Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1886-04-14
The Fact of the Matter.

"That will never do, Miss Josie
Your work does not improve much
l Observe" said chunky lndivid
ual with u sleek, coppery head,
sombre visage, and marvellous era
vat.
We had just entered the long
workroom, and he was criticall,
examining an elaborateIy braided
jersey, completed at the moment
lis there something wrong witt
the braiding?" asked Josie, an un
commonly pretty girl, with large
brown eyes and delicate lily face
"Thc braid does not follow tho
lines of the pattern, and you arc
using thread much too COARSE" tho
chunky young man said, as he still
inspected the work, and still will
the ;lir OF an experienced authori
IS.
"You instructed me yourself, Mr.
Hunt, to use none other than thai
particular thread" Josie said will
spirit, but not uncivilly.
~ think not, Miss Josie. Very
likely you have forgotten what my
instructions really were. The fact
of the matter is, our mandatory
is not quite the place for you.
am not blaming you, Miss Josie:
you are willing, no doubt, but YOU
are not strong enough for such un.
renting labor, and you cannot
help being remiss when you are
weary and Worried" Mr.. Hunt re
turned in his slow, sleek, insinua-
tive fashion.
The girl lifted her tired, pale
tt rHel a fneagalfHG iadr ihimS.. a''t she
Certainly he was not eminently
preposseSsing, with his chunky
frame, his stumbling gait, his dull
and shifting eyes. She had never
felt the smallest liking for him; she
hated the sound of his grandilo
quent and unnatulally smooth
tones; she detcsted the sight Of his
bloodless and Ishmaelitish visage.
She did not know precisely how
much authority he really had in
the mandatory; lie was always
stumbling and prying about the
building when the superintendent
CHANGED away, and she had decided
that lie must be a moneyed mem
Der Of the new firm. He did not
come intrequently to that depart
ment, and he always came with
the air of a maSter-with an air of
superior discrimination and abso
lutte authority which was obviously
meant to be very impressive.
II try not to be remiss at ALL
Josie said somewhat impatiently
and with u prompt motion to
change the spools OF her braiding
machine.
He moved little nearer to
her side; he bent so closely over bel
that his bloodless visage almost
touched her brown, pretty head.
1--WE are sure of that, Miss JOSIE
he SAID in a smooth whisper close
to her dainty ear. "You try to dc
everything that is correct and
agreeable! But the fact of the
matter is you are too delicate and
sensitive Tor our coarse and noisy
factory. But yol know am ready
to take you away-you know am
ready to make you my wife,"
With that extraordinary decla
ration he stepped back, seemed
profoundly occupied with the ami
madvertised Jersey, and awaited
her response.
But the girl looked neither fat
tered nor conciliatory; her spirited
face crimSOnedand whitened again
her large eyes blazed like flames.
"You would do me too much hon
orr she said with an unmistakablt
undcrtone of contempt somewhere
III her civil voice.
"The fact of the matter is you
callnot afford to refuse me-" he pur
sued, with the suggestion OF q
threat in his Sombre: shifting eyes
sYuu are SO incompetent, you know
that y our work is not valuable tt
us. We"
She interrupted him by a ges
ture Of inetfable sCoru.
81 can maintain myself-ant
elsewhere" said She, abruptly put
ting down her spools, and hastily
arising from her seat.
80, just as please! We can cas-
lily obtain somebody for your place
YOU know. You can come to thu
office for the trifle due you," the in
teresting young gentleman sale
with a change of aspect and will
his most insoleDtly autocratic air
AS he shamblcd away, she be
came conscious of another presenc'
tile presence of q stalwart all,
plainly dressed young fellow, VIII
occasionally came there and VIII
always had genial smile or IL hi
ofcuurteous commentator for til
pale little braider.
There he stood, beside a grea
square column, his hands full OF OF