Spindle(34)

“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.

Because her task was dangerous, Briar couldn’t just set the spindle break on the chosen spindle to turn it off and make the switch. She had to shut down the entire frame or risk injuring her hands. This meant she had to work fast before the overseer left his office and noticed her stalled frame. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the lever and set to work.

She drew off the bobbin and set it aside. Then, using the wrench, she attacked the bolster case…or was it the lock…or the bearing? Who knew? Henry had tried to talk to her about the parts of the frame so she could keep it running better, but at the time all she cared about was him getting her frame up and running again. Sweet Henry. She’d only gotten that one letter from him. Surely he would have had time to write another by now. Let her know he was okay and if he was able to do anything about the letter to her aunt. She looked at that place on the frame where she’d been getting the little tokens, but it was empty.

Briar wiped the sweat off her hands to get a better grip on the wrench. Already, the room was unbearably hot and muggy. She leaned into the frame, using all her strength. If she could only loosen this bit, the shaft should slip out. Like that. She grinned. Ha! She did it. But when she pulled the bent spindle out of the frame, she realized it wasn’t simply a shaft. It had its own version of the whorl molded to it. But the whorl on the wooden spindle was way too big. Now what?

She glanced up to see where everyone was. No sign of the overseer, which meant he was likely at the far side of the room. Maribelle was on the first frame, working her way closer.

Now what could she use to make a smaller whorl? There was no way she’d whittle down the rose-carved one it came with. It was too beautiful to destroy like that.

Quickly, Briar took the bundle out of her pocket. But before she could unwrap it, the bell rang, and she shoved it back out of sight. The noise in the room fell silent as everyone shut down their frames and the overseer emerged from the office to turn off the power. He caught Briar’s eye, nodded once, and left the building.

Briar cocked her head, wondering about the change in the overseer. Perhaps he had recommended she be sent to Burlington so she was no longer his responsibility?