Read Online Christmas Past by Glenice Crossland - Free Book Online
Authors: Glenice Crossland
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pampering Mary by preparing a
lovely hot meal on her arrival home in the evening, relieved to see her back to her normal cheerful self.
By the end of the second week Mary had got to know all the slitting shop girls by name, and some of the mill men as well. She had also discovered that Madge wasn’t only money-mad but
man-mad too. If she was to be believed she had been with quite a few of the mill men, regardless of whether they were married or single.
‘I could tell you stories that’d make yer hair curl, if it wasn’t curly already,’ she said proudly.
‘I don’t doubt it.’ Mary laughed.
Madge also tried to draw Mary into telling her if she had had any sexual experiences herself, but Mary simply kept quiet, though she did ask once, ‘Is that all you can talk about? I think
you’re manmad. No wonder they call you the merry widow.’
‘Jealousy, love, that’s all it is. Take that Doris on the oiling machine. Never had a man in her life, wouldn’t know what to do with one if she got chance, so she simply makes
out she doesn’t want one. No, lass, you’re only young once; enjoy yerself while yer can, that’s what I say. Mind you, when my Walt was alive it was a different matter.’
Madge’s face clouded over for a second and suddenly Mary realised that the brittle exterior was actually a sham to disguise the sadness at the loss of her husband. After a moment Madge
continued, once more her cheerful self. ‘Now, when my Walt was alive I would never have looked at another man – never needed to. A lovelier man you couldn’t wish to meet, nor a
better one in bed. Still, you can’t bring them back, and if you do right by them while they’re here you’ve nothing to reproach yourself for when they’ve gone, that’s
what my mother told me after he’d died, and nobody can say I didn’t do right by Walt. Never left his side at the end only to wash the dirty linen, and though I say it myself his bed was
kept spotless. I was right relieved when he finally went, poor soul, nothing but skin and bone. They wouldn’t let a dog suffer like he did. They’d have had it put down. Oh, well, you
can’t live in the past. Like I said, enjoy yerself while you’re young, love.’
Mary thought she was lucky to be working with Madge, but the other girls didn’t like it when they earned more bonus than anyone else in the shop, and Mary soon realised that she would have
to work full tilt to keep up with her mate. Instead of using the small portable crane which had to be brought from one machine to the other, Mary felt obliged to lift the heavy coils manually in
order to work at twice the speed. She soon got the knack of supporting the weight on her stomach and swinging the coils from machine to bench, though it was heavy work and according to the other
girls it was against the rules. Madge told her to use the crane if any of the bosses were about and they’d be all right.
It was during the third week on her new job that Mary made friends with one of the other packers, a girl named Theresa Murphy, who invited Mary to go with her to the Saturday night dance in
Millington. Although she was tempted, she declined on the grounds of not being able to get home, knowing she wouldn’t enjoy it without Tom anyway.
‘You could stay at our house. My mother won’t mind, and you could go to church with us on Sunday morning before you went home.’
‘Got to go in the sin bin to confess after Saturday night, have yer?’ Madge laughed.
‘Don’t class everybody with yerself,’ Theresa retorted, to much laughter.
Mary said she would think about it, but that was as far as it went. She mentioned Theresa’s invitation over dinner on Sunday.
‘You ought to go out more often,’ said Dr Roberts. ‘It would do you good.’
‘It wouldn’t be right, not while Tom’s away. I wouldn’t mind going to church, though. It isn’t the same at the convent, which is why I don’t go very
often.’
‘Then go you
lovely hot meal on her arrival home in the evening, relieved to see her back to her normal cheerful self.
By the end of the second week Mary had got to know all the slitting shop girls by name, and some of the mill men as well. She had also discovered that Madge wasn’t only money-mad but
man-mad too. If she was to be believed she had been with quite a few of the mill men, regardless of whether they were married or single.
‘I could tell you stories that’d make yer hair curl, if it wasn’t curly already,’ she said proudly.
‘I don’t doubt it.’ Mary laughed.
Madge also tried to draw Mary into telling her if she had had any sexual experiences herself, but Mary simply kept quiet, though she did ask once, ‘Is that all you can talk about? I think
you’re manmad. No wonder they call you the merry widow.’
‘Jealousy, love, that’s all it is. Take that Doris on the oiling machine. Never had a man in her life, wouldn’t know what to do with one if she got chance, so she simply makes
out she doesn’t want one. No, lass, you’re only young once; enjoy yerself while yer can, that’s what I say. Mind you, when my Walt was alive it was a different matter.’
Madge’s face clouded over for a second and suddenly Mary realised that the brittle exterior was actually a sham to disguise the sadness at the loss of her husband. After a moment Madge
continued, once more her cheerful self. ‘Now, when my Walt was alive I would never have looked at another man – never needed to. A lovelier man you couldn’t wish to meet, nor a
better one in bed. Still, you can’t bring them back, and if you do right by them while they’re here you’ve nothing to reproach yourself for when they’ve gone, that’s
what my mother told me after he’d died, and nobody can say I didn’t do right by Walt. Never left his side at the end only to wash the dirty linen, and though I say it myself his bed was
kept spotless. I was right relieved when he finally went, poor soul, nothing but skin and bone. They wouldn’t let a dog suffer like he did. They’d have had it put down. Oh, well, you
can’t live in the past. Like I said, enjoy yerself while you’re young, love.’
Mary thought she was lucky to be working with Madge, but the other girls didn’t like it when they earned more bonus than anyone else in the shop, and Mary soon realised that she would have
to work full tilt to keep up with her mate. Instead of using the small portable crane which had to be brought from one machine to the other, Mary felt obliged to lift the heavy coils manually in
order to work at twice the speed. She soon got the knack of supporting the weight on her stomach and swinging the coils from machine to bench, though it was heavy work and according to the other
girls it was against the rules. Madge told her to use the crane if any of the bosses were about and they’d be all right.
It was during the third week on her new job that Mary made friends with one of the other packers, a girl named Theresa Murphy, who invited Mary to go with her to the Saturday night dance in
Millington. Although she was tempted, she declined on the grounds of not being able to get home, knowing she wouldn’t enjoy it without Tom anyway.
‘You could stay at our house. My mother won’t mind, and you could go to church with us on Sunday morning before you went home.’
‘Got to go in the sin bin to confess after Saturday night, have yer?’ Madge laughed.
‘Don’t class everybody with yerself,’ Theresa retorted, to much laughter.
Mary said she would think about it, but that was as far as it went. She mentioned Theresa’s invitation over dinner on Sunday.
‘You ought to go out more often,’ said Dr Roberts. ‘It would do you good.’
‘It wouldn’t be right, not while Tom’s away. I wouldn’t mind going to church, though. It isn’t the same at the convent, which is why I don’t go very
often.’
‘Then go you
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