old union who would lend him a dime at a pinch. It was
not a question of life and death for him, therefore; he might
hunt all day, and come again on the morrow, and try hang~
ing on thus for weeks, like hundreds and thousands of
others. Meantime, Teta Elzbieta would go and beg, over
in the Hyde Park district, and the children would bring
home enough to pacify Aniele, and keep them all alive.

It was at the end of a week of this sort of waiting,
roaming about in the bitter winds or loafing in saloons,
that Jurgis stumbled on a chance in one of the cellars of
Jones's big packing plant. He saw a foreman passing the
open doorway, and hailed him for a job.

"Push a truck?" inquired the man, and Jurgis an~
swered, "Yes, sir!" before the words were well out of
his mouth.

"What's your name?" demanded the other.

"Jurgis Rudkus."

"Worked in the yards before?"

"Yes."

"Whereabouts?"

"Two places, -- Brown's killing-beds and Durham's
fertilizer-mill."

"Why did you leave there?"

"The first time I had an accident, and the last time I
was sent up for a month."

"I see. Well, I'll give you a trial. Come early to~
morrow and ask for Mr. Thomas."

So Jurgis rushed home with the wild tidings that he
had a job -- that the terrible siege was over. The rem~
nants of the family had quite a celebration that night;
and in the morning Jurgis was at the place half an hour
before the time of opening. The foreman came in shortly
afterward, and when he saw Jurgis he frowned.

"Oh," he said, "I promised you a job, didn't I?"

"Yes, sir," said Jurgis.

"Well. I'm sorry, but I made a mistake. I can't use
you."

Jurgis stared, dumfounded. "What's the matter?" he
gasped.

[[233]]

p232 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p233w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p234

v?