Ethel had been the one to take Briar to the bank and open an account. They continued to go together every payday, meeting just outside the mill gates if they didn’t see each other earlier. Briar waved. Ethel was waiting for her now.
“Shorted?” Ethel asked.
“Haven’t looked,” Briar said. She self-consciously covered her pocket, hiding Miss Olive’s wrench and the whorl as they walked down the street.
The bank was beyond the row of boardinghouses, in the center of town. The streets were always busy on payday. They reached a crossroads and waited for a horse and wagon to go by before continuing. The driver raised his hat and called out, “Lola! Oi, is that you?”
The man was looking right at them, so Briar shook her head.
Ethel lowered her hat and pulled Briar to go around the wagon. “All us operatives look alike, don’t we?” she said.
“From Stowe,” the man persisted, stopping his vehicle and turning around in his seat.
“He’s likely a confidence man, thinking he can fool us into some scheme.” Ethel pressed on. “Don’t look. He’ll keep talking to you.”
“Seems like he’s just moved to town,” Briar said, noticing the wagon filled with an assortment of boxes, chairs, a table lamp, and more. “You can check at the boardinghouses if you’re looking for a factory girl,” she called to him, seeing as though Ethel wasn’t going to tell him.
People were moving in all the time as the mills prospered. The storefront they were passing used to be where the blacksmith worked, but he and the stables had been pushed out to the edge of town to make way for another general store stocked with ribbons and perfume and small trinkets. Anything to tempt a mill girl from her hard-earned money.
After they’d walked a bit farther, Briar asked, “Where are you from?” Even though they had shared a room for over a year, it suddenly struck Briar she didn’t know much about Ethel’s personal life.
“Not Stowe.” She looped her arm through Briar’s. “Tell me in your heart of hearts you want to leave Sunrise Valley, the children, and your room-mates to go to Burlington.”
Briar smiled. “I don’t think I’ll have to. My persnickety frame is fixed. Worked like a dream today. I think I can pull my production up and even take on another frame.” As long as everything holds.
Ethel brightened. “Really? I’ve been so worried for you. Will it be enough?”
She thought of how fast the frame was working. It was hard to tell, but it seemed to be getting slightly faster with each doffing. Next week she’d pay attention to see how often Maribelle had to work the frame. “I don’t know yet.”
They’d reached the bank, and as always there was a line on payday. They queued up to wait. The people in line were also grumbling about their pay, so it wasn’t only the spinning and the loom girls who had theirs cut.
When it was her turn, Briar opened her envelope to count out how much was there. She frowned. A disappointing amount. She hoped what she could bring Fanny would be enough. Quickly, she separated the money for deposit then filled out her deposit slip. The amount was so pitiful it seemed a waste of paper, but it was important to stay consistent and build up her emergency funds. Putting even the smallest amounts into an account like this kept her from spending it on a whim. She’d watched Mim buy too many things on impulse and later regret her decisions. Not that Mim would ever admit it to Ethel.
Deposits made, they rushed back to the boardinghouse. The wrench in Briar’s pocket thumped against her thigh, reminding her that she had one more thing to do before leaving for home.
It had been a long time since she’d felt so hopeful, and it made her not want to talk to the disgruntled mill girls today. Fortunately, avoiding eye contact on a Saturday was not unusual behavior for Briar. Everyone knew she was in a hurry to leave, so no one stopped her as she waved good-bye to Ethel and barreled through the front door, not stopping until she was at the utility closet. She bent down to drop the wrench into the toolbox, and upon straightening, bumped into Miss Olive again.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Briar said. Miss Olive sure seemed to be hovering over her lately.
“Shouldn’t you be on your way?” Miss Olive asked.
“Yes, leaving now.”
“That’s a pretty fabric,” remarked Miss Olive, eying Briar’s apron.
Face burning, Briar shoved the royal blue cloth back into her pocket. “I got it from a peddler.”
Miss Olive smiled. “Dearie, it’s okay to splurge now and then. You work so hard. Have you ever thought about why I placed you, Ethel, and Mim together? And now Sadie?”
“I thought we were placed where you had open beds.”
“True, but I like to put girls together who go together.”
Briar frowned. She’d never considered Ethel and Mim as two persons who went together. They were at sword points more often than not. And Sadie? Did Miss Olive not know the dynamics between them?