Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-29
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
PROLOGUE CHAPTERS 1 AND II.-Early one
snowy morning in busy Lancashire town, two
mill girls going to work discover a dead woman
and baby lying in an entry in the snow. The
child is taken charge OF by one OF them, Polly
Pemberton, who is about to be married. Dan
Ashton, one of the mill hands, who comes up at
the time searches the pockets of the dead woman
and discovers so ne papers. In an interview he
has that night with his employer, Mr.. Richard
HARDWOOD. the mill owner, he informs him that
the dead woman was the widow OF his brother,
Mr.. George Bentham Harwood, who had died in
America. and the baby is Mr.. Richard Harwood's
niece. Dan, who had been in America, was
present at the wedding, and the papers he had
secured were the certificates of the wedding, and
the baptism of the child. Mr.. HARDWOOD, who is
afraid of being dispossessed OF. his wealth, buys
Dams silence with cheque of Gl00 down and 81
per week for life.
THE SToRy-CHAPTERs I. AND U.-Eighteen
years have rolled on since the prologue, and
Nellie PembeTton, the infant, has grown into a
fine, handsome young woman. She is beloved
by many, but at present she is heart-whole.
Mark Eliot, a mechanic employed st the same
mill, at last meets her, and case OF love at
first sight ensues. As he is mending her loom,
which had just broken down, fire occurred in
neighboring mill belonging to Mr.. HARDWOOD,
and something like panic ensues.
CHAPTERS III. AND IVA scene of wild con-
fusion ensues. and the hands hastily epdeavOr
to leave the burning building. Nellie Pember-
ton returns to the mill to rescue friend of hers,
Annie Farrimond, who had been left behind,
and shortly afterwsrd she is seen on the roof of
She burning mill. Mark Eliot sees her peril and
resolves to rescue her at the risk Of his life.
CHAPTER y.-NELLIE S ADVENTURE.
Turning away from little Peggy Uns-
worth, Nellie Pemberton hurried up the
lowermost of the five stairways of the
burning mill on the errand of friendship
and mercy she had so willingly set her
self to do.
At that moment no thought crossed the
girls mind that her self-imposed under
taking was likely to entail upon her any
great personal risk, for at that time the
conflagraton had not assumed danger
GUS proportions, and she had jumped to
the CONCLUSION that it would be only the
work Of a few minutes to rush up to the
story in which her friend was and aid her
10 leave the mill.
Up the first, second and third fight of
stone stairs Nellie sped without meeting
a person upon them, and when she passed
the landing of the fourth story she could
see the flames flashing inside the room,
could hear the hoarse voice of the mill
owner directing the operations of his
men.
But the operatives and their master
TO extinguish the fire to notice the flying
form of the pretty wench as she tripped
across the landing and ran up the next
staircase.
In half q minute moro Nellie had
reached the topmost room of all, the
sixth storey, in which Annie Farrimond
worked, and was making her way
towards that part Of the room in which
she expected to find her friend.
The condition of the room afforded am
pie testimony as to the confusion that
had prevailed when the alarm of fire was
raised, for every pair Of twining mules
was in a disordered condition, as they
had run on for short time after their
mindera had rushed helter-skelter from
the place.
Right to the further end of the long,
low room, Nellie ran, and there, behind
the last pair of mules, she discovered
Annie lying unconscious, near the wall
where she had reeled and fallen, when
the cry of fire rang out, and her work
mates had fed panic stricken.
It was easy to understand how the
senseless girl had got left behind. AS
she worked at the further extremity of
the room, no one, save Peggy Unsworth,
had seen her faint, and the overlooker
of the twining mules could not see her
when he glanced hurriedly about the
place after the stampede had been made,
and before he left the place.
ANNE Farrimond lay all of heap,
Just as she had swooDed away, and her
thin, delicately carved face was as white
almost as IL she were dead. Bare
necked, bare footed, with her slender
white arms barred also to the shoulder,
the senseless girl lay there, breathing
heavily, as if she were in a troubled
sleep.
Lifting the fragile girl in her strong
arms, Nellie raised her to sitting pos
thre. and calling upon her name ten
derlE, and clasping her cold hands ,strove
TO awaken Annie from her stupor.
But as these means did not prove sue
cessful, she bethought her of another
plan, and placing the girl in a Tecum-
bent position, she darted TO one of the
water taps in the room, filled one Of the
operative cans with the cool liquid, and
returning to her friend, commenced to
battle her temples.
In little while this treatment had the
desired effect. and Annie slowly came
back TO her senses.
"What's the matter, Nellie? What
are you doin' here?'' the girl asked, as
her eyes allghted on her friend who was
kneeling beside her.
''Don t yo' remember faintin when
they said the mill was on fire? T'others
run and left yo', and it was Peggy
Unsworth as towd me abeawt it. Then
ah run up heer too help thee" Nellie
replied, in the rough homespun of the
district.
"An't fre?" Annie asked, look of
fear again filling her pale blue eyes.
Its int bottom mule room, an
they re putin il eawt. There s nowt toe
be frickent on, an think. Dos't think
than con walk neaw? Come on, an
never mahnd tina plooas. -
Annie took a hearty drink of the wa
ter in the can, threw a shawl over her
shoulders, and then as quick as the girl e
strength would permit, thew hurried
from the room.
Out Of the top story and down the
highest fight of stairs the two mill
girls proceeded, never dreaming of what
they were to meet at the bottom of the
next stairway. The work of recusitating
the overpowered girl had taken up a
considerable time, and during its pro-