To all of these things our friends would listen openmouthed—­it seemed to them impossible of belief that anything so stupendous could have been devised by mortal man.  That was why to Jurgis it seemed almost profanity to speak about the place as did Jokubas, skeptically; it was a thing as tremendous as the universe—­the laws and ways of its working no more than the universe to be questioned or understood.  All that a mere man could do, it seemed to Jurgis, was to take a thing like this as he found it, and do as he was told; to be given a place in it and a share in its wonderful activities was a blessing to be grateful for, as one was grateful for the sunshine and the rain.  Jurgis was even glad that he had not seen the place before meeting with his triumph, for he felt that the size of it would have overwhelmed him.  But now he had been admitted—­he was a part of it all!  He had the feeling that this whole huge establishment had taken him under its protection, and had become responsible for his welfare.  So guileless was he, and ignorant of the nature of business, that he did not even realize that he had become an employee of Brown’s, and that Brown and Durham were supposed by all the world to be deadly rivals—­were even required to be deadly rivals by the law of the land, and ordered to try to ruin each other under penalty of fine and imprisonment!

Chapter 4

Promptly at seven the next morning Jurgis reported for work.  He came to the door that had been pointed out to him, and there he waited for nearly two hours.  The boss had meant for him to enter, but had not said this, and so it was only when on his way out to hire another man that he came upon Jurgis.  He gave him a good cursing, but as Jurgis did not understand a word of it he did not object.  He followed the boss, who showed him where to put his street clothes, and waited while he donned the working clothes he had bought in a secondhand shop and brought with him in a bundle; then he led him to the “killing beds.”  The work which Jurgis was to do here was very simple, and it took him but a few minutes to learn it.  He was provided with a stiff besom, such as is used by street sweepers, and it was his place to follow down the line the man who drew out the smoking entrails from the carcass of the steer; this mass was to be swept into a trap, which was then closed, so that no one might slip into it.  As Jurgis came in, the first cattle of the morning were just making their appearance; and so, with scarcely time to look about him, and none to speak to any one, he fell to work.  It was a sweltering day in July, and the place ran with steaming hot blood—­one waded in it on the floor.  The stench was almost overpowering, but to Jurgis it was nothing.  His whole soul was dancing with joy—­he was at work at last!  He was at work and earning money!  All day long he was figuring to himself.  He was paid the fabulous sum of seventeen and a half cents an hour; and as it proved a rush day and he worked until nearly seven o’clock in the evening, he went home to the family with the tidings that he had earned more than a dollar and a half in a single day!