A Story Of Steel Pens

Few persons who use steel pena od which is stamped " Gillott " have any idea of the story of suffering, of indoninitable pluck and persistence which belong to the plaoing of that name on that artiole. A long depression in trade in England threw thousands of Sbeffield ïnechanics out of work, among them Joseph Gillott, then tweaty-one years of age. He left the city with but a shilling in his pocket. Iteaching Birmingham be went into an old inn and sat down upon a wooden settee in the tap room. His last penny was spent for a roll. He was weak, hungry and ill. He had not a friend in Birmingham ; and there was little chance that he would find wqrk. In his dispondency he was tempted to give up, and turn beggar or tramp. Tben a sudden fiery energy seiïed nim. He brought his fist down on the table, declaring to himself ihat he would try, and trust in God, come what would. He found work that day in making belt buokles, which were then fashionable. As soon as he had saved a pound or two, he hired a garretin Bread street, and there carriud on work for hiraself, bringing his taste and knowledge of tooi into coustant use, even working at hand made jroods. This was the secret of Gillott's success. Other workuuen drudged on passively in the old ruts. Ho was wide awake, eager to improra his work, or to aborten the way of working. He feil in love with a pretty and sensible girl, nauied Mitchell, who, with her brothers was making steel pens. Each pen was then clipped, puncued and polished by hand, and pens were t-old consequently at enormously high prices. (illott at once brought bis skill in tool.s to bear on the matter, and soon invented a machine that turned the points out by thou.saudfr, in the time that a man would require to make one. He marned Miss Mitchell, and tliey carried on the manufactory together for years. . On the worninx of his marnage the inilustrious young worknmn made a gross of ueosindMld them for thirty-six dollars, to pay the wedding lees. In his old age, having reaped an enormous fortune by his shrewdness, houesty and iudustry. Mr. Gillott went again to the old inn, bought the settee, and had the square on which no sat that night sawed out and made mto a chair, whieh he left as an heirloom to his l'amily, to reuiind them of the secret of his succes.