, 1897-03-09
HARD WATER.
"Tha'n live to rue it,

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
5 lite 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
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-
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, a lady. And had
you seen her, at the chapel door after
evening service, without ado or oven
greeting beyond Il mutual look Of salts
faction, meet a pleasant faced young
MAI and walk away by his side. you
would have been i'll possession OF the
secret-no secret now-thnt James sum
ner, assistant cashier at Mcs5rs. Pcrl'S
mill, and Rachel Swami were excepting
company"
Jim Sumner had started life as Il hall
timer and little piccer; hut. naturally
an intelligent lad and Il great t~tyuIitt
with the schoolmaster, he had. IN spite
of the great disability of beginning to-
earn his living at 10, made slch cccd
use of his opportunities that he waa.
early taken into the 'Ciiicn' aud Wa
not quite Cooked up to- Iy right think
ing folk as Il man who could addlo
(earn) his brass ont tallkin his coat
off" Moreover, he was junior chapel
steward 1t the Methodist chapel. and
altogether a 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 Il short time ago and had walked
in public less than II fortnight when tho
above conversation took place. The man
for such he considered himsclf-who
threatened to max 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 rcpulscd him until she heard
that he did Il little private ~bookmaking
among the youths and young men in tho
great mill. Until then she had regarded
him rs Il decent fellow and shrank from
hurting his feelings, hoping he would
dcsist i'll time and give it up as a bad
job. She did not know Jabez S%methurst.
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 ~fiercely.
"Aw'm fair miserable at my work,
Jim, now.' said Rachel as she walked
with her lover from his mothers cot
tagc along the cmbankment of the great
reservoir.
"Why, how's that, my lass? Aw
thought tina wur all rect now IN grade
ly set up wi four looms an averagin 10
an 6 Il wiki for, though Jim was an
assistant cashier, he dropped, like his
lady love, into his native Doric on all
familiar occasions, ian tina towd me
that ever thy cross grained ovid aunt
could speyk civil now
AYE, Aw was fain enuf, Jim, but
Eth, lad, Aw can hardly tell yo', Awe
kept it to myself for days, but Aw can
not bear it no longer. TIL o~vorlookcr's
ta'en one O. my looms off me an says
he'll TAX another if Aw don't mend my
work"
"Dost mean Jabo S%methurst? Anvil
-. xl-A -.z. .'. -.l D.l AL
rs they had passed the railway station
which stood at the upper end of the res
ervoir and were i'll a somewhat secluded
place he put his urn around her waist,
drew her to him and kissed her fondly.
Say nowt, Jim. It'll do no good.
CATER thinks wccl o Jabc. He hcarkcns
to him as if JADE knew cverythin IN 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
addle more nor IL little wcnch. It's piece
work, tina knows
"Aye-wcll, ne'cr heed, my lass. kis-
mas'Il soon be here, AN We'll get wed as
soon as tn New Yer comes i'll. Aw'm
gettin 60 n week now. an AVN prom
ised IL rise wi tn New YER
A month had passed. Poor JimI All
his fair hopes seemed blightcd. Bromley
Bros, u firm in the nci2hborhood with
whom Messrs. Peel occasionally did
business, in checking their handbook
found themselves debited with an
amour paid by check to Peel g. Co, for
which they could find 10 corresponding
item in Peel's 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 ut the bank. Evidently a
check had been drawn and paid Of
which the books of neither firm had any
record. 1t was u sum under elO. But az
the youth who ran between the mill and
the bank in the adjoining town Of Black
brook appeared too unsophisticated to
transact such a fraud, and as Jim Sum-
ner was Immediately responsible for the
current cash Of the firm, he was held to
be morally responsible. if lot actually
criminal, and, according to the imme-
mortal custom of the firm, "had to go. y
Poor jim! He did not wait to meet
his chapel folks and %intilnates. He just
kissed his widowed mother, who would
not have believed ''owt again Jim OH
the testimony Of an a%rchangel, and went
ont into the frosty air, straight to the