The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-01-22
THE FACTORY BELLE.

$50 that is the factory belle. is it?'
said Mr.. Payson, the new foreman of
the Mellendale Works. swell, l must
confess that she has rather an attractive
face. with her large hazel eyes and that
profusion of red-brown hair, although
her nose is not quite Grecian, and then,
too. the lines of her mouth are just a
trille out of drawing"
''Humphr' said old Solomon Gilsey,
the engineer. 'sShe's been made so
much of, Kitty Kelsey has, until She 5
just spoiled. And"
But here Kitty Kelsey herself came
saucily up to the foreman's desk.
''Mr. Payson," said she. tossing back
the cloud of red-gold hair that hung
over her dimpled face, ''for suppose
you are Mr.. Payson."
AT your SERVICE" said the young
man with commendable gravity
my machine does not suit me at all,
and wish you would change it for an
other"
Doesn't suit you?" he repeated,
quite slowly.
mo. SIR replied Miss Kitty, as she
Strengthened out the bow of ribbon at
her belt
us it the custom to change machines
at the beck and call of every dissatisfied
damsel?' he asked, still without
change of countenance.
MY machine is always changed
whenever / ask for it., said Kitty KEEL
sey, nonchalantly.
Suppose you try and make it do"
said Mr.. Payson. 81 dare say the turn
of a screw here, or the alteration of a
tension there will make it all right.
Johnson" to the packer, "bring me
that list of the boxes that are to be sent
off this morning."
Miss Kelsey stood in indignant sur
prise at this politely-cavalier treatment.
Sbe-the spoiled beauty, the petted
favorite of the whole establishment,
whose every within had been humored,
whose caprices INDUCED, to be told to
try to make things do!
''You will not change it?'' said she.
coloring very red.
at is quite contrary to my rules"
said Mr.. Payson, firmly. THAT'S right.
johnson. Now l will look over the list
with you." ~
Miss Kitty went back to her seat in a
genuine passion.
1t was Arson Payson's first day in
the Mellendale factory, aud of course it
proved rather a fatiguing one.
The morning, bleak and cloudy, had
settled down into good, old-fashioned
snow storm before afternoon, and when
at last the throb of the engines had
ceased, the whiz of the numberless ma
chimes was still, and the flock of girls
had disappeared one by one; Mr.. Pay
son locked his desk, pocketed the KEYS
and also sailed forth into the snowy
twilight of the November night.
But unaecustomed as he was to the
roads and their windings, he
soon became disagreeably aware that he
had missed his way.
''They told me to turn off at an old
stone MILL" he pondered. .but have
seen no stone mill; nor any iinger-post.
| do believe" standing still and
trying to peer through the wilderness
OF flying snowflakes, ''that l am des-
tined to be modern Babe in the
Woods And the worst of it all is that
there are such a number of awkward
precipices along the edge of this woody |
road, where one might walk of IN this |
half-light and never know how he came |
to his end. Stay! luckily there is red |
light cleaning through the darkness.
1t must come from some farm house |
and l am saved from my |
DOOM"
But as Arson Payson knocked at the
door OF the little one-story dwelling he
[elt that he was very weary, with hands
and feet numbed by the biting blast,
and garments wet through by the damp
and penetrating snow.
The opening of the door revealed a
cheerful little interior, which would
have been no discredit to the pencil of /
4 Dutch artist-a blaze of pine logs on
he hearth, candle burning in its brass
'conce. a red and blue rag carpet upon
The floor, round cherry table set out
Tor supper, and a huge gray cat purring
costly upon the hearthstone.
A tall white haired man opened the
ioor to him and welcomed him after a
,heery fashion.
"Come in. stranger, come in" said
he old gentleman. well, l declare,
7ou've got wet. amt youp Step right
Up to the fire. Here's seat. | don't
eem to recognize ye-not jest by sight
though I've lived forty-odd years
You are
{" am Mr.. Payson of the Mellendale
Works." interrupted our hero, with a
Ugh of satisfaction as he expanded his
hilled hands towards the delicious
warmth of the blaze and felt the subtle
influence d the generous freight per-
neating his whole frame. -
DO tellr' SAID the old man, who had