Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-02-04

her.
She laid It away with a sigh and picked up
an old newspaper. How slow the forenoon
went
She reed down the adveI Using columns
How many beautiful things in the world, and
all for sale Somebody must have the money
to buy them or the stores wouldn't be run
ming. Where was it alll Did anybody work
any harder for it than her father and herselfl
Jane Graves opened her little pocketbook and
shook it over the table, but it was as empty
as the day she bought it
Then there came a light tap on the street
door. This must be the gentleman this
tall, elegant figure in a checked summer suit
and he actually lifted his hat to her.
my namo is Ellingsworthn
He needn't have told her; he had figured
in the girls fancy for years as the very inn
personation Of rank and wealth.
81 called about a maid. MIR. Graves gave
me leave to speak with his daughter. Is she
inF'
81 suppose / am the one. Win you come
ingn
She watched him as he crossed the room to
the nearest chair. How much lighter he
walked than she could and one might have
thought from his Inconsistencies that he had
been used to just such a miserable room as
this all his life. He showed no surprise at
her being the prospective maid servant; no
doubt he knew it all the time, and the way
he spoke was only part of his good man
Lers. But then she could not imagine his
showing surprise at anything.
There will be but little to do,n Mr. FL
lingsworth continued, looking at her face and
not seeming to see how i'll she was dressed
There is only my daughter; you may have
seen her, yesg and myself. The wages will
be small" and he named them and smiled
apologetically, as if he expected her to de-
cline. "Your father spoke TO mo as if you
did not like the factories
Out at service; well, why notf Could it be
any more degrading than the life she ivedl
and such wages, too Why, she could dress
quite prettily then; and her girlish heart
futtered. And she could leave ugly things
and rude people, and breathe perfumes and
have only graceful surroundings; what mat
ter if they were not hersa
She would be lifted right up in the very
atmosphere she longed for. Yesterday she
had envied the Ellingsworths, tomorrow she
could share their beautiful life with them.
Why not?
She lifted her bright eyes to his face. 1t
was in half profile at this moment, and she
could see his hair was just touched with gray
How could men in this world ever grow old2
He was smooth shaved, showing in full effect
the delicate, cynical curve of his thin lip and
| the clearly defined outlines of his chin. He
must have been very oddly affected by the
poverty pictured SO Enthusiastically about him
but there was not the smallest sign of it on
his well bred face
81 will CO." she said abruptly; "when do
you want me?'
81 shall be away for fortnight" he said,
rising, with his own admirable smile. "You
can come when / return"
She rose too, but could think of nothing
proper to say. But how poverty stricken she
would look in her factory clothes Her
spirits had fallen already.
"By the way" Mr.. Ellingsworth turned, as
| If a sudden business item had struck him. 1t
was a peculiar expressionless monotone he
used sometimes when on delicate subjects
that seemed to have as little personal quality
as printed page. II always pay in advance;
| be kind enough to accept your first months
wages and our bargain will be closed"
The girl found herself alone, looking at the
crisp, fresh looking bank bills he had placed
in her hands. "How thoughtful these rich
people are. They have time for it, / sup
pose"
Her wardrobe was very simple. There
hung over the back of the chair the dull
check of a merino, chosen long ago to endure
the most service with the least show of it.
On the bureau before the mirror was paper
box holding discarded ribbon or two, pink
or cardinal, and two or three pieces of cheap
jewelry the girl was too proud to wear.
''It won't take me long to pack" she said
aloud.
She suddenly took pretty attitude of lis
tening. She had closed the door into the
sick chamber in a moment more and stood in
the middle Of the sitting room when Curran
came in.
''Why, you don't look very sick, Jennie. l
have to walk 20 Lockout by 8 o'clock, but
thought l would look in just a minute"
~ am going 10 leave the mill" How pre-
occupied he seemed tonight. II am going to
leave the mill, Mr. Curran, the girl repeated
with beating heart. He might not like her
new plan, and ut the very thought Of his dis
approval she felt all her bright hopes taking
to themselves wings; and the old dreary pic
ture of factory gates and soiled calico dresses
came back.
''Going away, little girly' die seemed to
speak with a slight effort, as if his mind was
not on what he said. "Well, l suppose you
can't be any worse Off, but we shall miss
you"
And was that all he had TO say when he
thought she was going forever out Of his life
had he no reproaches for herr
II am not going far, she began hurriedly.
"There would be no use going far" lie
had seated himself on the other side of the
table from her, and rested his face on his
hand. sit is just the same everywhere.
Wherever there are a thousand souls ten viii
grind the rest. l don't suppose the rich
mean to be SO unjust, not all of them; they
don't stop to notice that they are getting all
the good things in the world. 1t never oc-
ours to them to wonder why the great earth
seems to produce only for them"
Jane Graves sat back in her chair, her
hands crossed in her lap. Why didn't he
talk about her just littlel She looked up
at his absorbed face wistfully.
"Why, Jennie, sometimes 1 get so tired
trying to stand up against it all, so sick Of