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Mr. Siddleton, by crowding all hands into the work, was ready by the middle of October for his brick-yard operations. Not for a long time had Dan or Tucker done as much regular work day after day as now each of them performed. Bill also, old and feeble as he was, put himself to do a good day's work. Harry, the deaf boy, and Sam White also, worked hard. But by the middle of November the kiln was not ready for burning, and the weather beginning to pinch, the paupers often stopped and bent over their mouldings and shivered. Siddleton observed this, and dosed them with cider and whisky, and so drove the pile to burning. But he was compelled to hire more help than he expected. No serious accident arising, the brick were burned in good season, and Siddleton and two of his neighbors' teams, driven by his own hands, began the carting. The brick were all delivered on the first of February, and Siddleton, rejoicing in the speculation as the best one he had ever made, was illy prepared for the news that spread consternation over the whole vicinity the next day, when he was looking for a settlement with the company, that "Pepper & Co." at the Falls Works had made an assignment, and estimated their indebtedness at half a million of dollars.

Mr. Siddleton was not the only one who hurried over to the factory when this news reached him, and endeavored to secure his individual claim. But his efforts were unavailing; he returned home to dole out his com- plaints to his wife, whose quality of resignation was a larger degree of self-command than his, but actually a high pressure amount of resistance and ill blood, ten degrees higher than her husband's.

"Well, wife, we are ruined! -- we are knocked in the head as sure as fate," said Siddleton.

"Why -- it can't be, Mr. Siddleton!"

"The bricks are gone as sure as the world," said he.

"Why, what do you mean? Your are not in earnest!"

"Yes, the company have signed over, and my bricks go in with the assets!"

"Impossible! Mr. Siddleton. Is there no law?"

"None that will help us now, hang it! I wish I had been fool enough to have taken that check for a thousand dollars last week that Pepper offered me "

"A check declined by you for a thousand dollars, Mr. Siddleton,?"

"Yes; you see I wanted it all in a lump, and so declined it. He said, in a rather low voice, 'Ms. Siddleton, who knows what will he on the morrow? You had better take it.' But I wouldn't, I told him. I would wait for the whole "

"Oh! Mr. Siddleton! Well-- I declare," and she bit her lip, and compressed her lips, "We are really in the midst of -- a Providence, Mr. Siddleton -- a hard -- terrible -- unlooked for Providence!"

"Yes, we are, by thunder! Who would have thought it? I had my suspicions the company wasn't safe a month ago," said he.

"Suspicions, Mr. Siddleton! That don't speak very well for you -- what, suspicions?"

"I heard the men up stairs say, 'Wonder if Siddleton will ever get his pay of Pepper?"

"Why, husband -- and didn't that trouble you?"

"Yes, I thought of it a good while."

"And didn't tell me! Oh, Siddleton! Siddleton!"

"Oh, well, it was vague after all."

"These folks often know what's going on as correctly as other people -- (oh! dear -- well!) How should they know? -- it's strange that they should know anything -- "

"Confound the luck!" said Siddleton, pacing the floor.

"Mr. Siddleton! we must be resigned!"

"Confound the 'Pepper Co.,' say I"

"Mr. Siddleton, compose yourself."

"I wish the whole concern was tipped into the river!"

"Why, Mr. Siddleton, have you forgotten to bear with meekness your trials and afflictions? Have you received corrections in vain?"

"They're a set of unprincipled swindlers, I -- "

"Do, Mr. Siddleton, strive to endure the chastenings of Providence -- "

"If I had a raw-hide I'd just put it round Pepper's back till he cried for mercy"

"The Lord deliver you from the evil one, Mr. Siddleton!"

"Half a million dollars in! hey?"

"That's a great failure, isn't it, Mr. Siddleton?"

"Well, the scamps may as well fail for half a million as for any other sum -- they'll cheat us out of all we have at any rate, and I don't see but we shall go to the poor-house ourselves!"

"Oh! no, Mr. Siddleton, there is no danger, and even if there were, we should be treated well; we have done so much for others."

"Hur!!" grunted out the ill-minded Siddleton.

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Siddleton?"

"I mean, they'd apply to us our own principles," said he.

"Well, they are Bible principles, you know?" she replied, a little tartly.

"Mrs. Siddleton, the Bible should be interpreted by

those who are in trouble, not by those in comfort and power."

"Why, Mr. Siddleton! what do you mean!"

"If I were old Josh Hicks, with my bones looking through the flesh, from long confinement to my bed; my scrawny arms all shrunken and rattling, the skin of my face shrivelled and clinging to the bones of the cheek and nose; my body tormented with rheumatic pain; too weak to rise and too miserable to lie down -- I should want to interpret the Bible in its most comforting ways to me, rather than in its severer words and more condemning power."