Connecticut western news., 1872-07-12
THE FACTORY GIRL.

4u 6Qd6 Otu mousse 1ar away.
 sI THE FACTORY GIRL. = s
 It was nine o'clock in the morning when the stage coach which connects the little village Of B., on the Kennebec River, with the railway terminus some twenty-five miles below, drew up before the door of the. public house, where Har- vey Middleton stood waiting 5@
 Every seat was full except one on the elevated perch of the driver, and thither Middleton clambered with some difficulty, and wrapped himself as well as he could from the cold. E He was just recovering from a rather severe illness, which had detained him. a fortnight in that out-of-the way place. As he mounted to his place his ears were greeted by woman's laugh "a hearty, ringing laugh, too loud to be exactly lady- like, but with g. pleasant sound in it for all that. At least he might have thought. so in q more amiable mo- ment; now, however, he turned, little disgusted at the boisterous outbreak, and, while settling himself in the fur robes, took rapidsarvey of his fellow-trayelers.
 The occupant of one seat was a young woman of certainly striking appearance. She seemed about, twenty-four, or five, had tall showy figure and handsome face-very handsome, Middleton admit ted to himselfs after several surveys. A brilliant complexion, an abundance of black hair in shining, satiny bands--it was before the advent of ssfrizzles" clear, strong grayeyes,a well-out nose, and 8 handsome though somewhat large mouth filled with dazzling white teeth. Plainly 1t was that mouth from which had issued the ringing, boisterous laugh which had so offended Middleton's fastidiousness. Her attire was remarkable. She wore a handsome blue silk dress velvet cloak richly fringed and braided, light silk hat with feathers, and lace collar fastened with 8 showy broach. Gold bracelets on her wrists and lemon colored kid gloves, completed costume which, though cer- tainly becoming, could hardly be called appropriate for a stage-coach ride in 8 muddy spring day. Middleton's taste in- stantly pronouncedit it and its wearer hope lessly vulgar She talked constantly. not only with the youth at her side, who seemed ts belong to her in some way, but with all thesother passengers. Her voice was pleasant one, though its tones, like her laugh, were so loud as to far disagreea- bly, on Middleton's ear. Ordinarily it would not have occurred to him to be thus annoyed i; indeed, his sense of humor might have been pleased by the young woman's shrewd and often witty com ments on the incidents of their ride but to-day he was ill and nervous, and her loud tone, her unpublished and occasionally ungrammatical speech and vulgarly showy dress ,displeased and idisgnsted him. He bore it as long as he -eea4d, and then his impatience% broke out. ss Not loud enough, However, to be audible to the object of it. It was to his companion, the driver, that he exclaimed. "Confound that woman's tongue Is there no: end to its internal chatter ?n -. .-. .'--.'.-e. '.-sz Y a-
 The driver looked at our friend with a surprised and half offended glance; but in 8 moment he answered, in tone rather patronizing and tolerant, as though the person he addressed could really not be supposed to know any better ... -.+...
 "Wel1,. stranger, I guess you feel kind O out Q, sorts thls morning. You don't look wei, snum. Been sick, ain'tyea''
 "Well, it beats all how most any thing will kind O hector fellow when he don'i feel just right. Nov, for my part, I'd rather hear Lymp Tucker laugh than te hear preachin: there's something heart. enin, in it; would cheer a feller up ii. he was as bIue as Moxey Mountain.1
 "I beg your pardon" said Middleton | did not know she was friend O ysurs;. and I meant no harm anyway.
 aOh, well, there's nc offense. Lynn, ain't anything to me in particular; bu she's girl l always like to, have behint my horses, xxSssa .x .s
 WhGt did you call her2''
 @hymp Tucker-short for Olympia Dsaeon Ben TackeF's daughter; oldest Q
 .Afs they all like1hsrp's -s
 If there was any hidden sheer in hi words the driver did not perceive it. 'No much, Washis emphatic reply. "There'r 8 spindlin' set. She's as strong as
 threshin' machine, and as smart as chail lightnin,," 5I [ Gss1 l-.f!I
 "Indeedi What can she do?''
 "Well, should like to have you men tion anything she can't do."
 Mddleton's good-breeding censtraine, him to express snihterest in the driver theme which, perhaps, he did not who'll feel. The latter went on confidentially Their seat being higher than the others the loud rattle of the wheels kept thei words within bounds. IfT.E#E
 "You seey Sir, Deacon Tucker he hafn' never been a strong man, and was alway rather behindhand with his farmin'. The they ye had sight of sickness. Two c the girls died of consumption, and Mis- Tucker she fell down stairs and hurt tn spine of her back, so she has scarcel <. done days work since. One year tn deacon's crops failed, and the next he ha, bad luck with his cattle dying; and SC whatwith sickness and all, he'd had t mortgage his farm, and it had only thre year more torun, and everybody reckone he'd have to lose it. Then Lymp sh said that never should be, for she shoul earn the money to pay off the mortgage She was eighteen then, and had done a the work at home pretty near since sh could run alone. She went out spinnin till she got money enough to pay her far to Lowell, and then she started for tn factory. carried her down to the car in my stage, and happen to know ths she hadn't but one gownto her back whe she went away.
 "Well sshs got ai good place, and sh worked straight along, and sent hom
 money --- seven hundred dollars - an cleared of the mortgage, and took dee