Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-10-24

Co be no end of them. at was easy
work, Mrs. Chapman number two said
"a baby might carry spools' Mean
time Nell, with dark, heavy -lidled eyes,
hollow cheeks, and tired feet dragged
herself TO and from the great factory,
until-but | will not anticipate.
The inhabitants of N--were stunned
on3 burning July day with a sound that
smote their ears like the crash of worlds.
Doors were burst open; walls trembled {:
the earth vibrated; every pain of glass
in the town was shattered. 1t was Just
after the MONDAY meal. The great en-
6 nes in Hagues carpet factory had made
two or three revolutions, when the
workers were appalled, by sound
accompanied by blow that threatened
the total destruction of the factory. The
towns people running to their doors,
looking toward the factory saw puff
! of yellowish smoke hanging few
| moments over one corner Of the mill
When the smoke cleared away, a hole in
the wall as large as the side of small
house was observed. Around this the
workers in the fuctory, now standing
silent and grim, gathered with pale
faces. The towns people mingling with
them beheld few courageous souls
bearing out the dead engineer, and half
a score mained for life. When the au-
thorities collected their wits, and inves-
tigated the matter, they arrived at the
unexpected conclusion that it was a
merciful dispensation of Providence that
so few were injured. and but one killed,
when, had the accident" occurred five
minutes later, or fifty minutes earlier in
the day. hundreds would have been
killed and wounded by the explosion Of
the boilers.
AS it was the factory would resume
operations in o week, or ten days at
most.
Chapman was among the wounded.
"All his own fault Mrs. Chapman
number two said. eff he had been
minding his own basiness-in his own
place-it wouldn't have happened"
This in the ears of man to whom the
doctor limited his chances for ever see
ing sky or earth again was problemat-
ical, was as bitter as anything in Jobs
experience. To die upstairs in a close
back room and hear shrewish step
mother scold his little boys all day was
hell on earth. There was, in these DAYS
of utter wretchedness, a sound of hurry
ing feet, and then the shrew's tongue
lashed the "lazy lump that ought to be
working in a neighbours Kitchen"
AS there never was any love in the
of oil tha 4 ,rffo'o
when dire poverty flung the door wide
open all the windows in the house were
not large enough to echo her discomfort
and ill-humor to the end of the town.
Nell Chapman sat in silent de-
spair in the one room set apart for
herself and her brothers. Although it
was little past the high noon, and the
air was sitting hot, her little brothers
were compelled to remain in their room
Ned and jim had been guilty of the en-
ormous offence of g littering the house !"
with the trimming and pieces of paper
they had gathered at Judge Hanner's
house, where the paper hangers were at
work. Such brilliant paper was never
seen before. The boys swooped down
upon it as misers might appropriate a
gold mine. They wore it round their
arms, legs, and bodies, and waltzed away
with it home, where in due season Mrs
Chapman gave them "such a warming
that they both cried themselves asleep in
broad daylight in their bedroom Ned
on the floor, Jim in Ned's shielding
arms. When she laid him down beside
Ned gently, and seated herself again, it
was an attitude the Almighty never in
tended youth to take.
Her elbows were planted on her knees,
her palms clasped her cheek and chin,
and she looked straight before her into
vacancy.
As she sat there in the darkened room,
she recalled a face in which compassion
and tenderness blended so sweetly that
her memory could not grasp the ap-
proach of a frown upon it. 1t was not
possible the dead could see the living
if her dead mother could see them now,
it would be torture inconceivable.
What could girl like her do? If he1
father did not recover his eyesight, hel
brothers would be bound out 1t would
be as much as she could do to pay hel
own way.
As she sat there with stony eyes staring
at the door, the cat pushed its way in,
and rubbed against her, purring. II
fastened to little Jim's side-it always
purred around him when he cried-and
curled beside him. Mrs. Chapman mum,
Der two banged at the front door, leaving
it wide open, and when Nell, recalled to
herself by the sound, looked down upon
the floor, a broad bar of sunlight, falling
through the door of the room, slanted
across the floor.
1t fell upon the tangled trimmings Of
paper "them little wretches brought in
around their legs and arms, and drew
with them in heap as they fled from
the heavy hand of the stepmother. The
scarlet tints burned like fire; the purple
shimmered; the yellow stones shone like
gold. AS Nell looked at the queer
patches of purple an dull brown in
terlaced with network of tangled trim
mings, she started. Her pulse quick
cned. An idea formed itself slowly il
her brain. Then she flew--fairly flew tt
her treasure in the cupboard, brough
forth her poor little box of cheap waite
colors-pathetic in their cheapness, anG
her shabby pencils and piece of paper
and began to paint.
The flies hummed through the opel
door, the cat purred loudly beside he
little jim. the air .palpitated with heat
but Nell was oblivious to these. 1t wa
only when Mrs. Chapman number two re
turned and noisily slammed the door to
that Mel paused in her work Then sh
put her paint box and paper in thei
hiding place.
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