BREAKERS AHEAD.
The proposed meeting speedily took place. Miss Pomeroy mustered six or
seven other young ladies who had not very much to do, and were glad to
hit on some new occupation; and, after much animated discussion, the
furnishing of the room went on in earnest. A pretty rug for the floor, a
few bright pictures on the walls, some cosy easy-chairs and a wide sofa,
bright curtains for the windows, a neat bookcase filled, for the most
part, with story-books for which their former owners had no further use,
were contributed by the young ladies, and soon transformed the bare
little apartment into a comfortable and pleasant sitting-room. A little
parlor-organ, to complete its outfit, was contributed by an unexpected
donor, Mr. Archer.
"There, now," said Kitty, triumphantly, when this gift arrived, "I told
you he wasn't half as bad as he makes himself out!"
And Miss Pomeroy, who had, by natural selection, taken the place of head
of their little committee, was deputed to write a note of cordial thanks
for the gift.
It was proposed to inaugurate the new use of the room by a little
tea-party, given to as many of the mill-girls as should care to
accompany Lizzie and Nellie, who were to be asked to act as envoys. Nora
went to see Lizzie on the following Sunday, and explained the plan. She
listened without brightening very perceptibly.
"It's very kind indeed, Miss Blanchard," said Lizzie, "and I'm sure
we'll be glad to come. But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed if you
expect the girls to go there a great deal. You see, we're so tired out,
often, we don't care to go anywheres, and them as do, likes to go to
something lively. But maybe they'll get into the way of going, after a
while."
"Oh well, we're going to have it there, so they can use it if they like.
We only want to make sure of their having one pleasant, quiet place
where they _can_ go, when they please."
"And have you been to see Mrs. Travers lately?" asked Lizzie, before
Miss Blanchard took leave.
"Not very lately," she replied, "I suppose she's continuing to grow
stronger."
"She didn't seem very well, yesterday, miss. I think it would be a good
thing for you to see her soon."
Lizzie spoke as if more was meant than met the ear, and Miss Blanchard
at once said she would go next day.
The invalid had been recovering very slowly. The month that she was to
remain in the hospital had been extended to two, partly owing to her
weakness, partly to the impossibility of her having care or comfort if
she left it. When Nora went next day, she met Miss Spencer at the door
of the room.
"Come with me," she said. "Mrs. Travers is asleep, and we can talk
better in the sitting-room."
They went into the little sitting-room, and sat down. "I am sorry to
say," said Miss Spencer, in a voice of grave concern, "that Mrs. Travers
got at some brandy one day when I was asleep, and another nurse was on
duty. She had just gone out for a few minutes, leaving it, meantime, in
an adjoining room, and Mrs. Travers must have seized the moment to
satisfy her craving. She was quite overcome by it, when Lizzie Mason
came to see her. But Lizzie did not seem at all surprised at it. And the
poor thing has been in a restless fit ever since."
"Oh," said Nora, "there was something in Lizzie's manner that made me so
uneasy when she spoke to me yesterday, that I felt anxious to come at
once. But what a dreadful thing it is!"
"It makes it so much harder to know what to do for her," said Miss
Spencer. "Of course we must keep her here as long as we can. I think she
is one of the cases that really are uncontrollable by the sufferers
themselves,--their will-power being almost gone. For such unfortunates
an inebriate asylum is the only hope. I see she is very nervous and
excitable. Of course she will be treated here as much as possible for
_this_, now that we know it."
When Nora related the circumstances to her brother, he was not at all
surprised. He had known other cases of the kind, and regarded the
pathological state of such people as a kind of semi-lunacy produced by
physical causes, and curable only by constant watchfulness and
unremitting medical treatment.
"Half the world doesn't understand it, and the other half doesn't
realize it, or there would be more sympathy for such unhappy sufferers.
We're in a great measure brutal, still, in our treatment of them."
Nora was somewhat consoled by this view of the subject, and tried to
make pity for the misfortune overcome her repugnance to the results.
More than ever, she felt what a terrible thing it was for the poor
child, whose peculiarities she could so much better understand. Dr.
Blanchard, too, looked very grave over poor little Cecilia.
The tea-party at the new "Girls' Club," as its founders styled it, took
place in due time, and was a fair success. The room was filled with as
many young girls as it could comfortably accommodate. There was tea,
cake and fruit in abundance, to which full justice was done. Nora and
Kitty each sang some simple songs; Miss Pomeroy, who was something of an
elocutionist, read "The May Queen;" some others played and read; and one
or two of the guests, on being invited to do so, gave recitations of
their own, learned at school, in the usual school-elocution style. On
the whole, notwithstanding a little awkwardness in the attempts of
entertainers and entertained to be friendly and sociable, the evening
passed off very pleasantly; even Nelly, for once, seeming a little
subdued, but evidently very well entertained. At the close, Miss
Pomeroy, to whom this task had been assigned, told the girls they were
cordially welcome to use the room whenever they pleased. It would be
open on several evenings each week, and they could read, write or talk
as they liked.
"And may we use the organ?" eagerly asked one, as they were leaving.
"Certainly, if you will use it carefully," Nora replied at once, an
answer that evidently gave general satisfaction.
Miss Pomeroy was rather discouraged, when Nora repeated to her what
Lizzie had said during her visit of invitation. The difficulty she had
expressed was one that had never occurred to a young lady so differently
situated, and she was genuinely surprised, when she at last realized
their long hours of steady, monotonous work. She had never before
thought about it, or inquired into such matters. And her own life had
always been such an easy, self-indulgent one, that this unremitting toil
seemed the more formidable to her, in comparison.
"Dear, dear!" she said. "I don't know what papa can be thinking of to
permit it! I know he lets Willett do just as he likes. He's so valuable,
papa says. Perhaps he doesn't know about it. Why, mamma and he are
forever fidgetting about me--so afraid of my over-walking myself or
over-exerting myself in any way! And I'm sure _I'm_ strong enough. I
must talk to him about it."
Mr. Pomeroy was rather surprised when his daughter challenged him on the
subject. He had never, so to speak, thought of his daughter and his
_employés_, "on the same day." He laughed a little at her earnestness,
told her somewhat irrelevantly that she was growing fanciful, that she
didn't understand these matters, or comprehend differing conditions of
life. However, seeing that this matter was a real trouble to her, he
promised her that he would see what he could do about it. And it was not
very long before Nora heard from Lizzie, with great pleasure, that half
an hour had been taken off their time, without any further reduction in
their pay. So now, she said, she did not mind the lower wages so much,
"that one half-hour did make such a difference!"
Nora was full of this news when Roland called to bring her tickets for
Mr. Jeffrey's lecture.
"I'm delighted to hear it," he said. "I believe the young women of
America could do more in this matter than any other agency, if they were
only thoroughly waked up about it. But," he added, gravely, "I wish Mr.
Pomeroy would do something for his men as well as for his girls, and
save us the worry and odium of a 'strike' there! I don't want to see one
started, if we can possibly help it."
"Oh, I hope it won't come to that," said Nora; "especially when Mr.
Pomeroy has done this for the girls!"
"If he would only go a little farther, it would be all right. The
mistake is in half-measures. Oh, well, we needn't borrow trouble. It may
not come; only--I am somewhat afraid!"