Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-11-06
Smith"

mountains L picked up my daisy, my
Margaret, my pearl. You remember
the summer when you sailed for Europe.
The SAME week I received commands
from the imperial Judith to follow her
to Saratoga, or rather she insinuated
that my presence there would give her
pleasure. took the hint and followed,
and after the manner of other devotees
before the altar of fashion we exchanged
the monotonous WEAKNESS of fashionable
life in New York for second edition of
the same thing at a watering place. We
danced and we rode and we walked. I
was the imperial Judith's devoted cava-
lier. had quite made up my mind to
lay my hand and fortune at the lady's
feet; and although I felt it would not
do to cucumber her with my heart, as
she had never displayed the smallest in
terest in that part of my personality, it
nevertheless pleased my fancy to think
of the queenlike grace with which she
would preside over the hospitalities of
the Vanderburgh mansion, and I con-
cluded to be satisfied.
=" But one morning as we were walk
ing toward the springs, the fair hand of
royal Judith lying on my arm, sense of
the importance of the step 1 was about
to take began to oppress me. I felt a
longing for a few weeks of perfect peace
and quiet before I undertook the mani
fold responsibilities of married man.
Business became my excuse, and in the
afternoon fled toward the East, only q
couple of hundred miles, and found my
self in little New England town lying
at the base of a great peaceful-looking
mountain. The landlord of the cozy
little hotel, small building all white
paint and green blinds, received me
very graciously. l spent the night
there, and in the morning the old gen.
tleman offered me his horse and his
fishing rods to help me pass away the
time. and then suggested that perhaps 1
would like to visit the mills.
"By the end of the first day I had ex-
hausted the horse and the fish, and bored
myself pretty thoroughly, and on the
next morning I determined to try the
mills. Did you ever see a cotton mill,
Jack, one of those enormous red brick
structures reeking with steam and heat
and dampness and horrible noises
saw the proprietor, and he took me
through the building. ] looked at the
great looms, the whizzing spindles, and
all the ingenious machinery which man
has devised to supply the necessity for
clothing brought about by the trans
gression of Eve but what most attract
ed my attention was the pale faces of the
operatives standing about those terrible
machines, the children, prematurely old
and haggard, breathing that terrible
dust and sweltering in that awful heat.
"I passed through the files of languid
children and weary women on my way to
the office, where the proprietor offered
me chair. AS sat down saw in one
corner of the room small figure bend
ing over great pile of heavy business
like books. She turned her head as her
employer spoke, and I saw another pale
face-so pale, so gentle, with great
violet eyes that seemed to ask every
thing they rested upon: 'Why am I SC
unhappy The same eyes, Jack, my
boy, that smiled at you SO brightly ovel
your dinner half an hour ago."
"Not factory girl !"
"Not exactly; one of those girls you
find SO often in New England, thorough
ly educated and lady like, but impelled
by necessity to work. She was EN-
ployed as assistant bookkeeper by the
great firm of Watson & Co., that owned
the mills. ALI at once, Jack, became
interested in cotton. used to haunt
that great shrieking mill. investigated
all the processes the plant went through
from the time it enters the mill in grea
fluffy bales until it goes out in smooth
white muslin. I think the proprietor
took me for dry goods clerk Or poll
tician. became so learned that knew
all the grades from paper cambria tt
sheeting, and I discoursed upon tn,
tariff and the necessity of protecting
American manufactures like membel
of Congress. even made researches
into the art of bookkeeping. And all
Jack, for the sake of pale little factory
girl with blue eyes-I, the last of tn,
Vanderburghsl How I used to lea1
over that great gawky ink-stained desl
and watch the small ilgurein the shabb,
alpaca frockl How | used to intereep
the little girl on her way back and fortl
to the great mill, and watch her blusl
when her great blue eyes met mine
/. One morning it dawned upon me all a
once the mischief I Ihad been doing. AnG
that very hour I told little Pearlie I wa
going away, and bade her goodbye"
"What did she say9"
"Not word only put her ittl
hand in mine for q moment, and turne'
back to her great ledger with BRAY
? look, like the true New England girl sh
is. Then, Jack, I knew myself to be
scoundrel. But there was the imperia
{ Judith waiting at Saratoga, worthy mat
for the heir of all the Vanderburghs.
"At four that afternoon I iumpe
oloorI +I,o 4ro,,, IDo,,y,l ,raaI,,,o III,