The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-10-09
TRIED By FIRE.
A Tale Of the Pemberton Mill.

L n l8lc Oh ImG FemOertOn MIL,
Aseneth Martyr was slightly bull,
and understood. The children used to
cry out, "Humpback! humpbackr' and
people in passing would say, "Look al
that girlr' Her face was gravely lined,
but womanly and pleasant. The world
had, indeed, dealt harshly with her.
Her deformity had been caused by a
blow from q drunken mother. Sene
remembered that, and the unhappy
childhood; and when the wretched
mother had met a violent death, she
also remembered of having heard some
one say at the funeral, "How glad
Sene must ber' Since that, life had
meant three things-her father, the
mills, and Richard Cross. The latter
had, by chance. become an inmate of
the same home with Sene and her
father. A tender sympathy. combined
with a oneness of interest, soon ripened
into love, and resulted in an engage
ment.
After q time Sene discovered that
Dicks affections were being drawn
away from herself and centered upon
Del Ivory, a pretty, fascinating giddy
creature, whose beauty she despised.
Dick, not knowing his secret was dis
covered, was too honorable to think of
breaking his engagement, and conse-
quently attempted to resist and sup
press his new love by avoiding Del and
redoubling his attentions to Sene. The
latter had long been trying to release
him, but could not find the courage to
do so; and he, seeing that she suffered,
wearied himself with plans to make
her eyes shine; and did she try to speak
her wretched secret, he suffocated her
| with kindness, and struck her dumb
| with tender words. 1t was the morn
ing after the last of these Intellectual
attempts on Sene's part that the sketch
| opens. Sfffs- .
The. silent city stepped and bathed
itself in rose tints; the river ran red,
and the snow crimsoned on the distant
New Hampshire Hills; Pemberten,
mute and cold, frowRed across the disk
of the climbing sun, and dripped as she
had seen it drip. before with blood.
The day broke softly, the snow
melted, the wind blew warm from the
river. The factory bells chimed cheer
lily, and few sleepers, in safe luxuri-
Gus beds, were wakened by hearing the
girls sing on their way to work.
Sene was little dizzy that morning
the constant palpitation of the floors
always made her dizzy after wakeful
highland so her cotton threads
danced out of place and troubled her
Del Ivory working beside her, said:
How the mill shakes. What's GO
ing onP"
"It's the new machinery they're
h'isting into place." observed the over
seer. caIelessly. "Great improvement
but heavy, very heavy; they calc'late
on getting it all into place o-day;you'd
better be tending to your frame, Miss
Ivory"
Sene went out at noon with her lunch
con, and found place upon the stairs,
away from the rest, and sat there awhile
with her eyes upon the river, thinking.
She could not help wondering little,
after all, why God need to have made
her unlike the rest of his fair handi-
work.
Del came bounding by and nodded at
her carelessly. Two young Irish girls,
sisters, were singing little love song
together, while they tied on their hats
to go home.
"There are such pretty things in the
world" thought poor Sene.
The wind began at last to blow chilly
up the staircase, and in at the cracks;
the sun dipped above the dam; the mill
dimmed slowly; shadows crept down
between the frames.
"Ifs time for lights" said Meg
Match, wearied at her spool.
Sene, in the pauses of her thinking,
heard snatches of the girls talk.
"Del," said Sene, Il think to-mor-
row"--she stopped. Something strange
had happened to her frame; It Jared,
buzzed, snapped; the threads untwisted
and flew out Of place.
"Curious," she said, and looked up.
Looked up to see her overseer turn
wildly, clap his hands wildly to his
head, and fall; to hear q shrek from
Del that froze her blood; to see the
solid ceiling gepe about her; to see the
walls and windows stagger; to see iron
| pillars reel, and vast machinery throw
up its giant, helpless arms, and tan
| gle of human faces blanche and writhe.
She sprang as the floor sank. As
pillar after pillar gave way, she bound
ed up an inclined plane, with the gulf
yawning after her. 1t gained upon her,
the stairs and an open door; she threw
| OuI u6E oTus, ouu seuSSiou ou Will
hands and knees, tripped in the gear
ing, and saw, as she fell. square oak
en- beam above yield and crash; it was
of q fresh, red color; she dimly won.
dered why-as she felt her hand slip,
her knees slide. support, time. place and
reason 60 entirely out.
"At Ten minutes before five on Tues
day, the 10th of January, the Pember-
ton mill, all hands at the time on duty,