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Elisha Cuthbert Photos Books: Martin Eden The Pickwick Papers The Sea Wolf |
that were machine-like and
unerring.
But there was little time in which to marvel. All Martins consciousness
was concentrated in the work. Ceaselessly active, head and hand, an
intelligent machine, all that constituted him a man was devoted to
furnishing that intelligence. There was no room in his brain for the
universe and its mighty problems. All the broad and spacious corridors
of his mind were closed and hermetically sealed. The echoing chamber of
his soul was a narrow room, a conning tower, whence were directed his arm
and shoulder muscles, his ten nimble fingers, and the swift-moving iron
along its steaming path in broad, sweeping strokes, just so many strokes
and no more, just so far with each stroke and not a fraction of an inch
farther, rushing along interminable sleeves, sides, backs, and tails, and
tossing the finished shirts, without rumpling, upon the receiving frame.
And even as his hurrying soul tossed, it was reaching for another shirt.
This went on, hour after hour, while outside all the world swooned under
the overhead California sun. But there was no swooning in that
superheated room. The cool guests on the verandas needed clean linen.
The sweat poured from Martin. He drank enormous quantities of water, but
so great was the heat of the day and of his exertions, that the water
sluiced through the interstices of his flesh and out at all his pores.
Always, at sea, except at rare intervals, the work he performed had given
him ample opportunity to commune with himself. The master of the ship
had been lord of Martins time; but here the manager of the hotel was
lord of Martins thoughts as well. He had no thoughts save for the nerve-
racking, body-destroying toil. Outside of that it was impossible to
think. He did not know that he loved Ruth. She did not even exist, for
his driven soul had no time to remember her. It was only when he crawled
to bed at night, or to breakfast in the morning, that she asserted
herself to him in fleeting memories.
"This is hell, aint it?" Joe remarked once.
Martin nodded, but felt a rasp of irritation. The statement had been
obvious and unnecessary. They did not talk while they worked.
Conversation threw them out of their stride, as it did this time,
compelling Martin to miss a stroke of his iron and to make two extra
motions before he caught his stride again.
On Friday morning the washer ran. Twice a week they had to put through
hotel linen,--the sheets, pillow-slips, spreads, table-cloths, and
napkins. This finished, they buckled down to "fancy starch." It was
slow work, fastidious and delicate, and Martin did not learn it so
readily. Besides, he could not take chances. Mistakes were disastrous.
"See that," Joe said, holding up a filmy corset-cover that he could have
crumpled from view in one hand. "Scorch that an its twenty dollars out
of your wages."
So Martin did not scorch that, and eased down on his muscular tension,
though nervous tension rose higher than ever, and he listened
sympathetically to the others blasphemies as he toiled and suffered over
the beautiful things that women wear when they do not have to do their
own laundrying. "Fancy starch" was Martins nightmare, and it was Joes,
too. It was "fancy starch" that robbed them of their hard-won minutes.
They toiled at it all day. At seven in the evening they broke off to run
the hotel linen through the mangle. At ten oclock, while the hotel
guests slept, the two laundrymen sweated on at "fancy starch" till
midnight, till one, till two. At half-past two they knocked off.
Saturday morning it was "fancy starch," and odds and ends, and at three
in the afternoon the weeks work was done.
"You aint a-goin to ride them seventy miles into Oakland on top of
this?" Joe demanded, as they sat on the stairs and took a triumphant
smoke.
"Got to," was the answer.
"What are you goin for?--a girl?"
"No; to save two and a half on the railroad ticket. I want to renew some
books at the library."
"Why dont you send em down an up by express? Thatll cost only a
quarter each way."
Martin considered it.
"An take a rest to-morrow," the other urged. "You need it. I know I
do. Im plumb tuckered out."
He looked it. Martin Eden page 70 Martin Eden page 72 |