The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-03-02
HARD WATER.

ina IL i've TO rue IL.
"Well, Aw cannot go again my feel
ms, Aw cannot help not lovin thee. "
Nav, an tina cannot help lovin
SOMEBODY else, con ia? Tha'H live to rue
| it, Aw tell thee, an so will that hupstart
tka's sect thy heart on-mind that. !"
The girl addressed blushed family,
but did not hang her head. Rather she
lifted it, with proud look which, de-
spite her working shawl, plain black
hat and somewhat pasty white COM
| plexion-the common heritage of mill
| girls-lent something queenly to her
whole appearance.
Had you seen Rachel Swami on Sun
day as she walked, with her Bible and
hy1nnbook, 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-
colated to the provinces-from the
"tips" in her hat and the "fall'' which
expressed rather than hid her delicate
features, to her neat little shoes, she
looked, what she was, lady. And had
you seen her, at the chapel door after
evening service, without ado or even
greeting beyond a mutual look of salts
faction, meet pleasant faced young
man and walk away by his side, you
would have been in possession of the
secret-no secret now-that James Sum-
ner, assistant cashier at Messrs. Peel's
mill, and Rachel Swami were keeping
company.
Jim Sumner had started life as halt
timer and little piecer; but, naturally
an intelligent lad and great favorite
with the schoolmaster, he had, in spite
of the great disability of beginning tc
earn his living at 10, made such good
use of his opportunities that he was
early taken into the ''office'' and was
not quite Cooked up to- by right think
ing folk as man who could addle
(earn) his brass 'out takkin his coat
off Moreover, he was junior "chapel
steward" at the Methodist chapel, and
altogether man any girl in that place
might be proud to keep company
with.
That Rachel was proud of her lover
everybody knew They had only "made
it up" short time ago and had walked
in public less than a fortnight when the
above conversation took place. The man
for such he considered himself-whc
threatened to ''mak' her rue" was con.
siderably older than herself, and al
"overlooker' at 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 repulsed him until she heard
that he did little private bookmakine
among the youths and young men in the
great mill. Until then she had regarded
him as a decent fellow and shrank from
hurting his feelings, hoping he would
desist in time and give it up as bad
job. She did not know Jabez Smethurst.
He was the sort of man whose love car
turn to bitter hate, and now, botE
against the girl and the man he deemed
his supplanter, his rage burned fiercely.
"Aw'm fair miserable at my work
Jim, now,' said Rachel as she walked
with her lover from his mothers cot
tage along the embanlment of the great
reservoir
"Why, how's that, my lass? Av
thought tina wur all rect now an grade
ly set up VII four looms an averagin Is
an 6 wik, for, though Jim was al
assistant cashier, he dropped, like hi
lady love, into his native Doric on al
familiar occasions, an tina towd me
that even thy cross grained OVID aunt
could speyk civil now. -
AYE, Aw was fain enuf, Jim, but
Ell, lad, Aw can hardly tell yo', Awe
kept it to myself for days, but Aw can
not bear it no longer TIL overlooker''
ta'en one O. my looms off me an says
he'll TAX another if Aw DOM mend my
work.
"Dost mean Jabe Smethurst? Aw'I
see that rect, meier heed Rachel" AnG
as they had passed the railway station
which stood at the upper end of the res
ervoir and were in a somewhat secluded
place he put his arm around her waist
drew her to him and kissed her fondly
"Say nowt, jim It'll do no good
CATER thinks weel o. Jabe. He hearkeni
to him as if Jabe knew everythin an hin
nowt. An it does look as if my WORK
was bad, for he gives me such BAG
soarts at Aw con on'y do half what
t'others con, an my aunt says who'll
gle me tn key o. tn street if Aw cannot
addle more nor a little wench It's piece
work, tina knows"
"Aye-well, ne'er heed, my lass. Kis
mas'n soon be here, an Wen get wed al
/ o- 4l,3 Noxxv To-, -.
gettin 60 a week now, an Aw m prom
ised rise wi tn New Yer"
y
A month had passed Poor JimI AL
his fair hopes seemed b1ighted Bromley
Bros, firm in the neighborhood with
whom Messrs. Peel occasionally die
business, in checking their bankbooh
found themselves debited with al
amount paid by check to Peel & Co., fol-
which they could find no corresponding
item in PeePs account, and, ON making
inquiry from them, found that there
was no account of its receipt in Their
cashbook, nor did such an account ap.
pear to have been paid in the usual way
to their credit at the bank. Evidently 8
check had been drawn and paid Of
which the books of neither firm had any
record. TWAS sum under So But as
the youth who ran between the mill and
the bank in the adjoining town of Black
brook appeared too unsophisticated tc
transact such fraud, and as Jim Sum.
ner was Immediately responsible for the
current cash of the firm, he was held tc
De morally responsible if not actually
criminal, and, according to the imme-
mortal custom of the firm, chad to go. y
Poor Jiml He did not wait to meet
his chapel folks and intimates. He Just
kissed his widowed mother, who would
not have believed ''owt 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 a 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 hared up and
said:
"Yo' know as well as Aw do'at Jim
meier 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 radiance 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 lover
for hasting away without word to the
girl who could have died for him. All.
little did she think, yet even now dead
misery had taken possession of her.
'Wen, Miss Proudie, an how's thy
fine gentleman naa?" (Aunt Bets own
lad had had hopes of the "office' once.
but had turned out wastrel; hence her