Spindle

She let out a breath of relief. The spinning room was empty, the machines looking like hulking, sleeping monsters. If she got too close to one it might reach out and snatch her.

Briar had been fortunate to have had no accidents in the years she’d worked there. Others had gotten their clothing pulled in, or had their fingers mashed. No one in her mill had been scalped, but there were stories, and thankfully they’d avoided any fires in their mill. After the hullabaloo at the World’s Fair in Chicago where electric lights were on display, the owners of the mill got on a list to have their mills lit up with incandescent bulbs instead of gas lights. With the floating bits of cotton and the grease-soaked floors, fires were a constant fear.

Her footfalls were loud on the wooden floor without all the noise to dull them. Her frames stood silent, waiting for her, as familiar to her as her own hands. With set lips, she marched to frame number four and located the crooked spindle. She lifted the bobbin and bent low to get a good look at how the connection was made.

She fitted the wrench around the bottom and tried to give it a good twist. It held firm.

“Well, aren’t you the early one?” Annie said as she took up her place at the frames beside Briar’s.

Briar inhaled sharply and her heart began to race. She immediately let go of the bobbin. As it dropped back into place she pocketed the wrench and pasted on a smile. “Was up and wanted some time to myself.”

“I know what you mean. You’ve discovered my secret. I’m usually the first one here. Gives me time to water the plants and quiet my mind.” She held up a watering can. “I’m certainly not here early because of the pay. Especially not today, since it’s the day we get less in our envelopes. Being early quitting time, I was hoping to spend a little in town tonight—”

“Don’t let me keep you from the plants,” Briar interrupted, hoping to send her on.

“They’re fine. I probably overwater them anyway.” Annie rambled on about their pay until the overseer came in.

There went any hope of swapping out the spindle before the day began.

He walked the length of the floor, pausing when he saw Briar and Annie. Briar self-consciously held her hands in front of her pocket. He gave them a thoughtful expression before continuing on, not saying anything. Briar couldn’t tell what that look was about. It was almost as if he was pleased she was there early.

Next, a steady stream of girls filed in and lined up near their frames. The overseer took his place by the pull cord. Like an automaton, Briar lined herself up with the lever on frame number one, ready to go through the motions. The spindle bumped against her thigh, reminding her of what she needed to do. She would not give up and let the current pull her downstream. Today, she would stay alert for the right moment, and then be quick about changing out the spindles.

When the bell clanged, the overseer pulled the rope that connected the electricity to the leather bands. The girls simultaneously threw the shipping handles on their machines and the room roared to life. Briar could never decide what her body felt first. Was it the thrumming of the vibrations on the floor buzzing her feet, or the flapping of the leather bands pounding her ears?

The spindles spun like rows of tiny dancers, stretching and winding the roving into thread. It was a routine that woke her up and energized her. By quitting time, she’d be dragging her feet, but for now, it was a fresh new day. She glanced at that corner of frame number four. Like Henry, she was going to try something new to change the future for her family.





Chapter Seventeen



For the first time, the overseer stayed in his room the entire morning. Briar kept checking over her shoulder for him, jumping at the slightest movement of the operatives around her. Odd. After days of hovering, he was letting everyone work. It was almost more off-putting than his hovering. The operatives kept casting looks and shrugging at one another until they got used to his absence.

Near the end of the shift, before the dinner bell, Briar checked on Sadie to see if she needed anything. Sadie shook her head. She was now able to handle two frames on her own, and next week would take on a third.

Briar waited for her doffer to work down to the farthest frame away from pesky number four. With her big cart of bobbins and quick movements, the girl would draw attention, and Briar could do what she needed to do.

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