The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-09-15
!" PUTTY ACE >
ALE OF a vJEAv1IG-SHED.
Ey John Ackvvorth.
y y Ss
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destroyed her reputation as a weaver
began to appear in work, and at las,
| she had to be called over the Goals
by that terrible person the outlooker
Jessie grew imp and pe2sive, and had
a worried look which somehow gave
savage satisfaction to the hard-hearted
| Peggy. Meanwhile rnaei-times became
seasons of increasing distress to the
stranger. for Peggy. employing her
assistants to serve her purpose, con-
| trived that Jessie should have no
peace. And then an incident transpired
which precipitated the inevitable
| crisis. Lancashire mil-girls are all
musical, and the clatter of the looms
| made conversation difficult. and the
nature of their employment sets both
head and tongues az liberty, singh 8
Of all sorts was general
The music in Number Seven shed
was curious medley of concert hall
ditties, Sunday-school songs and San
key hymns. 1t was soon noticed-an-
other offense-that Jessie Gleave never
low, masculine sort of voice, the more
reasonable were not surprised. In the
dlnner-hour the better singers, and
those who could not sing but thought
they could, were sometimes roughly
constrained to give solos; and on sew
eral occasions Slippy Jane. who was a
sort Of self-appointed stage-manage
invited Jessie, whom she called Putty
face to ''oblige the company" Jessie
joined in her soft. quiet way in the
laugh against her, but nobody thought
seriously of pressing her to sing. Then
Slippy Jane made a discovery Spying
IN Jessie's temporary absence in the
warehouse, among the newcomers per-
sonal belonging, she came across
paper-back copy of THE Messiah"
With a little whoop of triumph Jane
held 1t up, and in a few seconds some
thlrty girls We're standing round eX-
aiming and discussing it.
The secret. such as it was, was out,
and for three days poor Jessie was bull
lied and quizzed until her pale face
grew pitiful to behold. And then an
amazing thing occurred One after
noon the telegraph boy-a rare conner.
indeed-was led into the shed. and
conducted straight to Jessie few
minutes later he departed with a reply.
and at four O'Clock Jessie stopped her
looms and went home. What could it
mean? Some thought she was leaving
the shop for good but when Jessie
came back next morning more weary
locking than ever. the queen of the
Shop was jeered so numerically for
her failure that she determined to
drive her away. On Friday, the pay
day. Peggy Pratt, who had all day been
taciturn, left the shed and
went out
In ten minutes she was back, with
the still damp local paper just issued.
She threw off her shawl, called to her
side Dinah Belt, who acted as public
reader to the shed, and, handing her
the paper doubled down at a certain
laconically commanded her
to read.
Dinah did as she was hidden and an
nounced:
Miscellaneous Concert at Siddenham"
The extract proved rather lengthy,
and we have no space to insert it here.
The part which concerns us, however,
related that the popular contralto,
Miss LOttie Rymer. had been taken i'll,
and that in the emergency the man
agement had been directed to a local
singer, living almost in their midst,
who had been prevailed upon at brief
est notice to take the vacant place.
Her name was Miss Jessie Haeseltine.
There was puzzled pause when the
reader concluded and nobody noticed
the alarming distress of the unpopular
weaver. Then some of the more i'm
patient ones demanded somewhat sulk-
lily: well, Peg, what's it all about?"
Peggy, mute and still, glared around in
stern triumph and uttered not a word.
We'll, what's t concert to do wi
us?'
THAT singers name wur Jessie sum-
mat, worn't it,"
"Well?" and though every face was
set on Peg, eyes began to steal round
toward the white-lipped, Lalf-fainting
Jessie.
AN there's girl T. this shed called
Jessie, isn't there-only she says she's
married"
The shrinking culprit covered on her
up-turned skip, and hid her face in
her hands.
it wur her as sung"
Dull wonder and blank incredulity
chased each other over fifty female
faces, and then vanished before hot
resentment, and Peg lifted bony fin