The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-07-04
FIRE IN Z NUMBER TWO"

likes me. and I'm bound to marry her.
That was Charlie Manton's declaration.
@We shall see, Charles"
That was Mother Manton's discourag-
ing doubt.
Charlie Manton was not very deep
headed, He was not deep-hearted. In
bis dress he showed style" He wore
eyeglasses, sported on each cheek tuft
of soft brown whiskers, looking like two
little haystaCks that had been stuck there,
and twirled long. slender cane. He had
graduated at college. had brought home a
little polish, and could scent his language
with he perfumery of few extracts
from the poetry of foreign authors. He
fairly glittered in the sewing circle at
home. 1t was, however, the glitter of
glass, not diamonds. He had not brains
enough 10 stock an Office in one of the
professions. He was simply an attache
in the counting-room at the big mill, call
ed "assis.ant," and drawing big salary.
Just what assistance he rendered, no one
could say. think it would have puzzled
Charlie more than anyone else 10 say what
it was he did in that counting room. 'sIn-
fiuence" put him there, and Influence"
bAt t0tCitN0 W QtiEC UiuA Oub EOlJC Ia
Charlie was good-natured, he was good
and picnics, and the girls rather liked
him. At any rate, Charlie liked Ruth
Silver
Ruth was mill girl. She worked in
Number Two. She had the seftest blue
eyes, like violets that only one dash Of
dew had touched. No girl in town had
such glossy, golden curls, such cunning
mouth, such fairness of complexion, such
grace of form. In that little New Eng
land valley town most of the operatives
were Americans. Responsibility was not
tarnished as yet because person worked
in the MILL Still there was little smell
of oil and cotton waste about the term
tsmill hand that even admission to the
privileges of choir and sewing circle could
not wholly remove. Ruth sang in one
and sewed in the other. 1t was at the
Sewing Circle that Ruth and Charlie met
1t was from the Sewing Circle that Ruth
and Charlie went home together. Ruth
VISA pleased with Charlie.
There was this difference in the liking
of the two for one another: Ruth was
pleased with Charles surroundings,
rather than with Charlie, though she
knew it NOT. 1t was his social standing,
his fathers big house, his college educa-
ton, the family display on Sunday, when
the Mantons swept up the church aisle,
that Ruth was really enamored with.
Charlie was kind. Charlie bought flowers.
Charlie on sloppy days had come down
from the lofty counting room, and taking
Ruth protectingly under his umbrella, like
an oak-bough sheltering summer bud,
had escorted her home. Still, though she
knew it not. it was Charles surroundings
more than Charlie that pleased Ruth.
1t was the reverse with Charlie. Ruth's
surroundings did not please him at all.
True, he held the umbrella over her when
it Fained, but be wished the walk had
been up Central Park rather than through
mill-yard. Neither were Ruth's sur
roundiDgs liked by the young men 10
Charles set, who all smiled and shipper
ed and wore eye glasses, and each carried
little cane that needed only to be twist
ed into curl and carried behind to COM
plete their resemblance to MONKEYS
Charles set joked him about Ruth, and
bit pretty hard; that is, if soft putty can
give hard blow. There was Ruth's
father cher neither was dead) He was a.
mill-hand. No, Charles set didn't like
Ruth's surroundings; neither did Charles
mother.
She was the daughter of Judge Smith,
Judge of what, nobody knew, unless it
was to judge his neighber) Behind her
was long list of ancestors, selectmen
militia colonies, justices of the peace, reg
listers Of probate, and this stream Of aris-s
tocratic blood bad gone On flowing, swell
ing and gathering strength till the mighty
current came to head, front, a form,
in the digni6ed person, the tremendous
presence, Of Mrs Msnton. OF course, she
did not like Ruth's surroundings.
As for Ruth's father, how his drinking
habits had worried herl That was the
little worm in the honeysuckle's heart eat
ing its life gay. One night the honey.
suckle's heart received a fearful wound.
Charlie had been making an evening call
ut Ruth's home. He was about leaving
when voice WAS heard III the little pas
sageway running beside the house. There
were voices, then violent thump against
the wall; finally sound of something
heavy falling on Die kitchen floor. Ruth
guessed What it WAS Immediately. Sne
kept on talking as if nothing had happen
ed, like a robin thai keeps on singing all
the while an arrow is piercing it. Charlie
passed out, and Ruth went into the kitch-
en-. There, on an old lounge, her father
was lying, drunk. By his side sat Usher
Cowan, basin In one hand, sponge in the
other. He was bathing Mr.. Silver's face,
and Ruth saw that the water in the basin
was bloody.
@Why, Usher, what is this91
Don't worry, = said Usher, in the calm,
steady, assuring tone SO naturalto him.
But is he hurt?"
mot much. He will be all right to-
morrow"
Has he hurt anybody?
~WeH--there-there was little trouble
between him and Jack Linton. Both had
been drinking"
Jack Linioni Ruth stared. Jack be-
1oagcd to Charles set. As to habits, the
only difference between him and Mr.. Sill !
yer was that Jack went in at the back