The Complete Oregon Series by Jae

Author:Jae
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Published: 2019-07-16T16:15:05+00:00

HIDDEN TRUTHS

Macauley Cotton Mill

Boston, Massachusetts

March 5, 1868

“Run!” Rika’s cry startled two crows into taking flight. “They’ll close the gates!” She gripped Jo’s thin arm and dragged her over cobblestones slick with snow. Dawn hadn’t yet broken through the clouds, but Rika knew they didn’t have much time.

Jo gasped, her breath condensing in the chilly air. “I can’t.” A coughing spell shook her slight frame and bent her in half. When she straightened, a streetlamp’s yellow gaslight revealed angry blotches on Jo’s otherwise pale cheeks. She gave Rika a smile. “Go on without me. I’ll be there in a minute. Just need to catch my breath.”

What she needs is to find new work, Rika thought.

The stuffy, lint-filled weave room made even the healthiest women cough. But, like Rika, Jo didn’t have much choice. With no husband and no family to take care of her, the cotton mill was her only means of support.

“No,” Rika said. The first horsecar of the day clattered up the hill, and Rika raised her voice so Jo would hear her over the stamping of hooves. “I won’t leave you here alone.”

Another cough prevented Jo from answering.

Rika’s throat constricted. She handed Jo a handkerchief and wished she could do more. But what? Maybe if she gave her this week’s pay, Jo would agree to see a doctor.

“Come on.” Rika took hold of Jo’s arm. “If we’re late...”

Just yesterday, an Irish girl had stumbled from Mr. Macauley’s office, crying and pressing a ripped sleeve against her bleeding lip.

“That’s for letting my looms sit idle after the five o’clock bell,” William Macauley had shouted after her.

No one had said a word. No one dared to.

One arm still around Jo, Rika hurried them along rows of elms that bent beneath the harsh wind. They struggled across a small bridge. Rika sucked in a breath as the wind’s icy fingertips drove a spray of water through her worn skirt. “Careful,” she said. “Don’t slip.”

Finally, the flickering streetlamps revealed the mill’s four-story brick building. The tall chimney already leaked sooty smoke into the dark sky, blotting out the stars.

The shrill ringing of a bell shattered the silence.

“Run!” Rika shouted.

A girl, no older than thirteen, pushed past them and hurried up the steps, probably on her way to the spinning room on the first floor.

The bell rang a second time as they raced through the doors of the cotton mill. Beneath the soles of Rika’s worn boots, the floor vibrated. Even the walls, though made of brick, seemed to quiver.

Darn. Rika dug her nails into her palm.

The overseer had already pulled a cord, setting the gigantic waterwheel in motion.

She slipped into the weave room, hoping to get her looms going before the foreman climbed onto his high stool and found her missing. What’s this? She squinted through the lint-filled air.

Jo’s looms were already moving, the shuttles hissing back and forth. One of the women winked at Jo.

Lord bless them. They covered for us. Rika squeezed Jo’s hand and hurried to her own workplace.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.