THE NEW MASTER AT THE MILL

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2279, 22 September 1899, Page 5

THE NEW MASTER AT THE MILL

Mr. Paul Haytou-Enderby walktd into the office at (he mill with the air and consciousness of a person of much importance. It was the first time he had passed through tl at polished mahogany door with the knowledge that he was the chief partner of the world-famed Enderby manufacturing concern. And as the final return under his father's will, which he had only rtceived the afternoon before, showed him te be possessed of property valued at £237,000 ; it was pardonablt. that he should enter the office that morning with an air of assurance which reminded every member of the staff who saw him, that from that time forth he alone was master.

It was remarkable how sympathetic was the feeling of uneasiness which made itself felt throughout the office the instant Mr, Paul walked in. There was not a single employee iu tl e whole place who did not find himself seized with a vague apprehension of something unpleasant which would be the early product of the new coutrol. For it was well known that Mr. Paul was only 24 years of age, and it was correctly surmised that as regards business knowledge, he was an infint, or worse, inasmuch as he was not without potentialities of mischief.

Up to this time, in tact, he had regarded business as a dreadful bore He had had all the money he wanted for purposes proper to his position in life, and bad found congenial occupation in followiug the hounds during the hunting season, iu supporting first-class cricket during the summer, and in trying to enjoy himself thoroughly at all times and seasons. Whtn.therefore.his father's executors iutormed him in the gravest,but friendliest spirit possible, that he must accept the responsibilities of his new position and discharge them as his father had done before him, he looked pained and muttered somethiug about it being a " confounded nuisance.'"

But as Mr. Paul was net exactly brainless, but only a young man who had been born of wealthy pareuts, he was not inopable of reflection. He suddenly found himself under the necessity of taking an active interest in the administration of a huge buiiness, and that caused him to reflect. He decided that he would yield to the inevitable and follow the wishes of the executors, ami be properly jealous of the good name of Haytun-Enderby. Havinjcome to these wise decisions he proceeded to act upon them. Vague ideas of improvements aud reforms crowded his miud in dangerous confusion,and caused him to give early evidence of his lack of business experience. For a montfa after Mr. Paul took control the office staff aud the departmental officials wr-re kept in a state uf hourly unrest and apprehension. ft had been a busy morning in the office. Some important export oiders had to be checked off and invoiced, and Mr Piul had decided to expedite nutters by himself, checking everybody and tveiything in his own way. He had succeeded in producing a state of confusion throughout the office which would require the whole of the afteinoon to restore to the condition of order wfcich obtained at Bins o'clock in the forenoon. So feeling that he had accomplished something in the iutertst of the Haytou-Enderby busiuess he proceeded to the mill to adjust aad expedite matters as might seem desirable.

Old Richard Croxton, the overlooker of No. 5 and 6 rooms greeted him with a respectful " Good-day, Ml. Paul '." as the two met by the little office at the end of No. b room.

The sound of voices singing in the room above reached them.

" I say, Croxton ! What in heaven's name's that row ? Is that the way yui do the work r" Mr. Paul asked, snappishly. The old man looked hurt. " What do you mean, Mestur Paul ?" he asked, innocently.

" What do 1 mean ? Why, listen to that iuftrual row. How can you get any work doae when that's going on ? Get it stopped at occe," said Mr. Paul, iiupi riuu»ly.

"It's th' wiiii nun sißging;," the old man replied, unable to make out the ground of his master's complaint. " I know that, Pm not deaf. Get them to stop it aad go on with their work." " Why ! H'dbeas much as th' place w(ire north to stop that singing. If that stopped, th' work 'd stop. It's th' singing as 'tips 'em to work," the old maa said with a look of pity at Mr. Paul's ignorance or harshness.

" Oh, rubbish I Tell them we must have the work done orderly. It must be stopped. 1) >n't let me hear it again."

Mr. Paul was the picture of riudicliveness as he strode along the room with the air of one who had vanquished a deadly foe. Ola Hichard walked into the little timeoffice. Placing his elbows upon the desk he covered his face with his hands and remained motionless for live miuutes. When he move.i, the tears stood upon each cheek aod trouble was imprinted on every li«« anient. He felt that Kuderby's Mill, the pride of his life, and the boast of the country round, had fallen on evil days. It wns not because Mr. Paul lacked a soul for music that he had complained about the girls singing. It was that he was just now possessed of some fantastic ideas, and it struck him as a gross impertinence that the mill girls should take the liberty of singing iu that way during woi king hours. So he firmly determiaed to correct this first great irregularity. As he walked along the room after his curt treatment of old Richard L'roiton, Mr. Paul was struck by a change in the singing. Instead of the few yoices he had first heard, a hundred had joined in the song. He could folic the altos and trebles, as the parts were sung with perfect clearness. Hestoodstill tolisten. More yoices were joinmi" in. They were now blended in a bright crescendo. Louder and loudir rose the sound, powerful but singularly sweet, until the whur ut the wheels was completely lost aid the room iu which he stood was filled with song. Mr. Paul was spell-bound. He could only stand s'ill »ud listen. His idea hai been to «o to No. 6 room, and if the noise went on, to tell the girls himself that he would not have it. Now. he was helpless Two buodnd gills were ciuging heartily, yet sweetly, in the room above him.

In a moment the volume of sound began to grow fainter. He listeufd, wondering. Weaker ami weaker, though still perfectly distinct, the sound died away until only a few voices continued finning. 1" "nuttier minute he could bear that only ono voice was carrying on the : ,, r , u< i struggling against the sound of the looms. At last it ceased and the noise of the wheels was triumphant

That's all very well," muttered Mr Paul

•■ Hut it's beastly irregular, and they'll have to stun it. Croxtou's evidently an old woman. H wauls a youuger mau here." He turned to imss through a side door, hut stopped ere he ieaeheo it The single voice which had finished the song bad begun again. Other \olcrs joined in. The song was being Ukeu up by the girls as it had been before. In a few seconds the full strong volume af ►w'.-pvt musir had completely tirowued the whir- ,' room again. was sustained _ .- v s invoices fell oft ac: '.►!■■ became riomiu:int '< •■>•- a time, but at :»«' it -'l: - " All (ieucer! :..'.,»• ' "" ' '

soliloquised Mr. Paul, as he passed iuto t' e next building. "Tell Mr. Graham I want him,"said Mr. Paul, half an hour later as he entered the general office and proceeded to his private room, Mr. William Graham, the cashier and head of the office staff, attended immediately. Mr. Paul stood by his desk scanning a number of pencil notes he bad made in a small pocket-book. " Mr. Graham," said Mr. Paul, with the tone of an autocrat, " I have been through the mill, and there are several chaises which I shall want you to make. Upon some of them I have not quite made up my mind so 1 will speak to you about them again. But there are two which you must have made at once for the prestiee of the place. I find the mill has btcome a common music-hall. I don't know how you have had any work done at all with the goings on ther« have been. In future there must be none of that singing timing work-time. You understand. There's to be. no singing. Then you want a younger man over rooms 5 and 6. Croxton is of no use at all. Give him the usual notice and put a smart young man in his place. If you haven't a suitable mauiu the mill, get one in. Do you understand ?"

William Graham was not sure that he did understand. He was hoping that he did not. Mr. Paul's words fell upsu his ears like tbe deafch-ku»lls of comfort and prosperity at Enderby's Mill. He was a mild man, aud had been the confidential and responsible official under the late Joseph Hayton Knderby, for seven ani twenty years. Through all that time he had never listend to anything half so outrageous as the instructions which Mr. Paul had just given him with the intimation that more was to follow.

" I—l—think your mistaken, sit," Mr. Graham stammered. " TLe girls hate always sung at their work. Your father liked to hear them. It helps the work along, sir." " Oh, that's nonsense, Mr. Graham. If we're running a music-hall, well and good, but if we're manufacturing, let us do it ia a seemly manner. As for helping the work, if Ihey can work with that row, they'll do double without it. That's conclusire to me, so have the noise stopped, please. Give the new man clear inatructions that there's to be none of it in future. That will do, Mr. Graham."

The look upon the face of William Graham, as he came into the general office, had an effect upnn the staff like that of a keen, frosty wind upon April blossoms. They read everything at a glance, and a black cloud immediately settled upon the place.

Airs. Joseph Hayton-Euderby, widow of the late chief proprietor of Enderby's Mill, sat in her private chamber at The Limes. Since her husband's death she had spent much timo in her own room, reading or working with her needle for occupation of some kind, was life to her, now. Of late she h.d grown anxious for she had had siuister misgivings as to her son's administration at the mill. On this evening she appeared unable to settle at anything. There was a low knock upon her chamber door.

" L'ome in ! " said Mrs Hayton-Enderby with a sense of relief, though she knew that it was but her maid.

The room door opened and the girl entered. "What is it Ridley ? " asked her mistress, with alarm.

The girl was breathless and excited. " Please'm the mill girls h»ve come. The garden is full of them. Thev're crowding in ever so," she gasoed holding her sides in a vain effort to control herself.

" The mill girls ! " exclaimed Mrs, HaytoaEnderby in astonishment. " Whatever is the matter ? "

'• They've come to see Mr. Paul about tie new regulations ma'am," " What regulations, Ridley ? " " Oh, I don't know, ma'am. They only said it was about the new regulations."

Mrs. Hayton-Enderby was more alarmed. " Is Richard Croxton witli them, Ridley ? *' she nskeil after a moment's pause.

" I d»n't know.ma'am," answered the girl. "Go down and see. If he is there ask him t» come up to the writing room and I'll come and speak to him and learn what's the matter." The girl bounded away, closing the door after her.

Mrs. Haytou-Kudeiby sank down into sn easy chair as if in a state of collapse. The girl's message had setmed to ber the beginning of unknown troubles. It had caused her great distress of mind.

•' Come in. Ridley," she called out faintly, as the maid's knock again sounded on the room door.

The door opened and the maid entered. " Croxton's not there, ma'am. They say he's gone."

' Gone, where ?"

" Gone : been discharged from the mill, they say. That's one thing they want to see Mr. Paul about," answered the girl. " Discharged ! Richard Oroxtou !By whose authority ?" asked her mistress,drawing herself up witn a queenly air. "By whose authority I esk?"»he repeated in a tone of inteuse iidiguation, which caused the maid to quake. " I don't know, ma'am. They didn't say," faltered the girl.

•' Ridley. Go down this instant. Tell the women to appoint three of their number to come up and speak with me in the writiogroom. I'll follow you immediately." The girl departed without a word. In half a minute Mrs. H*yton-Euderby left the chamber and went down to the writing-room, a small apartment on the next floor below. Taking her seat by one of the writing-tables she waited, anxiously. In a few minutes the sounds of footsteps in the passage reached her. There was a knock at the door.

" Come in !'' Mrs. Hayton-Euderby called out iu a shaky voice.

The door opened and Ridley entered, followed bv three of tbe mill hinds. One was an old womau ; the other two were comely girl! of about twenty. They were cleaned and drtssrd for the occasion.

The three women counseyed resp«ctfully wLeu they foundthemselves in the very presence of Mrs, Haytou-EudeiUT, the widow of their old master, and the mother of the young man who now ruled with an iron hand. "What base y> i. cuine abjut : Tell me evßtything," Mrs Hayton-Euderby sail iu • tone which immediately put the womeu at ease •' Please m'lady, we'ii bin at th' mill this mauT a year an' we'n 'ad in trouble wi' no one, an' it's vi ry 'ard as th' youngMi-siur should put on us like this," said the ohl womau who had come as spokeswoman ol the party. " I dou't know anything about it. Tell me what is the matter. Where is Richcrd Cruxtou ?'' Mrs. Hayton-Enderby said, impatient to get at the truth.

" E's discharged by Mibttir Paul's ordt rs, m'lady." " What for ?" " Only 'cause 'e stood up for us when Mi stur Paul found fault about the girls singlu' at their work.' " ringing at their work They've always sung slice I've known the mill. What's the ... , ; .,.. ,. f that -"asked Mrs. Hay ton-1« nder- -,, . ,u.p.«;p'ii':e to know the real truth ■ \ni ..'lt ki owi m'lady. It's like as if Vs t k a whim, au it's upset tbe girls until they ,r, iirdif bear to be i' the place They . ;. f 0' v • iime over an' saw 'im theirsels

mi bbe 'e'd luk o'er it an' let things go on II tiny was." " How many of you are there ?" " Nearly all of us m'lady. Mebbe Ave 'undred." Mrs. Hayton-Enderby stood aghast. Such » thing as the mill girls coming in a body to the bouse in that way to complain jf harsh treat* nieiit had been unheard of in the histoiy of the family. She felt unspeakably indignant, and could have cried. The old woman read tLe workings ot her fiaturts.

" You know, m' lady, it were such a small thing," she went on. " Mestur Paul's young. We dunno believe as 'e means 'arm to anyone, but 'e don't understand things same 's the old meslur did. 'E don't know 'ow tnem girl's singin' 'elps th' work along. We don't nuan to complain o' mi thin', m' lady, but there's mauy a woman an' girl i' the mill ss is wuss off than any o' us. My 'usband's dead, so the six or seven shillin' as I gets does well enough for me. But there's wimmen as as childer to keep an* sbauls.an' it's a 'ard scrat for 'em on that. .8, there's many a big girl as is only gettin* bttwixt two shillin' an' lour shillin' a week, as as a 'ard tight t' keep off their mothers When they siug at their work they forgetlen o' about this. They keep light 'arted an' merry an' works well. It pa)s t' let 'em Mng." The old woman's snow-white aprou had been raised to her eyes as she told of the life of the mill girls. " Well, well ! Go back and nag all you please. Say I gave you permission. 1 will talk to Mr. Paul about yeu. Tell the girls that 1 wish tbein well. My husband thought a great dtal about bis workptople; a great deal. It will break my heart if Paul is not the same." Mrs. Hayton-Enderby brushed away a tear as she finished speaking. "We know as it wasn't you, m' lady. Nobody ever says an ill word o' you or o' the old Mestur. An' nobody 'll think no ill o' Mestur Paul now's you've said we could go on as we was. I wish, in' lady, you could persuade 'uu to let old Richard back ?" " 1 will see about that. Go back Tell the icirls to go quietly away, and give them my best wishes."

"Thank, yer, m' lady,'' said the three women together as they court Keyed and retired from the room.

They had hardly reached the garden 'ere tbs maid carried to her mis ress the information that William Graham was at the side djor. He had learnrd that the women were going to the bouse en masse and had hurried up to see if be could be of aoy serrice.

" Ah, how fortunate ! Now, I shall learn the truth. hhow him up, Ridley," Mrs. Hay-tou-En;lerby said with glad animation as she heard the maid's statement.

Mr. Graham was conducted to tho writingroom, where he gave Mrs. Hayton-Endrrby a full aud faithful account of the changes which her son had made at the mill, and of the slate of chaos in which everything stood at that paiticular hour.

It was nearly eleven o'clock that night win n Mr.Paul drove up to The Limes. To his surprise he received from the butler an urgeut request to go immediately to his mother's private sit-ing-room, where she was awaiting him With an ill-grace, he obeyed what he felt to be a binding instruction. For the next half hour ho was engaged in a heated controversy with his mother but ere half of that time had p:is>edhe wasa chagrined, defeated, but wiser man.

" Mr. Graham, step iuto tho private (ffice with mo for a moment," said Mr. Paul as with a quitttuss of demeanour wholly unusual frr him, he walked iuto the iffice at ten o'clock tho following morning.

" I've been considering the mill affaiis, Mr. (■'raham," he said, when the cashier had closed the door upon themstlTea. "It will perhaps be best if you let things go on as they were when I came into control. For the present let the girls sing as ther please so long as the work is doue, aud let old Croxton come back. You can issue instructions at once and let us see how things will work " Within half an hour every employee at Eidtrby 31 it 1 was jubilant. The new regulations had been annulled and Richard Croxton had been told that he could return to his old position in the morning.

At half-past eleven Mr. Paul walked slowly iuto the mill. He lo»kcd haggard and uneasy, and without any definite purpose. On the landing ot No. 6 room he stopped a little at one side of the dcor. Above the whirr of the looms rose the sound of voices singing a verse of the song, " True as the stars that are shining." Sweetly and distinctly the lines were sung through to the chorus. Then there arose a great swell of vocal music as if every occupant of the 100:11 had joined in. Treble and alto Toices b'ended faultlessly in the full burst of song until there was no place for the dm of the wheels. It was drowucd, utterly.

At tie end of the choius there was a pause. Then the solo voices began again with the next verse and sang it clearly auJ musically through. And once more nearly three hundred vnices joined in the chorus, and the sound of the looms was lost.

Mr. Paul stocd as if transfixed until the song was done.

" What a thundering idiot I was to brit'g that nest of hornets about my ears for this," he said to himself, as he turned on his heel and re« traced his steps without entering the room.

In the dining-room that dinner-hour there was only one theme. It was the unexpected chants which had come over the fortunes of the workers 111 the Euderby mill. One of the pnrcipal speakers was old Mrs. Kent, the spokeswoman of the three who had had au audience with Mrs. Hayton-Eudeiby. " To' new mestur !" she said, finishing an harangue. "Tek my word for 't. I'D' new mestur o' this mill is th' owd misuis, au nobry else."

Ami when, at tbe end of a fortnight, the revised wage-list came into operation ;iud most of the old bauds, and some of the girls in the women's rooms found their wages increased bv 20 per cent, one and all sgr«ed that old Uacl.el Kent had spoken the truth.