New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-10
HARRIS'S SMALL PRIVILEGE
A STORY OF NEW-ENGLAND.

down so pretty exactly like poka-dots
Mis- Judson made this remark to woman who
had come in TO receive some additional lnstruc-
1ion about the making Of a basque. The garment
had been cut the day before and carried home.
The seams had been laboriously sewed up. and
when the BASQUE tried on horror and despair
had taken possession Of the makers heart. AS she
said There want no kind of set TO it.. / might
as well be sausage and done with it, so fur's
doure's concerned-and l extra particular
about this waist for my cousin from Borston's
comm down, and I've told her so much about
Won bein' such a cutter n filter YOU know"
This reference to her "cuttin' and ittin'" pow
crs quite stimulated the dressmaker.
She put down her lapboard. rose and took the
waist. holding it of little for her eyesight was
carly beginning to fail. though she would not
yet wear glasses.
"Thirty-fve was too young" she said. for any
woman to tie herself up to spectacles "
For mercy's sake" she cried out. after a
moments survey NO wonder there want no
fl 70 il. You've ben and put one of the side
backs next to the front How on earth did you
do ito You Jest rip it out. and then we'll see
if can fit a dress or not.
Mrs. Morse looked crestftllenl The lana
knows" she said mildly, 81 amt no hand at
dressmakin' but l didn't know | was as bad
as that"
She stopped in the entry to put on her rub
Der shoes. ao
THAT snow YOU think S much Of has made
borrid passin' she said III be over aGin
Miss hudson nodded. She was down at her
,anboard and bastng with that phenomenal RAPID,
inv which is acquired by hand long accustomed
TO the work. - tho
The time was April. in the early part OF inc
month. For two weeks the weather hau 0e'. ."
mild as May The ground had been O"le ?.n
a thaw in February until the previous ,ho
when a SOFT big-haked snow hao i"i''N "
depth Of two or three inches -, oo,,o nm
This mornings sun. however n"u Sr;uninr
fervcntly, and caves and trees VIZ ,.is;hIo
andy Already patches of ground were NlSiol';
~ 80 chic ro+e long before night the snow "oulu
- ror. II was a day to tempt one to go 10 one
onen door and sniff the air In eas'iN''''
for a scent of starting greenery -, Che
,,; Iudson felt the spring upon her' ""o
- ;,,,atient with this silk dress when sne wac
.,otinc over the second time for her pni'ii''
In. I, was unusual for Miss Judson 10 ieoe''
.,or ever so slightly, at her work
IIer sister. who lived with her, was spen"ins V"o
nv - ,be Tincley neighborhood and had gone
Tho stare which came along at CLOCK III
the morning ..r- Gov tho dress-
~. ohsance rendered il necessary LOT uHe uieeo
IT, 20 ret her own dinner, when Was coiu
'a,,od loef and potatoes made into hash' Inns
,,,i0, does u1t sound very apPuznle' puV
Me- hudson was not used 70 anything oe''ei' on"
- ,r.s sure TO he hungry for her midday meal
r, .rn continued to shine out of SKY that
WAS the real blue Of spring. ,,.,
When Miss Judson had washed ohe ie" uisie'
sN. tried 70 sit down 10 her work again. out she
,ras restless and her basting cotton snarIeu anu
broke constantly .I,., ro,r,
e. ri, breath Of fresh air. amt ben ouV Vhe
house sence Sunday
As She put on her shawl she decided sne "ou'a
20 down that cartpath by the riVer' III '''V
case she would need her rubber boots.
Tho Mace was on the edge Of a wool ana COTTON
manufacturing town in that part of MASSACHUSETTS,
- horaers IN Rhode Island A small hamlet
nod cro,cn In around a woollen mill which was
called "Harris's Small Privilege from the fac'
that Harris had large privilege for mills on the
main stream few miles away. At INST only 'ne
mill WAS called by this name, but gradually 'ne
settlement itself was thus designated, Duo was
rspaIlv mentioned as the Small privilege
Some neople who had not time TO pronounce "orus
smoke hastily Of going TO the Small, ana at o'li9
noint abbreviation could naturally go no iurVnel.
II was not an interesting spot, save as al
localities have kind Of charm at certain seasons
~ tho year There was a hudde of houses, small
and red-roofed, where the operatives hVed,
4 little distance up the stream was the Judson
la Tho bon.e was a small low-roofed farm
b6nso that had been on the spot scores OF years
before the mill had been thought OF. Inc o"i"'
and the corn bin had been allowed to faIi 10 peo''
The last two male Judsons had smftlessy ieV ",'
fhaSp
acres slip into other hands, ana tneSc WV go
were now all that were left. They woulu nc 'i'
"Judson girls if they lived 70 DE d h""''eD'
lane. the elder, kept house, and Margaret 'iie
dressmaker. managed TO bring IN money ehous"
TO support both .,.,o.,i.r ,bon
Without having much more educa,ion ''"N
MANY of the mill hands, or more worthy Po'o'p
sions. the Judsons held themselves ni9"oi
,yould have been a great blow had either Dceh
s,,,irod n work in the mill, and far worse now
tban IN the earlier existence OF that great DilcN
s.rnn,uro Al first the workers had been poor
NcwEngland people mostly, but now a large pro-
,or,ion were ignorant French Canadians VINO
Tid not care much how they lived, ana WHO
.,vafT1ed after hours among the tenement-hou6es
and iabbered in an unknown tongue. lhey """
ouu dark faces. with small, inky black eyes
SOMETHING'S there would be lovely childs lace
,oor oroopo them. but as the child grew the lace
usually changed for the worse. The Yankees anu
~. Kauucks7 did rot minglc and did not muc"
love each other. 49,
Mis-. hudson walked along the field back OF her
home until she came 10 the cart-path WHICH c''
for some distance by the stream that was now lull
10 It's uttcrmost limits, and rushing along towaru
tie mill whose machinery she could sometimes near
when puff OF warm wind came up toward her'
The western sunlight fell on the river ana on INC
path In the air the ndescribable odor Oh
spring and the dressmaker inhaled the soft at
mospherc with pathetic eagernesS She even iouhd
herself looking on the sodden brown ground 10 see
if there were sign VI any green thing. Al hei
IL Ii fle nuIalI. NlNlN