The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-09-15

exclusive and conservative room III
the factory, and was managed not SO
much by its overlooker and "tacklers
As by an old and privileged hand call
I'd Peggy Pratt, who had been there
lime out of count, and was apparently
Is much fixture as the iron pillar
which stood at her loom end.
Nearly all the hands employed at
The time of our story were her noml-
aces. and how Jessie Gleave came TO
obtain the pair of looms which were
vacant when Sally Hunter got married
was a mystery which puzzled the rest
Of the hands and seriously piqued
Peggy 1t was crisis. Peggy had
feeling that her prestige was at stake'
but as the looms had been given by
he head overlooker, who scarcely ever
interfered in such matters. Peggy
after some reflections. was philosopher
enough to see that the surest way 10
retain unauthorized dominion is NOT 10
strain it, and SO she resolved to take
1 OUT of the newcomer.
She had been sulky and wcrdless all
morning, therefore, but by the break
last interval had made up her mind.
At TIE entrance end of the shed. where
The tacklers' stood was an open space;
and when the engine stopped the WeaV-
ars assembled here, and, s1uattlnS
abou: on the floor or on upturned cop
'kips, took their morning meal. En-
CINE and machinery being still, there
was InWOnted silence except for the
,lattrr of wOmen's tongues. The ne"
arrival did not join the company, but
sank shyly down at the far end OF her
loom alley, almost hidden behind the
beam. 1t was about two hours since
Jessie Gleave came among them and
In that short time every woman in the
place had inspected her, and could
have told almost every stitch she wore.
They knew also that she was married
and poor. and a stranger to that part
If the valley. They had likewise dis
covered that Lobby" the tackler who
had her under his care, was smitten
with her, and that she had the best
banda and teeth in the shed. She had
been the one topic of all the signalings
and sign language which in the din
If the machinery, took the place of
wOrde, ever since she came into the
room: but not soul had spoken to
ner. Her introduction had been irreg-
llar, not to say unwarralted, and the
manner Of the unusually self-assertiye
Peggy left so much to the imagination
that even now they were inclined to
aold shcir peace, and wait for Peggy's |
lead. But Peggy found something to
DO at her looms, and took a long time |
In doing it, Presently, however. she
came and took her accustomed place |
in this middle of the circle of break |
tasters, and opening a little handker- |
chief. spread out her eatables on her
knee, and took from the "tenter' her |
IAN q steaming tea. She knew that |
waiting, hence her excessive delibera-
ton; and SO presently she raised the
Thin IF her hard face, and without
looking anywhere in particular, cried
out: "Heigh theer! thee come out here,
an let's look at thee!"
The brown head just above the dis
tant loom ducked lower but there
was 20 reply.
She wants a special deppytation to
Ak her to jine our lowly circle"-and
Sally laughed ominously.
Conscious that every eye was upon
her. and that defiance of authority, |
however, ill-founded, must be nipped |
in the bud, Peggy left her
meal, stalked down three loom alleys |
and almost Immediately reappeared |
with the offending Jessie. who was evil
IDENTIFY struggling to keep back her |
tears. With blush and sigh the |
stranger dropped into the nearest seat, |
and began quietly to consume her re- |
food, which nobody in the cur
osity of the moment noticed consisted |
II plain dry bread.
But somehow the thing did not 60 |
off properly Jessie did not resent her |
rough treatment, but only seemed a |
little more shy and timid than was |
common in such cases. She answered |
v hen spoken to, enduring dropping |
lire Of singing raillery without the |
slightest show of resentment, was con-
without being "soapy";; but
neither then nor in the longer dinner |
hour did they succeed in getting the
least bit nearer to her
A month passed, but beyond the dis
covery that she did not belong to the
valley at all, but walked three miles
night and morning from and to Skill
lington, they knew little more Of Jes-
sic than at the end OF the first day.
She turned out to be rather better
weaver than the most of them, and
made rather more money, and this did