Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-06-05
THE MILL SPRITE.

about them to remind one OF the modest
structures that clatteringly turn into flour
the farmers grain in the country districts
farther cast. There are no farmers driving
up to the door and unloading dusty sacks
of yellow wheat while they chat with :he
miller Whole freight trains instead puff
their noisy way under massive archways
into the building, and car after car is
empticd in twinkling, each one discharg
ing its load through trapdOor in its floor
Then the cars, having been almost as
quickly loaded with flour as they were
empticd of grain, are pushed on through
another great stone archway and go forth
to carry the product to eastern markets.
In the Petition mill there was generally
one onlookor as the trains unloaled who
took no part in the work. Annie, the lit
tie crippled daughter of the janitOr limped
up and down the platform. in and out of
the mill as well as her lameness would al
dow. Brakcmcn, engineers and shippers
all had pleasant word for her. 1.-THE
mill sprite, " one engineer of poetic turn
of mind had called her and she went by
that name, even among those who did not
know what the phrase meant.
About midsummer new superintend.
9nt, Mr.. Griswod, came to the mill.
"Aron't you afraid of being caught in
the machinery?" he asked one hot even
ing, when he found Annie perched on IA
wide beam watching the wheat flow down
ward like golden river
"No; I've always lived in the mill and
go everywhere" she answered.
"Night and day too?''
EYES, it's pretter at night" she an
swered simply, and the superintendent
whose heart sometimes sweled with ad-
aniration when the great structure was
tel, 1,
He stopped a moment to watch the
swinging lever which, at "A pull from an
assistants hand, pushed back the heavy
cover to the deep bin and allowed carload
of new wheat, fresh from the prairies, to
flow like torrent into the receptacle.
" 'Twoud be death to be under that
shower" MIR. Griswold said half to himself
and passed Oh.
A few evenings afterward, when she
was left alone by her father in the janitor's
nestlike quarters in the front of the mill
Armies thoughts called up this remark of
the superintendent about the stream of
wheat just then she heard low, rum
bling sound in the distance. Another
train of wheat was coming. 1t would be
unloaded in the night. She started for
the door to see it roll past and gided out
along dark wall toward the tracks.
Just before she came to a corner she
heard low voices from around the turn.
Two men were whispering hoarsely.
"The last night Of the month always
brings it, you know" one said.
Yes, but how can we git to it? Tn
watch will be on"
"Thats all right I've been studying
The thing, All the superintendent is here
alone tonight The Office men are sick. "
The roar of the train was coming nearer
and the men raised their voices.
'He may show fight an ring in an
alarm" said the second speaker.
"No danger, was the reply. 1t came
so sharply that it seemed to be Kissed in
the Others ear 1T won't take more than
a minute to settle him. Well jest wait
till TIL train is in, an
Whir whizz! came the noisy freight.
The engine threw out millions of sparks
Jas it tugged up the incline, and all sounds
but its roar were drowned. Nothing was
Gistinguishable until the long line of laden
cars had disappeared beneath the black
arch in the wing of the mill, and then
Annie heard again;
"Don't get scared now. It'll work all
fright" Then the voices ceased
Presently she peeped anxiously around
the corner. Nothing was visible now but
the silent, dark walls, with CLEANS of light
coming through the scores of windows.
She wished her father was there and was
still more nervous when she remembered
that he would not be back until midnight.
She thought over the mems words, the
last night Of the month"
The meaning had not struck her at first.
Now it occurred to her that they were talk
ing about the hundreds of dollars which
were in the SUI erntendent's hands to pay
off the employees on the morning of the
first of the month. He was alone as the
amen had said. She knew that the force
was small that night because of illness.
THESE men were going to rob Mr.. Girls
wold She must go and warn him. But,
whatever thoy meant 10 do, it would hap
pen "when the train was in" And al
ready it had come to a standstill on the
dump platform
Annie seized her bonnet, to protect her
brown hair from the flying flour, and, not
daring to go outside and attempt to climb
the long railway trestle in the darkness
turned through a small door into the
depths Of The mill and started for the su-
perintendent's Office.
Although she had often been in the mill
at night it had seldom been in this direc-
dion, and her progress was somewhat I'M
certain Pulling back her dress from con-
tact with the mighty wheels, stopping over
shafts and limping along beams that con
naoted narrow platforms, she struggled on
IN the hot and dusty half darkness. Once,
In her excitement, she lost her way, and
then, just rs "A dull roar told that the first
car of wheat had been dumped, she found
1t again, and IN IA moment more was at
3he door of tho superintendent Office
Impatiently she pounded on its panels
There was no respon Q. Strengthening her
poor little body to its greatest height, she
knocked again, and then, with both thin
bands, tried the latch. 1t yielded, and the
heavy door swung slowly inward. She
glanced quickly around.
Mr.. Griswold was not there. The doors
of the safe in which the money was kept
were closed, and she reflected that the
small night force was probably assisting
In tho nnnannl Ia aL nf nnlnadinn tho trni n