The Dickinson press., 1894-08-25
Oe39Bea3eQ a3d
~NaPorS.

SOME curiosity us Ic c:trSeu tutL utS
hands seemed encascd in very fine
lcmon-colorcd gloves; Il second look
assured me that they were merely
stained. His sons hands were similar,
but Of deeper hue. For tho first time
lord Of the Chemical Dye works.
| ''rhcy are your works. l suppose.
Mr.. Stcinlartlt." l said. that passed
after entering the villagc?'
| / was alone OH my side Of the table
and had to speak to him or be silent
YES" said he. rather abruptly Then
after Il pause: You came by that road
thcn?"
So related how had lost my way,
and how l had been struck II did not
say, "tlisagrceably'') with the impress
sion of fcrocious energy my first view
Of the valley gave me.
+" 'FcrOcious energy" he repeated
with Il smile. looking at me as If he
liked the phrase and thought the bet
ter of me for having uttered 1t. 1T Is
Il great place for industry, and 1t will
be greater yet"
asked iiim how it happened that
large mill was unused and falling in
ruins.
THAT is minc," he answered. ut is
unlucky. 1t was a spinning mill; once
one Of the floors fell through. killing
many people and twice it was burned,
all in ten years-ycs. all in ton years."
"And today it seems to have added
to its work of killing" He looked ut
me. You have not heard, perhaps" I
said"
"What::"
related what had seen and heard
''Have you heard of rhis:" glancing
| from one to another
No; none OF them had heard
Il must see to it," he said. and
stirred as if he would set out ut once;
but hc added. after dinner"
And after dinner he set out; and I
thought better Of him than I had ut
first been disposed to do because of his
kindly feeling, though it were only for
pigs.
In the drawing room, however, was
struck with the altered manners of the
family In the temporary absence of its
head. Mrs. SteinEarlt was gossipy and
kind-even motherly: Frank threw of
his awkwardness and shyness, and de-
lighted me with his skill on the piano;
while Mademoisellc LacrOix was very
bright and winsOme. Yet, now con-
versing With her and now observing
her (whcn. for instance, she sat near
Frank ut the piano., l could not hut
remark that Il look Of sadness over
spread her sweet face-Of sadness, and
as of anxiously waiting for something
or some onc-wlenevcr she was left to
her own thought. This expression
was able to account for satisfactorily
very soon.
We had been some time in the draw
Ing room when the door bell sounded
loud peal. and ut once saw that sub
dued expression Of patient waiting on
Miss LacroiX's face flash up into one Of
eager expectancy. For moment she
looked ut the door, with her pale face
paler. and listened with quick ear, till
She heard the voice of the visitor, when
her eager hope collapsed and sank into
deeper sadness than before 1t was
rich. cherry voice heard come from
the hall
rs TIL new parson Gomez" it asked
of some one.
''rhat's Jim," said Mrs. Steinhardt,
with laugh-my brother"
This, then, was the gentleman who
had come to smoke Il pipe He entered
a tall. stout. ruldy Englishman. gone
somewhat gray. He at once took pos
session of the room and of the persons
in 1t. His bright and ample presence
extinguishctl the gaudy, gorgeous furni-
turc. and his voice, instinct with hu-
NOR and un-self-consciousness, filled
the void which usually reiyncl In that
room.
"Ah," he said to me, 80 yo've come
to try AMI cliehten our TTottcntots
Ghn11f q fhintp tx1,.. tn, <1,i.
the next. Well. YOU can only do your
best you know; we'll try to max. you
comfortable and back you up. Come
all the way from London to-day, l sup
posc-have you got yourself fixed up
yet III tn village ?-what so he author
chap-A1attheW or Mark Summat or
other-call' Lancashire He'll hole
We'i, were not quite so bad as that
yet here, but We're getting to 1t. But
1t can't be helped. you know; we ha'
gone forl:lll and we nun gOr for
| rardcr. as the rabbit said when he let
tn weasel get him into a hole. Yes,
'Hell-hOlc;;' but it would be Il useful
change for you; it may give you an
idea when you want to describe to
your congregation the real-s
"Jim, lad" interrupted his sister,
you're forgetting yourself"
"Eh? Oh-ah, well I can remember.
you know, when all round about here
was as sweet and pretty Il place-I was
born back o til White Moss" Undi-
eating that locality over his shoulder),
'Toppleton way.''
Thus the full, quaint and careless
stream Of his talk flowed on, meander-
Ing about one person and another, this
subject and that. Hc seemed a we'll Of
curious and fearsOme Lancashire lore
lore Of the days when spinning and
weaving We're done in tho cottage
homes Of remote hamlets and home
steads. when Lancashire energy ap-
piled itself to useful work and not to
useless toll, when its fabrics were
made to be Worn and not merely to be
sold-tle days when the steam engine
was not yet with it's all-devouring, all
enslaving machinery.
We had talked thus for about an
hour-or rather, listened to Mr.. Birley
talk-when he paused and looked round
Che had been fidgeting in his chair for
some time)
whats got 'Manucl?" he said, ad-
dressing his sister. 'Is he stuck till
midnight in his laboratory again? Does
not seem as If that smoke was to come
off tonight. In Paurs house now it
used to be Smoke where you please
drawing room or anywhere. Poor
Paul."
was astonished and alarmed to see
Miss LacroiX rise llurrielly and glide
without q word from the room. Mrs.
Stcinhardt made as II she would fol-
low her, but she did not. She sank
back in her chair with II sigh.
Jim! Jim" she exclaimed reproacf-
fully. why will you say things when
you know the poor girl cannot bear
allusions to it:'
"Ah." said Birlcy. humbly. "Poor
lass! Her father" he explained, turn
ing to me, ''has never come back from
London. Poor PAUL." He was visibly
affected.
''Hc had to go to the law courts
,, there" said Mrs. Stcinhardt, more
than year ago. about some dreadful
business of the chemical works-he was
my husbands partner"