The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-11-20
A FACTORY ROMANCE.
ny LULU n HANDLE

Aesi I've boen factory girl
said Annie Holmes, in response to my
question. 1T seems queer, don't it,
but folks kind O. look down on factory
girls Now, some o. the girls at
Drumleys' was nice as any girls. OF
course some of 'em was dressy, an
talked an laughed loud, an liked 70
promenade the streets evenings to
show of their fnery; but they never
meant no harm by it, as l could see.
''Some O. 'em, too, used 10 leave tho
shop in work hours, or stand al look
out o the windows an gossip; and
Drumley Bros. didn't like that. They
wanted the machines in use All the
work hours. They had cross little
Dutchman. named Yoelker. for q fore
man an machinist, an whenever he'd
come in from the engine-room an
ketch 'om at the windows, he'd scold
EN- an though the girls laughed OF
him, an iawod back sometimes, they'd
always go back to their machines
''But when it come to locking 'em
into the building in work hours, to
keep EN- there, the girls didn't like it
bit Drumley Broa had q high
picket gate made an fixed in the
street doorway, an that was kept
locked from quarter. past Z till II an
from quarter-past l till G. An my |
wasn't the girls mad
"Of course the quieter girls didn't
say much; but the others did. They'd
sing, an you could hear it plain above
the hum of $50 machines or so: Wen
hang Drumley's gate on the sour apple
tree; ; an so on. That made Voelker
mad. He'd stop the machines (you
see they was all run by steam, an
THROWN off belt nd stop 'em all)
an it 'ud get still all at once, an
everybody'd look up jest as innocent
to see what was the matter. An then
he'd scold, an the more he said the
madden he'd get But they'd sing il
again.
FINALLY, some OF the holder girls
went to Drumley Bros. an com
planned about it. They said they
wasn't cattle to be shut in with higl
gate, an if il wasn't took down they
go out on a strike. So the firm
agreed to take the gate down, but KEEP
the door locked instead. That didn'
seem quite so aggravatin', but som'
folks said, what ii there'd be fire, tn,
girls 'ud all be crushed to death il
that narrer stairway before the doc
could be opened; an I expect j
wasn't safe.
"You seem to like to listen, so II
tell you all about Willie, if you like
never told nobody before, an 20
mustn't ever tell it again, will you?
"Well, if you won't give no names
But they'll think somebody was awfu
silly, though. Willie was the cler
that used to give out the work, al
keep count O. what we took an wha
we brought back.
'All the girls liked him, he was s
bright and kind, an handsome, too
he was most always iokin' an laughil
with 'em, and maxim the strange one
feel at home right away. He VIZ
business, too-when you'd fetch bac
your work he'd stand behind his des
an say, Number, please?' IAN
knew he must known mine by hear
an he'd put everything down inst
careful. I used to so like to loo
over the top OF his book an waite
him mark it down with his shar
pencil - be wrote 80 true a.
pretty, an made such beautiful fiji
ures, prettier'n print. He was a GOO
boy, too-he went to church regla
him an'-his sister. Sometimes
took somebody elso-no, you needr
look at me that a'way-'twasn't m