National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-07-05
TIE FACTORY GIRL.

It was nine o'clock in the morning
when the tage coach which connects the
little village ot b, on the Kenn bee
River with the railway terminus ONE
twenty-five miles below, drew up before
the door of the public house, where Har-
yty Middleton stood waiting.
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. He was Just recc vering
from a rather severe illness, which had
detained him fortnight in that out of-the
way place. AS he mounted to his place
his ears were greeted by a womans laugh
II hearty, ringing laugh, too loud to be
exactly lady but with a pleasant
sound in it for all that. At least he might
have thought so in a more amiable mo
ment; now, however, he turned, little
G,gusted at the boisterous outbreak, and
while settling himself in the fur robes
took rapid survey Of his fellow-travelers
The occupant Of one seat was young
woman OF certainly striking appearance.
She seemed about twentyfour or five,
had tall showy figure and handsome
tDce-yerv handsome, Middleton admit
ted to himself, after several surveys. a
brilliant complexion, an abundance of
black hair in shining, satiny bands-it
was before the advent of Grizzlies s'-clear,
strong gray eyes, well-cut nose, and
handsome though somewhat large mouth
filed 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
handsome blue silk dress, a velvet cloak
richly iringed and braided a light silk hat
with feathers, and a lace collar fastened
with Il snowy broach. Gold bracelets on
her wrists and lemon colored kid gloves,
Completed a costume which, though GER
tainly becoming, could hardly be called
appropriate for a stage-coach ride in a
muddy spring day. Mddletons taste in
stantly pronounced it and its wearer hope
lessly vulgar. She talked constantly, not
only with the youth at her side, who
seemed to belong to her in some way, but
with all the other passengers. Her voice
was pleasant one, though its tones, like
her laugh, were so loud as to jar disagreed
bly, on MddletOn's ear. Ordinarily it
would not have occurred to him to be
TINS annoyed indeed, his sense of humor
might have been pleased by the young
womans shrewd and often witty com
ments on the incidents of their ride but
TO- day he was i'll and nervous, and her
loud tone, her unpublished and occasionally
nngrammatical speech and vulgarly snowy
lp.., Nj l,r,,n-tnI
bore it as long as he could, and then his
impatience broke out. Not loud enough
however, to be audible to the object of it,
II was to his companion, the driver, that
exclaimed "Contound that woman's
me, Is there no end to its internal
catterp
The driver looked at our friend with a
surprised and halt offended glance; but in
a moment he answered, in a tone rather
natroni2ipg and tolerant, as though the
person he addressed could really not be
supposed to know any better.
Well, stranger, | guess you feel kind
o out O. sorts this morning. You don't
look well, snum. Been sick, amt YET"
Yes"
Well it beats all how most any thing
will kind o hector fellow when he don't |
feel just right. Now, for my part, I'd
rather hear Lymp Tucker laugh than to
hear preacln': there's something heart |
eain' in it; would cheer teller up if he
was as blue as Moxey Mountain"
81 beg your pardon" said Middleton
I did not know she was friend of
yours; and meant no harm anyway.
"Oh, well, there's no otfense. Lymp |
amt anything to me in particular; but
SHE'S girl always like to have behind |
my horses"
" What did you call herr"
'Lymp Tucker-short for Olympia
Deacon Ben Tucker's daughter; Oldest of
six
Are they all like her?'
II there was any hidden sneer in his
words the driver did not perceiveit. Not .
Io'., was his emphatic reply. "Iherere
u NPndhn' set. She's as strong as a
.A,e'hin, machine, and as smart as chain
Agauin'n
Indeed! What can she do 2"
Wei, should like to have You men
Won anything she can't do
Addeton's good breeding constrained
.' " express an interest III tne uIiNel :
meme which, perhaps, he did not wholly
Te' The latter went on contidentlally.
tAelr seat being higher than the Others,
we loud rattle of the wheels kept their
words within bounds.
You see, Sir, Deacon Tucker lie hain't
lever been a strong man, and was always
."Ayr behindhand with his farmin'. Then
..'e! We had sight of sickness. Two OF
we NJ girls died of consumption, and Miss
-.'Aer she fell down stairs and hurt the
1.ae Of her back, so she has scarcely
zone days work since. One year the
Ga'on's crops failed, and the next he had
-V' luck with his cattle dying; and so,
'1at with sickness and all, he'd had to
.-'I'Eage his farm, and it had only three
igar more to run, and everybody reckoned
-s have to lose it. Then Lymp she
,"a that never should be, for she should
> sHn The money to pay off the mortgage.
was eighteen then, and had done all
ne Work at home pretty near since she
.ylld run alone. She went out spinning
AZ She r0t r,ooAv oprh "a nav har fara |