The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-07
HARD WATER.
"Tha'll live to rue it.. F"

ms. Aw cannot help not lovin thee. >
Nav, an tina cannot help lovin
somcb'dy else, con Ia? Tha'll live to rue
. it, Aw tell thee, an so will that hupstart
! tha's sect thy heart on-mind that
! The girl addressed blushcd family,
! but did not hang her head. Rather she
lifted it, with Il proud look which. de
! spite her working shawl, plain black
| hat and somewhat pasty white com
: plexion-thc common heritage of mill
girls-lcnt something quecnly to her
| whole appearance.
! Had you seen Rachel Swami on Sun
| day as she walked, with her Bible and
| hymnbook, TO the Methodist Sunday
school to teach her class YOU would
scarcely have known her. Dressed in the
latest style-or the latest that had per
colatcd 10 the provinccs-from the
tips III her hat and the fall which
!! expressed rather than hid her delicate
features. to her neat little shoes, She
looked, what she WAS. IL lady. And had
YOU seen her. at the chanel door after
evening service. without ado or even
greeting beyond Il mutual look Of salts
faction, meet Il pleasant faced young
man and walk away by his side. Won
would have been in possession of the
sccret-nO secret noW--that james sum
! ner, assistant cashier at MCSSrS Peel :
mill, and Rachel Swami wore keeping
company.
Jim Sumner had started life as Il half
timer and little picccr; but, naturally
an intelligent lad and q great favoritc
with the schoolmastcr, he had. in spite
of the great disability of beginning to
earn his living at 10, made such GOOD
use of his opportunities that he WAS
early taken into the office and was
not quite :" looked up to- by right think
ing folk as :, man who could addlc
(cun) his brass out tallllin his coat
off. > Moreover, he was junior ''chapcl
steward ut the Methodist chapel. and
altogether a man any girl in that place
might he proud to keep company
with.
That Rachel was proud of her lover
everybody knew. They had only made
il up Il short time ago and had walked
III public less than u fortnight when the
above conversation took place. Tho man
for such he considered himsolf-who
threatened TO max her rue was con
sidcrably Older than herself. and an
'ovcrlooker" ut the mill in which they
all worked. He had long forced his at
tentions upon Rachel, who while Civ
ing him no encouragement, had not alb
sOlutely repulScd him until she heard
that he did Il little private bookmaking
among the youths and young men in the
great mill. Until then she had regarded
him as Il decent fellow and shranll from
hurting his feelings, hoping he would
desist i'll time and give it up us IL bad
job. She did not know Jabcz Smcthurst
He was the sort of man whose love can
turn to bitter hate, and now, both
against the girl and the man he deemed
his supplanter, his rage burned fierccly
'Awm fair miserable at my work,
jim. now, said Rachel as she walked
with her lover from his mothers cot
tagc along the embankment of the great
reservoir.
Why how's that my lass: Aw
thought tina wur all rect now an grade
~ set up wi four looms an averagin 10
an Il wik, )" for, though Jim was an
assistant cashier he dropped, like his
lady love, into his native Doric on all
familiar occasions, IAN thu' towd me
that even thy cross grained ovid aunt
could spcyk civil now
Aye Aw was fain cnuf, Jim, but
Eth, lad, Aw can hardly tell 20, Awe
kept it to myscl for days. but Aw can
not bear it no longer. TIL overlookcr's
ta'en one o my looms off me an says
he tax another if Aw don't mend my
| work -
"Dost mean ,Jabc Smethurst? Anvil
! sec that rect, he 'cr heed Rachel And
| as they had passed the railway station
! which stood at the upper end of the res
| crvoir and were in Il somewhat secluded
| place he put his arm around her waist
drew her to him and kissed her fondly
Say nowt, Jim. Itll do no good
! CATER thinks wccl o. Jabc He hcarkcns
| TO him as if Jabc knew cverythin an him
nowt. An it does look as if my work;
was bad for he gives me such bad
| soarts at Aw con on'y do half what
| t'othcrs con, an my aunt says who'll
gle me tn key o tn street if Aw cannot
| addlc more nor a little wcnch. It's piece
work, tha' knows. -
Ayc-wcll. nc'er heed. my lass. ks
mas II soon he here, an we'll get wed rs
soon as tn New Yer comes III. AVN
| gcttin GO Il week now, an Aw III prom
3scd il rise wi tn New Yer.
|
| a month had passed Poor Jiml All
mis- fair hopes seemed blightcd. Bromley
Bros. Il firm III the ncighborhood with
| whom Messrs. Peel occasionally did
business, i'll checking their handbook
found themselves dcbitcd with an
amount paid by check to Peel q Co, for
| which they could find no CORRESPONDING