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rise Tlary Tomesi
63 Dame St.
Montpelier, Vt.
rmas ST ATHIR AND SON
:is long, lean face was the brown of outdoor living,
and his tall body slender and Bloomy. Had be smiled to
lift the weary droop of his neuth and chase the disturbing
resignation from his eyes, reiseedd have said his was a
rugged, bappy health. You felt instinctively that bore
was a sadness, a sorrow be night have bidden from your
eyes a more of years back Talon be was 40 or 45 years old.
now his figure drooped its resignation to the world....
Ile at on a rough square of granite beside newearaOM
watching a LIQD beeinE the ear in the next yard. "He's my
son," be said with a quiet pride in the fine body and wiry
suppleness he had given the younger nen. "Tim's the oldest.
vAth his face turned from us, the way it is nee, you'd al-
most VIA,* be 11164 my age. *Chore's mere grey in his hair
than in mine. It's the life be leads. Drinking, staying
out half the night." Scorn tinged his low spoken words.
"He doesn't know bow to drink. Nene of these young fellows
do. I've seen Manske a mob -long celebration of it, and
tilon spend another seek getting rid of a bang -over. He's
lost his job twice because of that. Both times I managed
to get him another. I'm well known in the sheds in Lame
and 7cmtpelier, I've lived here ever since I was sixteen.
folks, came down from '.uiebee. I learned the trade these
first years in Vermont, I've been working in the sheds ever
since. I've a (laughter Who's married and settled in Taunton*
Mass., and a youncer boy who Graduates from high school this
19818
year, I'll see to it that this boy doesn't go into the Sheds.
I used to say that about the oldest one, too, but he got into
them just the same, After be quit school he lased around for
a whole year. I don't believe he wetted more than three week*
out of the fiftrotwO. I told bamboo out to be ashmmed of
himself when be had such a fine, strong body. Well* he gat
a chance then to go in the sheds, and though I hated to see
him doing that work, I knew it would be better than loafing
it would make a working man out of him. He's still leg:
There are plenty of times during the year WM the Odds close
down from lack of work, so many times that a good woOker Com-
plains. But not my boy. rue takes *Asada,* Off besides.
Vbenever he wants to. We used to have arguments Over it,
but I've kept quiet the last few years. HOS old enOngh
now to know how he wants to live. I gnese hell never marry.
he'll have to change his wow of living if be does. be
he's wise in having a good time. I ain't know. I've soma
a lot of these stonecutters in my its. Maybe these yeinger
ones are wise to cram their good times and wild times in a
short space of years. I'll tell you something now that
won't sound pleasant to you. I'm sick. ny lungs. I kept
woricing as long as I could. The doctor made me quit three
weeks ago. He wanted me to go to a sanatorium then, but I
wanted to see my youngest boy graduate. I was afraid if I
went there they wouldn't let me out for the day. Be graduates
next week. The following week I suppose I will have to go....
Yes, I could stay bone, we have no small children, but it
would be too much of a strain on my wife, she's nervous and
excitable, besides the doctor says it will be better for me
there. I've been thIrming of it lots at nights whemiemery
ane is asleep* It,* been thinking haw nice it 'mad be to
stew here at home Without working for the whoa* summer.
It's funny sometimes how little things will please you,
little things you can have by raising your finger, and
still you deny youreelf their pleasure they might bring.
Perhaps it's because down inside of you you know that in
bringing you happiness it may be doing harm to those you
care for. I guess that's 'My &melded it's best after
all to go to the sanatorium. A friend of mine up the street,
he las a stonecutter years ago, rent to California last year
when he was told his lungs were bed. He's back home new and
abed. I say it's a mute of money, It my drag your life
out a few months mores but what good does it do anyone?
You're spending money that your family could well use after
you're gone.
*Yee, there are a grout many French in the granite in.
dustry„ both in the sheds and in the quarries. I'd say they
were here before the Italian and Sootsh4 They heard of these
'granite mines' as they called than and they came down off
their Canadian farms to find work Duty of course, the
skilled ones vere chiefly Italian and scotch who'd learned
the trade in their own country.... It's pretty hard to pees
judgment on the rrench who came in the "20's. Yes, they were
certainly strike-breakers, but there's two sides to the ques-
tion. Most of them were son lobo had to have work, it was a
job to them. If the Uhlonmen wanted to keep then out of the
industry, thy did they teach these neemenews the trade? That's
shit they did, These Frenah made money for the Shed Owners,
they put out a lot of memawials, but they were plain work and
of little beauty. The owners will admit today that that
period was a thorn in the granite industry.
"1 work in the Barre 'hods but I live in Montpelier.
We moved bore from Barre five years ago, We're Catholics
and my wife wanted the youngest boy to go to a Catholic
high school. There was lust the catholic graded sohool in
Barre. Well, it vas a Choice of the boy driving to Mont.
pelier to school, or my driving to Barre to work. I -decided
1 might as well be the one to get the early morning air. We
didn't own the house in Barre so it made it simpler moving
down here. No, we haven't mode any piens for moving back
now that the boy is graduating. wife likes Montpelier,
she likes her neighbor, and now that be going to the
hospital, having friends around her will be nisi" for her."