Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-22
Continued from last week.

smoothly. 1erhapS III was the perfect order
in which the gear worked that induced the
nurse to take days holiday
1t was the day after Mr.. Mordo Ind made
and lost his venture. Horace and Herbert,
pottering about the gardens, saw the bright
haired boy going out in charge Of the parlor
maid. This was an infraction of rue, which
could not be overlooked. They lcm.Yt!cl the
cause, and were told that Mrs M,licrL llrone
for days holiday.
OF course the brothers said 10 more; but.
upon seeing Beatrice, they mentioned tlemat-
ter to her. eyes she said, II tcll her she
might so for the day
The Talberts were too polite to blame Dea-
trice in words, but a slight o,cvai "A Of four
eyebrows showed their owners d.a,ontcnt
Beatrice, in giving a servant n holiday, had
taken liberty.
"Where has she gone ]" asked II r1,9t who
liked to know thath his servants wcre spending
their time properly
"To London, l suppose said Beatrice,
carelesslv
Now the way in which Mrs. Miller spent
her holiday was as follows:
She rose at an early hour and walked from
Hazewood House to the cross roads Here
she waited until the numbering, old-ga hioned
bus came in sight. She took seat in it. and
was in due time deposited at the Blacktown
Weymouth which fashionable watering
place she reached about II o'clock
1t was, however, clear that She had not
come here to enjoy day at the seaside In
stead of going at once to the gay esplanade,
she sought the shades of the general waiting
room-here she remained an hour.
She then embarked in another train; one
that ran on single line of railway-ran
nearly the whole of its way with the sea on
one side and mighty hill of smooth rounded
pebbles, known as the Chesil Beach. on the
other, whilst in front of it doomed tall
serrated, precipitous cliffs, at the foot of
which was its destination.
Mrs. Miller paid no attention to the
natural scenery of the place. She stepped
from the train and walked out of the little
station in n methodical, business-lilie wav II
was evident that the woman had not come sc
tar on a mere pleasure jaunt
1t was burning day. The sun shot down
its rays 6ercely on the troeless, shadeless
barren island, or so-called island. Mrs Mil
lers black garments seemed scarcely suitable
to such weather-her frame certainly moi
strong enough to toll up those cliffs of ooitie
limestone which frowned down upon her
No wonder she turned to the cabstand. The
two or three cabs which it boosted were
rickety old machines, but the horses which
were between the shafts were strong ones
Horses need be strong to earn a living in thi.
land.
She drove a bargain after the manner Of
her kind, then took her seat in one of the
dusty vehicles. She was driven through the
little gray town, which lies at the foot of and
stretches long way up the hill The horse
toiled up the steep street, on and on until the
occupant of the cab looked down on the
tops of the houses which she had Just
noSSpI Then 81 f11r anI rf
ground another turn and steep hill; so on
and on in zigzag course until the table land
which lies at the top of Portland island was
somehow reached an event which must have
been grateful alike to the horse and the occu.
pant of the cab, supposing the latter only
possessed of nerves of ordinary strength and
therefore apt to rebel against being drawn up
hills as steep as the side of house.
Some time before the cab reached the toy
of the cliffs it had at intervals passed gangs
of men working by the roadside At dis.
lance these men looked little different from
ordinary navvies, but a closer inspection
showed that the garments of most of them
consisted of a dark yellow jersey covered by
sleeveless jacket OF light fust.an or some
such material. This jacket, III. rcovu:, was
stamped i'll various places with tne govern
ment broad arrow. Every man wore CATERS
and a curiously-shaped cap, under which nc
hair was visible Occasionally one might be
seen who moved with Il certain stiffness in his
gait as if something which he would vii,
lingly have dispensed with restrained the nat
ural elasticity of his lower limbs Here and
there the monotony of the attire was broken
by the appearance OF some who Wee Dire ,>ed
in blue instead of yellow; but IL u alto
gether the dress, if comfortable and enduring.
was scarcely one which a man being o. free
agent would choose for himself
The gangs which Mrs. Miller passed on the
roadside were for the most part engaged in
handing Jumps Of turf from man to man.
They performed these duties in listlcss, per
functory manner, although, standing on the
hillside aboveevery band of workers. were two
men in long dark coats with the shining but
tons of authority, and each of these men held
rifle with fixed bayonet.
Farther away in the quarries could be seen
many other such gangs, digging delving, haul.
ing wheeling barrows, and performing other
operations needful for extracting the famed
Portland stone from the ground.
After passing various sentries, and driving
for some distance along the level ground, Mrs.
Miller's cab reached a beautiful, tall, but
tressed wall; skirting this it turned at right
angles, and very soon drew up before an i'm
posing entrance built Of gray stone, and bear
ing over the archway the royal arms of Eng
land This was the en- rance to her ma jesty's
prison of Portland
In front of it, across The road, stretched the
governors garden, still brilliant with flowers
and looking like a glorious oasis in the midst
of a barren land A man who in the dis
charge of his duties has to live ON the top of
Portland island wants garden or something
of that sort. Without it the monotony of the
place would drive him mad.
But Mrs. Miller did not even look at the
gay beds. She dismounted and after telling
the cabman to wait for her, walked boldly
through the prison gate.
She was Immediately accosted by portly,
good-tempered-looking janitor, whose gold
laced cap spoke OF superior standing He
ushered her into little waiting room Just
inside The gate, and asked her to ssate her
business Mrs MiIeI's business was to see
.,,n- ~ 1hn rnnNicts by nnma MEnricn Hnr-