312 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



a final effort to force upon his friend his own 

 hard earnings. 



Shelburne Falls was a manufacturing town, 

 chiefly of cutlery, locks, and the like, and as one 

 of the factories was owned by a friend of mine 

 I had the run of the shop. It was a wonderful 

 school of mechanics and I studied and practiced 

 processes from pattern and foundrj^ work to the 

 delicate fitting of fine lock machinery. When 

 the big wheel started in the morning I was on 

 hand and when it stopped at night I reluctantly 

 turned away from the lathe or planer which I 

 chanced to be using. Often the wheel turned 

 and the shafting ran half an hour extra for me 

 while some workman lost that much time, but it 

 was all for love, for even if I could have spared 

 tips for the service those independent New Eng- 

 enders would have resented their tender. Al- 

 ways some eye of intelligence was on me ready 

 to bring skilled assistance when needed. 



When near the beginning of my work I at- 

 tempted to rough out a piece of wood on a power 

 lathe and the loosely held gouge was snatched 



