Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-12-09

sHaye heard of the place-a land of
| wooden nutmegs There is small settle
| mept on the coast called Boston, where the
| people eat Greek roots instead OF bread and
butter :.
scene Of nv small love story. 1t was at the
foot of one of those glorious granite noun
tains picked up my daisy, my Margaret, my
nearl. You remember the summer when you
sailed for Europe. The same week received
commands from the imperial Judith to follow
her to Saratoga, or rather she insinuated that
nv presence there would give her pleasure.
took the hint and followed, and after the
manner of other devOiees before the altar OF
fashion we exchanged the monotonous Wearl-
ness of fashionable life in New York for
second edition of the same thing at water
ing-place. We danced and we rode and we
walked. | was the imperial Judlth's devoted
cavalier had quite made up my mind to
lay my hand and fortune at the lady's feet;
! and although felt it would not do to encum-
| Der her with my heart, as she had never dis
played the smallest interest in that part of
my personality, it nevertheless pleased my
fancy to think of the queen-like grace with
which she would preside over the hospital
tiles of the Vanderburgh mansion, and con-
cluded to be satisfied. But one morning as
we were walking toward the springs, the fair
hand of royal Judith lying on my arm,
sense of the importance OF the step was
about to take began to oppress me- | felt
longing for a few weeks of perfect peace and
| quiet before l undertook the manifold re-
sponsibilities of married man. Business
became my excuse, and in the afternoon
fled toward the East, only couple OF hum
dred miles, and found myself in little New
England town lying at the base of great,
peaceful-looking mountain. The landlord of
the cozy little hotel, a small building all white
paint and green blinds, received me graci-
ously; and liked the old man immensely in
spite of the fact that his hair stood on end
when asked him for a shcrry-cobbler. l
spent the night there, and in the morning the
old gentleman offered me his horse and his
tishing-rods to help me pass away the time,
and then suggested that perhaps would like
to visit the mills. By the end of the first day
had exhausted the horse and the fish, and
bored myself pretty thoroughly, and on the
next morning l determined to try the mills.
Did you ever see cotton-mill, Jack, one of
those enormous, red-brick structures reeking
with steam and heat and dampness and horri-
bic noises? l 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 transgression of Eve;
but what most attracted my attention was the
pale faces of the operatives standing about
those terrible machines, the children, prema-
turely old and haggard, breathing that terri
BILE dust and swetering in that awful heat.
passed through the files OF languid children
and weary women on my way to the office,
.,,I>o ~ ovkoor ~~{fo nHosv A.
| sat down saw, in one corner of the room,
heavy, business-lke books. She turned her
head as her employer spoke and I.saw an
other pale face-so pale, so gentle, with
great violet eyes that seemed to ask every
thing they rested upon, why am SO un-
happy The same eyes, Jack, my boy, that
smiled at you so brightly over your dinner
half an hour ago.
mot factory girl!''
''Not exactly; one of those girls you find
so often in New England, thoroughly edu-
Gated and lady-like, but impelled by necessity
to :work. She was employed as assistant
bookkeeper by the great firm Of Watson 4
Co., that owned the mills. All at once, Jack,
l became interested in cotton. l used to
haunt that great, shrieking Bedlam Of mill.
l investigated all the processes the plant went
through from the time it enters the mill in
great fluffy bales until it goes out in smooth
white muslin. think the proprietors took
me for dry goods clerk or politician. |
became so learned that knew all the grades
from papcr-cambric to sheeting, and l dis
courscd upon the tariff and the necessity of
protecting American manufactures like
member of Congress. even made researches
INTO the art of bookkeeping. And all, Jack,
for the sake of pale little factory girl with
blue cyes-1, the last of the Vanderburghs!
How used to lean over that great, gawky,
ink-stained desk, and watch the small figure
in the shabby alpaca frock! How used to
intercept the little girl on her way back and
when her great, blue eyes met mine!"
''Had you made up your mind to marry
her.
s'God forgive me, had not thought about
it,"
You scCundrel!"
''Ask Pcarlie if | am a scoundrel, Jack!'
II have no doubt she worships you, you
most unworthy wretch. She looks like just
such a sweet, foolish little darling"
II am ashamed to confess it, Jack, but for
two hours in my life was villain-only
two, though. and am thirty-fve years old
the proportion isn't SO bad, is it? One morn
ing it dawned upon me all at once the mis-
chief had been doing. And that very hour
told little Pearlie l was going away, and
bade her good-by."
"What did she say"
''Not a word; only put her little hand in
mine for a moment. and turned back to her
great ledger with brave look, like the true
New England girl she is. Then, Jack,
knew myself to be a scoundre]. But there
was the imperial Judith waiting at Saratoga,
worthy mate for the heir of all the Wander |
burghs.