Publisher's Synopsis
Twenty years ago! Yes, twenty years ago this very day, and there were men among them who remembered it. Only two, however, and these were old men whose day was passed and who would soon be compelled to give up work. Naturally upon this occasion these two were the center figures in the group of talkers who were discussing the topic of the hour. "Aye," said old Tipton, "I 'member it as well as if it wur yesterday, fur aw it's twenty year' sin'. Eh! but it wur cowd! Th' cowdest neet i' th' winter, an' th' winter wur a bad un. Th' snow wur two foot deep. Theer wur a big rush o' work, an' we'd had to keep th' foires goin' arter midneet. Theer wur a chap workin' then by th' name o' Bob Latham, -he's dead long sin', -an' he went to th' foundry-door to look out. Yo' know how some chaps is about seein' how cowd it is, or how hot, or how heavy th' rain's comin' down. Well, he wur one o' them soart, an' he mun go an' tak' a look out at th' snow. "'Coom in, tha foo', ' sez I to him. 'Whatten tha stickin' tha thick yed out theer fur, as if it wur midsummer, i'stead o' being cowd enow to freeze th' tail off a brass jackass. Coom in wi' tha.' "'Aye, ' he sez, a-chatterin' his teeth, 'it is cowd sure-ly. It's enow to stiffen a mon.' "'I wish it ud stiffen thee, ' I sez, 'so as we mought set thee up as a monyment at th' front o' th' 'Sylum.' "An' then aw at onct I heard him gie a jump an' a bit o' a yell, like, under his breath. 'God-a-moighty!' he sez. "Summat i' th' way he said it soart o' wakkened me. "'What's up?' I sez. "'Coom here, ' sez he. 'Theer's a dead lad h
