The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1873-12-27
4 hardly know. He is older than am, but
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feelings, you will win prayer from many lip
that will not burden your heart when you die
CHE does share my feelings, Hattie"
| "But you have not told me his name"
"Cecil Graham"
"Mr. Hartley's nephew !' said Hattie
as he? The man you worked for?'
"Yes."
"You know him, then?"
"He superin ntended the department whore
went for work Ready made clothing of al
kinds forms prominent feature in his uncles
large dry goods store, and / made shirts ant
other clothing. Mr.. Hartley knew my father
in his better days, and gave mo work"
"And Mr.. Graham?"
"Gave out this sewing, examined it when re-
turned and paid for IT.
''Did you like him?"
"Nettie, do not ask me. You have to-day
made mo yoc-s-f agefal sister for life SyiiI syuu
| giant me one more favor?
"You know l will"
cat three o'clock to day the weeks work will
be given out and taken in at Hartley's. Will
you go for my work?'
"You will not need it now "
"Pu, on my shawl and honret. We are both
in mourning. SO you will not mind the poorer
garments for once. | will give you the ticket
that entities me to work, and you look enough
like me to escape observation. Nettie, do not
refuse me Do not ask me to explain now my
motive Go this once for me-
With grave face, Nettie Hastings put
OIL her sousius coarse shaw and poor bonnet
took the ticket from table drawer, and drew
on her hands pair Of coarse cotton gloves.
"You mean more than l clearly, Hattie,
she said. at is for my sake you want me to
go?" and, kissing her, she went out.
| "For your sake,' said Hattie, "for your whole
lfes happiness or misery. Thank heaven she
does not love Cecil Graham" and covering her
face with her thin, bling fingers, she prayed
silently and fervently or the roble young cou
sin she had sent upon an errapd fraught with
such deeep significance.
And with the prayer following her footsteps
with a misgiving she felt, but could not de-
scribe, in her heart, Nettie Hastings hurried
| along the streets. She half repented that she
| had told her coachman to 60 home aud return
| later to take her cousin to her new residence,
| and then she smiled at the idea Of a sewing girl
| going for work in private carriage. 1t was a
| bitter day, cold and threatening, with the re-
| mains Of one snow storm under foot, and the
| prospect of another overhead. Nettie, in her
| dear little heart wished she could gsAe comfort
able homes and incomes to every one of the
| shivering poor she met on her way to the palace
| store, where she had spent hundreds of dollars
| in her petted life. Her first rebuff was in being
| informed, not too politely, that the girls who
| came to work were not allowed 10 pass through
| the store, but must mount to the fourth floor
| through a small side door. There was an ele-
vator for the employees of certain grades, but
| the tired women who came to earn the pittauce
| paid for sewing were not allowed to use it. Up
the weary stairs, flight after flight, Nettie fol-
lowed two poorly clad women, others coming
after her, for the city clock was striking three,
and un punctuality might cost them their week. s
work. The room was already half full of wo-
men when Nettie entered it, and Cecil Graham,
| standing behind large table, with two women
| as assistants, was opening bundle after bundle
| of sewing, and checking the amount due for
| = l.. L. H.
stepped aside to wait till all the work was ex-
| amined, when each would be paid, to wait till
all received their money, and work for the next
week was given out in the same routine. What
mattered it if whole afternoon of precious
| time was thus consumed? 1t was the system
| of the establishment
| Nettie watched the proceedings from under
e her thick veil with afess g PteraSt t
her place in the line, but sitting down, as she
had no work to be examined, and must the-s-
fore wait till fresh work was given out. 1t was
hard for her to believe that the stern, harsh
man before her was the courteous gentleman
whose ring was hidden under her coarse glove
He seemed to have magnifying glasses in his
eyes, so sharply did he criticize every stitch
Several women had passed through this rough
ordeal of criticism, when one came up that at
| once interested Nettie's kind heart. She was
so poorly clad, so pallid and worn, that she
seemed scarcely able to stand.
"This won't do at all" said the gentleman,
| harshly. 81 should think you would be asham-
ed to offer such work here"
"I had to sew without fire, said the woman, ,
| in a weak voice, "and my baby is sick"
"1've got nothing to do with your fire and
your baby. can't pay for such work as this"
81 don't think anybody but you would notice
any fault" was the reply and Nettie, looking
at the garment, agreed with her. She was not
very near it, to be sure, but to her it seemed
neatly made.
"No use to us at ALL"
80 Mr.. Graham, give me half price / have
not a cent in the world p
81 shall not pay for work that don't suit me.
Move up; you are hindering others"
With moan as if wrung from her by physi-
cal pain, the woman turned towards the door.
As she passed Nette, she felt the pressure of a
soft hand and looked down.
"Take this" said a whispering voice, "and
tell me where you live. Tomorrow you shall
| have fuel and food. This will help you to-day"
The woman looked wonderingly at the five
dollar bill in her hand.
"But you are poor yourself" she said.
~ can spare that. Where do you livc?
She gave number and street, and with q
| faltering "God bless you !" left the room.
Others followed in the long line to the table,
and Nettie watched again. Some asked for a
| trfing advance to avert freezing, starvation,
or the terrors of unpaid landlords. Some plead
ed illness for slight imperfections or delay, but
| these were exceptions, and every favor or in
| diligence was sternly refused. The majority
| came up with mechanical precision, and went
| to the other end of the long room to wait till
| their names were called for payment. Quite a
pile of garments were thrown aside as too bad
! ly made to receive payment, and Nettie inno-
| Gently wondered if they were really useless,
| looking, to her eyes, SO neat aud well made.
More than one woman felt dollar or more
/ eli int har nd ad in in
| the crowd around her for the voice that gave
low "Take this; l can spare it" with the gift,
| in defiance of the printed rule against the wall
that forbade any talking in the room.
| The winter afternoon was drawing to a close
| when girl in mourning went slowly down the
/ stairs leading to the street, carrying heart
/ ache for every pale face she had seen, every
| pitiful voice she had heard. Even the sudden
| crushing of her own hopes did not make her
| the less sore hearted for the misery she could
dimly guess at in the scene she had witnessed.
She found her carriage waiting at Hattie's door,
| and hurried up the stairs.
| "No work 2" said Hattie
~ forgot it," was the reply. "You have saved
| me, Hattie"
| "And yet you smile.'
| eyes, for my heart, it seems, could not have
been deeply touched, since now feel only con-
tempt and scorn for the hypocrite you have un-
| masked for me-
81 was so afraid" said Hattie, tearfully, that
| it would make you unhappy. And yet, Nettie,
l could not let you marry him, believing him
to be a noble, generous man, such as would
make your life happy and useful one"
| You have more than repaid anything may
have done for you. But come, Hattie, the car
riage is waiting to take you home, and we will
send tomorrow fer whatever belongs to you
here"
at will not take ten minutes 20 r-~cG all
there is of mine. One trunks already packed
with things untouched since father died"
"Tell me, then, what to put in this one. We
will leave the armchair for the next conner"
1t did not take very long to finish all the pre-
paratons for the ride. The trunks were placed
upon the carriage, the invalid carefully wrap
ped up and carried in the coachman's strong
arms down stairs, tenderly propped up with
pillows, and, resting on Nettie's shoulder, driv
! en- to her new home
1t was brilliant reception given on New
Years Day by the Misses Nettie and Hattie
Hastings, and Mrs. Armstrong, Miss Nettie''
aunt. The invalid, daintily dressed in the gar
| ments her cousin thoughtfully had prepared