Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-03-04


Poor Jiml He did not wait to meet
his chapel folks and intimates. He just
kissed his widowed mother, who would
not have believed towt again Jim" on
the testimony Of an archangel, and went
out into the frosty air, straight to the
station and away to a town 80 miles
distant, to make fresh start. His
sweetheart was still in the mill. He
ought, of course, to have waited for her
and told her. But he didn't He would
write She would learn soon enough
The village would buzz with the news
as though the new ''hooter' had pro-
claimed it by nightfall. And it did
There were girls who seemed glad to
tell Rachel, and when she fared up and
said:
"Yo' know as well as Aw do'at Jim
ne'er did it, . they only replied:
"Well, he's ta'en his hook, at any
rate. Yo'r Aunt Bet seed him goo an
says good riddance to bad rubbidge.
She doesn't seem to think as weel O.
Jimmie as her niece does What could
Rachel say? She went home with rage
in her heart against her aunt, and some
thing like resentment against her hover
for hasting away without word to the
girl who could have died for him. All,
little did she think, yet even now a dead
misery had taken possession of her.
"Well, Miss Proudie, an how's thy
fine gentleman naa?' (Aunt Bets own
lad had had hopes of the 'soffice" once,
but had turned out wastrel; hence her
bitterness. "Aw thout wot it 'ud be.
Some fowk can't stand gettin up i tn
world. Pride'll hev fa', an thy whip
persnapper's come cropper, at ony
rate. "
In tongue warfare Rachel was no.
where. Besides Aunt Bet wasn't worth
answering. Then, that very day, the
overlooker had threatened to reduce her
to two looms and had humbled her SO
terribly before the other weavers that
all the spirit seemed clean gone out of
her. She went to bed, but not to sleep.
The ''knocker up had an easy task
next morning. That day was the black
est of many black ones during the past
few weeks, and now no lovers comfort
awaited her. Everything went wrong.
The stuff wouldn't weave. Her looms
seemed bewitched. The overlooker over
looked with vengeance.
"Yo'u start on two looms tomorn, !"
he said. ''Think on thatl Awe lots a.
wenches O. IA at weave better nor thee
an do moor wark on two looms tan tha'
con O. three. -
-r,oc 4I,o Loot etroxu Che 1o,>o ,,o@
face Aunt Bet and her sneers.
"Oh, Jim, Jim,' was the cry of her
heart, sswhy couldn't you say word to
me?" For when her heart spoke it cried
for Jim, and not for looms. Coming out
of the hot mill it was bitter cold She
drew her shawl over her head and hur-
ried away-not to the place she called
''home. ;" She scarcely knew where she
went. A hopeless despair weighed on
her sensitive spirit Tears, unchecked
and unheeded, dropped as she walked.
Anywhere, anywhere, out of the
worldp' would have been her exclama-
ton could she have expressed her deep
est wish. Suddenly she found herself on
the top Of the reservoir embankment.
The moon was shining upon the water,
which sparkled and shone with crys-
talline brilliance.
There's nowt left to live for, an
won't 1iver' and, casting her shawl
from her, she threw herself from the
embankment. There was a sharp, ring
ing sound. The moon shone on, and all
was still.
"Now, Aw wonder what's come out
about this money!" thought Jim Sum
ner as he struck the reservoir bank on
his way from the station home Folks
are fain to stay in toneet, Aw reckon.
AVN glad nob'y'll see me till Awe
cleared myself clearin it is-and
what can TIL masters ha' taken tn trou-
BILE to get my address fro mother--for
no dby else knew it-an telegraph for
me to come instantly, if it's not? My,
but tn frost has bin keen this two daysl
Aw'll bet tn lodge II bear" So saying,
he ran down and tried it with his foot
and, finding it safe, walked a distance
/ on the margin.
"What's that? Good heavensI' He
had stumbled over the prostrate form Of
a woman lying few feet from the en-
bankment. The ice was starred in every
direction where her head had struck it,
''Poor wenchl' He turned her over, and
the moons light fell upon face he had
often kissed He reeled as though he had
received the blow that made the blood
| flow from that marble brow. How cold
she wasl But she breathed. He picked
her up and carried her, he knew not
how, up the bank and away till he stag
| gered into his mothers cottage.
Gould she be in better hands? Still
unconscious, but with signs of returning
animation, he left her and hastened to
the mill. The lights still burned in the
office. The masters were seated by the
fire, and in the background sat the mes
senger and Jabez Smethurst.
t'How d'ye do. James-you got our
wire?"
''I did, sir, thank you.
"Boy, tell us again what you told
this morning" Whereupon the penitent
lad, with fearful looks at Jabez, told
how the overlooker had terrorized him
about small betting debts; how, at his
instigation, he had obtained blank
check from the office lad at Bromley 81;
how Jabsz had filed it in, copying the
writing from another of Bromley's S
checks; how he had presented it with
the rest at the bank and got the cash.
The sequel was known and did not need
recounting. Jabez swore it was parcel
Of lies, but the boys evident sincerity,
revelations Of Jabez' bookmaking trans
actions and later Rachel S account of her
rejection of his suit. and his subsequent
threats and persecution, convinced the
masters of Snethurst' guilt. They sim
ply discharged him and eased their con-
seriousness of Jim's overhasty dismissal
by raising his salary to e150 year.
The folks who cheered happy pair
and pelted them with rice did not see a
scar on the brow of the bride, for it was
covered by her bridal veil -Tit-Bits
A Humming Birds Umbrella.
In front Of window where worked
last summer was butternut tree. A
Jxs,.d 1a,4,14 - ,,x,ck -.