Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-28
MEG THREDGOLD.
AN EXCITING STORY BY FLOR
ENCE WARDEN,
The Author of The House On The Marsh

4 Hhopelessly in love with Meg Thredgold
~ As 1t was fell a victim to her gray-blue
te8E eyes and blonde hair long before / had
had any chance of discovering what a thor
ou2hiy good. air-minded girl she was, and
what particularly practical and prosaic view
OF life she took out Of those poetical eyes.
Meg was the child Of the overseer Of n coal
mine, shrewd, hard-headed man who had
worked his way up and who stood very high in
the estimation of his employers. Some dis
turbances in the coal district having brought
the subject of the mines prominently before
the public mind had been sent north by the
editor of an illustrated paper to take sketc hes
OF the affected districts on the spot. Zech
Thredgold had been very good to me and had
not only initiated me into all the mysteries Of
the limestone pit, where his own work lay, but
had allowed me to visit his home and so to be-
come acquainted with the girl whom, dared
not confess, 1 wanted to make my wife,
She knew it, of course. But Meg was a
model OF discretion, and received my timid
hints and half avowals with a bland and i'm
perturbabie calmness which was rather discon-
certlng, the more so as the senior partner OF
the firm which owned the Bluestone pit was a
constant visitor at the overseer's unpretendng
little home
do you like that old Sebort Corringham,
MeGT" l asked her one day. when l had been
more than usually irritated the evening before
by the ogling glances which the senior partner
mad cast ut my divinity.
There was. unhappily, nothing indicative Of
tender friendship between us in the fact Of
my calling her by her Christian name She
had been just Meg Thredgold to all her ac-
qualn;ances from her earliest years. and my
iirst attempts to address her more formally had
been snubbed as presumptuous. She had been
washing the family table linen and was fasten-
ing II up with pegs on clothes line at q little
distance from the grimy-looking red brick
house which was her rdiculously unsuitable
home. The whole neghborhood was unsuita-
bic for her. l glanced around on the dreary
landscape, the barren. black-looking moor with
scarcely u tree-with here and there, on a spot
blacker than the rest, q wheel high above the
ground denoting the shaft OF coal pit-the
rows ana groups of dingy miners cottages and
at the notwithstanding creatures who nodded
to Meg in passing, as if she had been one of
themselves. By what miracle had Meg OBJ
tanned, among such surroundings. the COM
plexion OF a rose and the carriage OF a queen?
In the meantime she was giving lesurely
answer to my question.
DO like Mr.. CorrinSham? Why, of course
do. He's very good to father and thinks a
lot of him. Look at the way he'll come in and
have supper or cup Of tea with him. That's
a great condescension in gentleman OF Mr..
Corrlngham's position
side, think. What pleasure could his society
give any oney You know very well why he
comes. Meg"
was by this time enveloped in table
cloth which, in wild endeavor to make my
self useful, had been endeavoring to fasten
up with peg on the clothes line. Meg stood
watching my struggles with sedate anuse-
ment. l was annoyed with her for being
vain enough to be pleased with my insinua-
tons.
Don't you know" went on irritably.
chats he's hard bad man. and that he mar
RED girl years ago who ran away from him?
Perhaps she lis alive now. 1t wouldn't be very
safe thing for another woman to marry him"
l finished spitefuilv.
Meg took the tablecloth from me and an
swered me with her usual delberation:
Mr.. CorriDgham would find plenty of women
to tabe their chance at that, expect. He's got
&c, 900 year, you know. And to be hard isn't
the same as to be bad, Mr.. Bell. And as for the
girl he married running away, why it isn't
always the husbands fault when that happens"
"And you don't mind a little risk for the
sake of 5000 year, l see, Miss Thredgold"
II haven't had 1t offered me yet. Mr.. Bell
said Meg. dryly. Fortunes don't get thrown
aDout quise so freely rs people seem to think.
&c. 900 yeai?'
You're more worthy OF it than any girl
know, had to admit. ''You wouldn't fill a
great position ans the less well for being able
to wash up tea things
That's what Mr. Corringham SAYS"
ION, MIR. CorrinCham be hangedl''
unluckiIy, as uttered this wish in no very
| subdued tone the person whom it concerned
happened TO be on has way to Zech Thredgold's
house and so near as to overhear my words
Meg caught sight OF him first and. to my pas
sionate Indignation, greeted him with a smile
at least as cordial d. that she had bestowed on
me. l gave him curt salute, which he re-
turned more CURLY still.
Sebert Corringham was thick-set man, un-
der the middle height, with face which in
repose looked as II it had been carved out of
| wood, but which was capable OF plenty of
strong expression when his passions were
aroused. He treated me to q stare of infinite
contempt as l raised my hat to Meg, ana with
! the excuse that l must be off to my work
| turned hastily away. When reached tie lane
at the bottom of the hill, however, found
that Mr.. Corringham had, by a short cut, got
| there first
He stood waiting for me, with his hands in
bis pockets his feet planted wide apart and a
look OF stubborn resolution on his face. l
would have passed him without word, but
this l saw he determined not to let me
do.
Hey there, Mr.. Palette-and-brush. a word
wi ye, if you please"' he cried imperiously,
on my approach.
l stopped short and waited for the threatened
word, which came without delay.
You're sneakin' after that lass, Meg Tired
gold, up yoader.' he said with Jerk of his
head in the direction Of Zech's home.
I'm not sneaking after her; I'm going to see
her openly day after day, whenever get the
chance, because l want her to be nv wife"
| answered defanty. "And / don't see how
you yourself could have o better object for
your visits"
maybe haven't one go good" returned
MIR. Corrlngham with an unpleasant dryness
OF tone, "but that's neither here nor there.
take an interest in the girl; I'm her fathers
employer, and don't approve Of young men
OF your sort philandering about her."
II don't see what your approval has to do
with the matteri" / said haughtily
Don't youy" said Corringham, with hard
chuckle. Call on Zech tonight and you'll see.
On the other hand, if you're wise you'll be con-
tent to take my word for it and save the young
lady some awkwardness."
Perhaps the awkwardness will turn out to
be for you" said /, incensed at the mans
coarse presumption. 'You make six thousand
year, don't make six hundred, but
haven't the ill-treatment Of a young wife on
my conscience, nor the possibility of her turn
ing up again at an inconvenient moment to
haunt me-"
This taunt, which l delivered with all the
force and point of which was capable, caused
my rival to turn livid with rage.
"fou -cockney whelpm he said, in q low
thick voice, with his teeth set fast
his nrst impulse seemed to be to attack nv
person; and although much taller than he, I
should nave stood poor chance against his
muscular force. But he restrained himself, and
hxeo upon me look OF triumphant malice
which made me far more uneasy than a blow
would have done. Then with another dry
chuckle he walked off his bsrds o,a;, 4; ~.