Daughter of the Loom (Bells of Lowell Book #1) by Judith Miller, Tracie Peterson Read Free Book Online

Lowell usually live at home.”
    “It saves them the cost of room and board,” Beth threw in as if Lilly couldn’t discern that for herself.
    “Why did you decide to live in a boardinghouse?” Prudence questioned.
    Marmi glanced toward Prudence and shook her head. “You don’t have to answer any of our questions you don’t want to. We all tend to be a bit inquisitive.”
    “Nosey’s more like it.” The cocoon had spoken. All the girls turned to peer at the multicolored quilt. A tangle of copper-colored hair appeared, followed by two light blue eyes and the palest complexion Lilly had ever seen. “They’ll be asking you questions until sunrise if you don’t put a stop to them early on,” Nadene said, nodding her unkempt curls toward the ensemble. “I’m Nadene Eckhoff. We’re to share a bed.”
    Lilly smiled. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
    “What are you doing awake, Nadene? You usually sleep through no matter how noisy we get—and we’re talking quietly tonight,” Prudence quickly added.
    Nadene slipped her legs over the side of the bed and pulled on a thin cotton wrapper while shoving her feet into a pair of broken-down work shoes. “Need to go to the outhouse,” she answered.
    “Want me to go with you?” Marmi offered.
    Nadene shook her head. “It’s you that’s afraid of the dark, Marmi, not me. But thank you anyway.” The girls stared after Nadene as she trudged out the door carrying a flickering candle.
    “She has beautiful hair—and her skin, it’s so pale it’s almost translucent,” Lilly whispered.
    Prudence nodded. “She’s sickly, that’s why. No matter how much sleep she gets, she’s always tired—and pale,” she added.
    “Maybe it’s just her natural coloring,” Lilly offered.
    “No. One of the other girls who came at the same time as Nadene told me Nadene had color in her cheeks and was healthy looking when she first arrived at the mills. I think she’s gotten worse since they transferred her over to the Appleton. She used to work at the Merrimack, but when they opened the Appleton, they took some of the most experienced girls and moved them over there to teach the new hires. Nobody can match Nadene when it comes to spinning, so it didn’t take long for the supervisors to decide she should become an instructor at the Appleton. They’re working her too hard,” Prudence explained.
    Marmi nodded in agreement. “That’s probably true enough, Pru, but Nadene doesn’t take care of herself, either.”
    Franny added, “She doesn’t keep herself warm enough in winter and won’t even go see the doctor when she needs to.”
    “She doesn’t keep enough of her money to pay for a doctor visit,” Beth declared. “She sends it to her family.”
    Sarah, the quietest of the group, shook her head. “I think it’s nice she sends her pay home to help her family, but she carries it too far, never willing to use any of her wages to care for herself.”
    “Her money, her choice,” Prudence replied.
    Footsteps quietly echoed on the stairs and Marmi put a finger to her lips. “Talk about something else,” she whispered.
    “You never answered my question about why you’re living in the boardinghouse,” Prudence remarked, turning back toward Lilly. All the girls seemed to await her answer in great interest.
    “My parents are both deceased. We lost our farm when the Associates decided to make East Chelmsford the site of their industrial community.”
    Nadene turned sideways as she wove her way through the narrow aisle between the beds and dropped onto the lumpy mattress. “You never give up with your questions, do you? Now look what you’ve done—you’ve caused Lilly to dredge up sad memories. Now she’ll never get to sleep,” Nadene scolded, pointing toward the gloomy expression etched upon Lilly’s face.
    The girls glanced in Lilly’s direction. “We’re sorry,” they chorused in unison.
    “And don’t you tell them it’s all right, Lilly, or