Gratia's Trials — page 51: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

42 GRATIA’S TRIALS. possible. And from the looks and tones of the neighbors whom she occasionally saw, she could not but gather that they too were in possession of the story her step-mother had seen fit to spread abroad. Things had gone on thus for some days, and Gratia, after much thought and deliberation, had finally arrived at the con, clusion to ask her father to send her somewhere to school where she could complete her somewhat neglected education in a manner to enable her to earn her own living as a teacher when she should be a year or two older. But one evening when her father had returned from the neighboring village later than usual, and her step-mother was away taking tea with Miss Pemberton, she resolved to make a bold push in her own behalf. ‘‘ Father,” she began, hesitatingly, as she set the teapot on the table and took her seat opposite him, with a newly lighted tallow candle flickering between them. SBut he interrupted her before she could proceed further. ‘“Gratia,” he said, abruptly, ‘‘I want you to pack up your things this evening. You are going to Packenbridge, where your*mother —Gratia winced as he spoke the word, and it did not sweeten his mood to observe it—‘‘ has a cousin who runs a shirt-factory. He employs twenty or thirty hands and you'll be useful to sweep up shop and make fires, and oil the machines, and do such like odd-jobs till you’ve learned the trade !” ‘‘ Father,” she remonstrated, ‘‘ father do not send me there ! Mother always wanted me to be a ACHES and I think I could prepare myself in a little while if ‘*QOh, pshaw !” said Mr. Kempfield. ‘‘I hain’t neither time nor money to spend on any such topping notions. Almira says you hain’t no faculty to teach “f | ‘‘Mamma thought otherwise,” interrupted Gratia, her cheeks Somsoning, | ‘“‘and mamma ought to BROW, for she taught sie herself once.’ “Yes, yes ; I dare say,” said Kempfield, evading, as he Gin “cCOMIECDOOKS,€o S