
In a small industrial town where the clang of furnaces never truly fades, a group of aging workers gathers to recount a night that still chills their memories. The winter was so fierce that snow piled two feet deep, and the men recall how they hauled a shivering, frost‑bitten boy from the doorway of the foundry. He had been wandering for weeks, having fled the union and the bitter cold, and his desperate hunger left him barely able to swallow a loaf of bread.
Taken in by the foremen, the boy finds unexpected shelter and a chance to rebuild his life among the ironworkers. Over the years he proves himself a determined and capable hand, eventually becoming a central figure at the very works that saved him. The story captures the gritty reality of early‑20th‑century labor, the harshness of the seasons, and the quiet heroism that can arise when a community looks after one of its own.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (522K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2018-10-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1849–1924
Best known for turning childhood into a place of wonder, feeling, and quiet transformation, this English-born novelist wrote stories that have charmed readers for generations. Her most beloved books, including The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, mix hardship with hope in a way that still feels fresh.
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