The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-07-17
The Factory Girl.

BlOWcu WILL ou0 oOlo eAhto u q oph1hS
landscape, and Frank Seymour stood
before it, pallet in hand, his large brown
eyes dreamy with a sort of inspiration
In q comfortable easy chair, by thu
door, sat a plump, rosy, little female, il
q face cap with q plenty of narrow white
satin ribbons iuttering from it, and sill
ver-gray poplin dress-Mrs. Seymour, il
fact, our artists mother who had JUS
comr up from the very basement ito sex
how Frank was getting along
"Here, mother, " said the young man
with an enthusiastic sparkle in his eyes
'tjust see the way the sunset ligh
touches the topmost branches of the Of,
apple tree. I like the brown, subduet
gold of hat tint; it somehow remind
me Of Grace Teller's hair"
Mrs. Seymour moved a little u%neasil,
in her chair.
eyes, it's very pretty; but it strike
me, Frank, you are lately discovering
good many similitudes between Mis-
Teller and your pictures"
Frank laughed good humoredly.
"Weu, mother, she is pretty"
"Yes, I don't deny that she's prett.
enough"
"Now, mother, what's the meaning o
that ambiguous tone 2" demanded tn
young artist, pleasantly. What hav'
you discovered about Miss Grace Tellel
that isn't charming and womanly ant
lovely2"
Crank, do you know who she is?"
eyes, I know that she is q remarkably
pretty girl with a voice that sounds ex
actly like the low soft ripple of the little
rivulet where I used to play when [ wa
q boy"
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Seymour
SHARPLY :9TR 49, ..+;,so.
with my description of her as she is
would you like to know what she vii
beY'
Mrs. Seymour looked puzzled.
Mother, I think n day she will b.
my wife,"
"Frank I! Frank are you crazy?"
"NotIth that l know Of" said Nh. Sey
mour, c~omposedly, squeezing a littl'
deep blue on mis- pallet out of a daint.
tin tube, and mixing it thoughtfully.
"We know so little about her,
thought Mrs. Seymour. To be sur
she is visiting Mary Elton, and Mary
belongs to a very good family, if sh'
does live in half a house and takes il
fine embroidery for a living. But ther
she has no style at all compared witt
Cynthia Parker, and Cynthia always
did fancy our Frank. Then, moreover
she has five or six thousand dollars O.
her own. But dear me a young man il
love is the most headstrong creature
alive"
Mrs. Seymour unused awhile longer
and then put on her mouse-colored sill
bonnet and gray shawl, and set out up
on a tour of investigation.
"Ill find out something about Mis-
Teller, or I'll know the aso why,
thought the interchangeable widow.
Miss Grace Teller was cat home,
helping Mary Elton in an elaborat'
piece of fine embroidery. The room
where the two girls sat was very plain
-carpeted with the cheapest ingram, AM
curtained with very ordinary pink ant
white chintz, yet it looked snug AM
CHEEKY, for the fat blackbird was chirp
ing noisily in the window, and a stan'
of mignonette and velvet blossome'
pansies gave o delightful tint to thi
pretty picture of everyday life.
Mary Elton was pale, thin, and not a
all pretty; there was a tremulous sweet
ness about her mouth that seemed t
whisper that she might have been di
ferent under different circumstances
Grace Teller was q lovely blonde, wit
large blue eyes, rose-leaf skin, and hal
whose luminous gold fell e her fore
head like an aureole.
As Mrs. Seymour entered. a deepe
shade of pink stole over Grace's beaut
the fact was she wanted a chance to COT
fde her griefs to Mrs. Randall's sym
pathetic ear.
"Crying? Yes, of course Ihave bee
crying, Mrs. Randall; I've done moth
ing but cry for a week."
u "Mercy on u.s." said Mrs. Randall
full cheek, but otherwise she was calr
and self-possessed, and readily parrie
the old lady's interrogatories.
every warm this morning." said tn
I old lady, tanning herself. "Do the
have as warm weather where you cam
! from, Miss Teller2"
] CT believe it is very sultry in Facte
ryville," said Grace, composedly takin
another needleful of white silk.
"Factoryville Is that your nativ
place? Perhaps then you know NJ
4 Parker-Cynthia Parker's father, who
superintendent in the great calico mill
] there? ?"
every well, I have often seen him.
care you acquainted with Cynthia?
"No--I believe Miss Parker spend
most of her time in this city"
"That's very true" said Mrs. Sey
mour, sagely; "Cynthia says there
no society worth having in Factoryvill
only the girls that work in the factory
Cynthia is very genteeL But-e1cus
my curiosity, Miss Teller-how did 20
, become acquainted with MI. Parker an
not with his daughter ?"
Grace colored.
Cuisines brought me in contact fri
quently with the gentleman of whol
you speak. But I never happened I
meet his daughter"
0n4os 0CJuouA S"'o aeeS oo"Ae !
her chair-she was beginning to sc
through the mystery.
"Perhaps you have something to d
with the calico factory"
81 have" said Grace with clam dit
nifty.
"a factory girl !" gssped Mrs. Sc.
mour, growing red and white.
"Is there any disgrace in the title l!
quietly asked Grace, although her ow
cheeks were dyed crimson.
Disgrace! Oh, no-certainly no
there's no harm in earning ones Twin
in any honorable way" returned Mr.
Seymour, absently. The fact was, sh
was thinking in her inmost MIND
"What will Frank say?" and anticipi
ting the flag of triumph she was sbor
to wave over him.