner. She cou’d talk kn.er, and on acras om louder, and truth coupe’s me 10 sy braider than—well, than so®e girls. PreWy? Not etaetiy, juvt »o-«). B'ender, lively, hair ti e c dor of canned salmon, leech pretty well justified, and eyes that were u u*lly blue, but liab’e 10 turn g;een if she pet road. Boys med o say chat if Nan was gong to paiad're shed te la e getting there; but I never saw anything bad al ou-tec except, on e in a wbi e, her tcn.ue M'S er, don’t y<.u get it into your ted that because a girl teta type or vorks in a fccor.y ancng a lot of men s‘e c «nt be good. “To resume my yarn. One day there came along a bandsoxe yoang fellow tbat we dubbed Mr. Kokut, because he came from the town of Kokuk. Nan foot quite a fancy to him. He and The Bat were a‘ out thy only persons in the otce that Nan did notice. We called hi n The Bat because he went Yack on us once when we struck. We took him Hack out of pity, but no one loved him. lank, cada erous, poc’-nar«ed, thinlipped fellow, with eyes H e two holes in a turnt i lanket “Well, Nan and Mr. Kostik went to two or three dances an 1 a circus or two —we used to get plenty of comps to such things then-and first we knew they were engaged. The very first week we went on a stride again, all except Nan and The Kat'. He said bis w ife was dying and he had to earn what be could. It wasn’t much, because he was a regular I lacsmith. We call a poor printer a blacksmith. Nan s eyes turned green as she said she wouldn’t go because she didn t want to ‘so tberel’ Al out a week after the strike began Mr KoJut and 1 were in a saloon opposite the block wbery the Rat s fol's roored and we saw Nan come in at the family entrance. and buv a flasi of whissy. We ware, ini there celel rating the emi of the strike. Ail went lack next day, and late in the evening, when only Mr. Kokuk, Nau and I were left in tie oTee, I heard 1 im go over and tell Nan he must break off the engage rent be a use she had gone Yack on tie strikers, tut more particularly for the rextson that be w ould never marry a wo 1 an thafTought whisky by the task at a saloon Jar Kokuk was a kind of goody-goody tellow, you see. Nan wheeled about on her stool, her eyes snapped till the lashes fairly cracked and she sail: ‘You are a little plaster of pans god ain’t you? Be careful you don’t tip over or you 11 I reak in two. You ought to go as a missionary to the ca init ate. You wouldn’t t o good eating, tut they ain t very particular’ Mr. Kokuk put on lis coat and went away, tut after he had gone I wont to lift a landful of type out of a form that stool near Nan’s case and I saw that her eyes were swettinj. Tears as Yig as rain drops fll down over her ease She krpt on tbrowiag i* type. Every stickful of type ste set up the next day was so dirty that toe foreman threatened to discharge her: 1 What do T mean bv il rty? Why, full of mistakes, to Y>e sure. I knew the r.-ason, aad corr ced some of her galleys to help her out. At the next meeting of otir union some one said t v at it tad teen pr posed to raise a fund to Yury The Rat’s two children Vat bad just divdttat day of scarlet L--1 er, Y oth oqj hesrme dav mind vo 1 He ba I buried his wifeftbe week bes re ‘He ought to be able to Yury’ h’s i.wn dead, he’s te n at work right along,’ said some one, and nearly all growl d assent “Wbostarted the movement to raise fund?’ asked J. •■Nan’, answered the fellow, U'hr. had proposed the n atter. ‘She beaded |h.e -Hsrthe fami y had Fat up nights to ta-e care of Rat s wife, who was a n ighty sweet little

woman. Bought whisky for her when tbat was all that would beep the poor woxan alive.’ / “You ought to ha-e seen tie expression of Mr. Kobuk’s face when he beard this explanation as to whA went to the saloon to get a l>o/tle of whisky ‘And when Rat’s wife/dic’d, continued the apeak er,‘and his two children fell sic x, she cared for them. Wor»ed all day and sat up nearly all night with them. I tell you, boys printing offices have their i|e. ils - but now and then angels drop down into the h and ’ “Before he con d say any more Mr Kokuk sprang up and moved that each member Ik* assessed $2 to defray the funeral exjienses of Rat s children, and that as many of the boys as could hire subs should attend the funeral- Did we carry tY.e n otiou? Well rather. “Nan was the only wunari mourner, and she looke«l bandsoxe in a cheap dress of Ydaek she bad got for the oceariori. Next day si c was at her case, and at evening while she was distributing type, Mr Kokuk crept up to I.er case looking like a wbip|>ed spaniel and said ‘Nan, do you know what I think of you?' “ ‘No; and what s more, I don't care! snap|»ed Nan. ...... “‘Well, I think you are a saint upon earth.’ ‘Do you know what I think of you?’ said Nan, k noc • ing about half a baodful of natter into pij ‘I don t { ,,. t ink anything.’ t ' “I’Lea how Mr. Kokuk did plead for forgive • ess! Nan said not a word fora long time, but finally she turned about w : ith a half sneer on her face and said ‘l’ll jess to see who pays for the tickets to the theater to-nigot.’ To jess is to play a gaie with tyjie. Mr Kokuk got stuck for the tickets, and I tell you he was tickled Thev went; but thev only saw part of the play. As they were wait if g along t > the theater they passed a parsonage. ‘lsn't that the man tbat preached the funeral seraroi for The Kat’s child enl’ asked Mr. Kokuk. “‘Yes,’ answered Nan. “‘Let’s go in and see him,’ said Mr. Kokuk. In they went, and Nan, who is usually surprised at nothing, was much surprised when Mr. Kokuk asked the minister to marry them, but she consented and they were married, and when the minister had reached the end of the pe> format ci and Mr. Kokuk took Nan in his arms and kissed her, what did she do but drop her head on his shoulder and cry. She said it was because she was worn out watching with the The Rat’s f tlks, bit I reckon those tears were tinctured with the compound essetes of jov. “Say, do yoq see that kind of countrified looking follow with a slouch hat standing over there by one of the forms talking to the fireman? That’s Mr, Kokuk. He’s now editor and proprietor xf the Kokuk Banner. Get’s all the c:unty printing and is making a barrel ci money. He’s here on a visit and telling the boys about Nan. Gave me her picture as she now looks. Gentle, refined looking lady, ain’t she? She’s boss cf the Sun-day-.chool in Kokuk; has two toholars from her own family to send to it, and when any of the printers go out on a tramp she bustles into the Banner office and toeses metal with the best of them. If there’s a tick family in Kokuk or on the contiguous territory that needs help, you bet Nan a ill be there. “Say, roister, I’m not well posted on religion, but when the ssints take their places in Jineia heaven I’ll bet Nan will not be far from the head.”