Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-15

! their sWeetheartS, ana all OF Inese were
| now engaged in conversation with those
! they had come to see.
Half an hour passed, and then the
bottom Of Mitigate became much less
crowded for many of the operatives had
returned TO the mills with their food +,
and were eating it there. But the street
was busy enough still.
Here and there, in knots of twos and
! threes, the girls strolled about or stood
| chatting with each other, and many
| more lounged about the low wall, the
| pillars and chains. Here a couple or
| trio of young fellows exchanged light,
| bantering challenges with two or three
| gaysome wenohes; there a pair of old
Cronies, FstrIppers and grinders one
could tell from their clothes, smoked
| their pipes and talked politics, and over
the way a few thirsty ones were dropping
INTO the Star to assuage their usual mid
day thirst.
Among those who lounged by the low
wall opposite HarwOod's mills were an
old mill hand of fifty and young fellow
Of two or three and twenty, who evil
IDENTIFY followed the same occupation as
his companion, for ne wore the square
cap of paper, the trousers and vest of
white cord so common to the factory
men.
The elder of the two was a native of
Warringham; his companion was a stran-
ger to the place, having come into the
town on the previous Saturday, when he
obtained work as a ''tackler'' in Mr..
Harwood 5 weaving shed.
''WeIl, Mark - said the elder man;
"Bob Cubby, heaw dost lahke tina new
shop?'
s'Reet enough, Bob, - Mark Eliot
answered. Things look bit strange
yet, 20 know. but as dorsey an shall
lahke weel enough when an get used to
the place an the folks in it. -
''What did ovid Dicky sey toe thee this
mornin'? All seed him speykln' toe
thee.
"Owd Dicky. Who's he?''
s'Him as COON to thee when that were
examInin' that loom. That was Mester
HARDWOOD, 'Owd Dicky, we a ca
him -
"Ah, thowt it was tn manager, "
said Mark.
''Wen, DIcky Harwood is manager,
owner an everytbin heer, lad, the
old operative responded. He S woss
nor O neetmare knockin' abeawt place.
He's heeT as soon IS work starts, an
stops till it finishes. A rum card Dicky
Il
O poor mon he couldn t look after his
factories better nor 'e does, and folks
say he's as rich as Jew.
''What soart of a mester is Har-
wood?'' the younger man asked as the
other ceased speaking.
-''Oh, he mi t be better, and he NIT
be wusS, but not much. Than II know
him, lad, afore thah's bin heer lung.
He pays lower wages nor anybody in
Warringham, an he gets more eGut o.
his hands nor Others.
''Heaw is that?' Mark asked.
fWen, it's this way. He cribs
tahna, dost see. He winnot let thu en-
CINE tenter stop tn engines till four or
fahve minutes after tn rect tahma, an
he makes i'm start again toothry minutes
too soon; an instead o. gettin' an heaur
for dinner we getten summat between
fifty and fifty-fahve minutes.
Mark whistled in response TO this.
''lt's just as an tell thee, lad, and it S
she same int morning-the same at
meet. At ev'ry corner ovid Dicky stops
the mills later nor he owt to, an works
'em later.
Does the inspector never catch him at
it?'' Mark queried with interest.
eth Inspector Bob cried, angrily.
''That chaps never heer when he's
wanted; an ovid Dicky's too shearp to
get 'kopped.' Tn inspector on y comes
to tn factory abawT once in twelve
months, an he sends word when he's
comm. These heer government chaps
are no good at a. They known nOwt
abeawt factories, an they care less.
They drawn their big salaries an sey
nowt. That's their philosophy, an
mesters lahke Dicky HARDWOOD robs their
bonds fro ears end to ears end. -
Old Bob Cubby was noted throughout
the town for the depth and intensity of
his Democratic convictions, and it was his
wont of an evening while sitting in The
Star, with long clay pipe in his mouth
and pot of ale before him, to dilate on
the abuses, political, social and other
wise which ran riot i'll the country. He
began one of these dIatribes now, and
his companion let him run on without
question or comment.
Mark Eliot was indeed paving small
heed to his friend g vaporings At that
moment he was intently watching a
young mill girl, evidently a weaver, who
was crossing the broad paved space and
coming in his direction, and he lounged !
there, his heart in his eyes, let me sketch |
him, for he is to play a leading part in !
this matter-of-faot story.
AS already chronicled, he was about !
three and twenty years old but he looked |
even younger, on account of his fair |
complexion. He was rather above the |
ordinary height of men, and without be- |
ing strikingIy handsome was decidedly |
pleasant TO look upon; his frank, open |
countenRnce, large and warm gray eyes, |
faxen moustache and brown curly hair /
making of him such man as most maids |
would be satisfied in winning.
That he had Will of his own any OBJ
servant eye could have seen from the cut |
of his well-developed chin. and that he
had intelligence of no common order was
indicated by the depth and sparkle of his
eyes and by the firm expanse of white
brow which rose above them.
He had history of his own, too, had
this young fellow, but he shall tell 1t
himself presently; q character also, but
that shall be allowed TO develop itself in
the narrative. For the present let us
return to him lounging against the wall,
with his paper cap pushed back from his
becurled forehead and his expressive eyes
fixed upon the approaching girl.
No wonder Mark Eliot gaZed as he did,
for the factory wench upon whom he was
gazing was indeed beautiful. Thanks be
to Providence! beauty of face and form