Lyddie
Chapter 12
"I Will Not Be a Slave"
As the weeks wore on , Lyddie could feel herself become better and better at her work. She could work quickly and did not make many mistakes. She could even work through the heat and exhaustion and seemed to be indefatigable .
Lyddie could tell that Mr. Marsden, the overseer, noticed how well she was doing. One day, Mr. Marsden even brought visitors in to see her work. Lyddie was nervous, but knew that he would not have brought them to see her unless she was good. She even heard Mr. Marsden say, "one of our best girls, our very best".
Lyddie's pay reflected how well she was doing. She was making almost .50 a week after paying her room and board.
As she worked, Lyddie continued to read Oliver Twist. At first, it was very hard to read but the longer Lyddie worked at it the easier the story became to understand. Lyddie started to think about the characters. Mr. Bumble, Fagin, Nancy, and Bill Sikes. As she thought about the characters she also began to think about her own family.
That next day, Lyddie recieved a letter in the mail. She was nervous to open it.
The letter said:
Dear Datter,
I was surpriz to get your letter abt yur move to Lowell. I do not no to say. I you can send muny it will be to help Judah and Clarissa. Baby Agnes is gone to God. Rachel is porely and sick. Miny have died.
Yr. loving mother,
Mattie M. Worthen.
Lyddie felt very sad thinking about the death of her youngest sister, Agnes. She could barely even remember what her little face looked like because it had been so long since she had seen her.
The more Lyddie thought about it, the more she felt she needed to earn as much money as possible so that she could pay her family debts and get everyone back together again.
The Concord Corporation sped up the looms again. For Lyddie, this was good because she could work more looms and earn more money. However, many girls went home for good because they could not keep up with the fast pace .
Prudence was the first of Lyddie's roommates to leave for good. Prudence had become sick from the factory, at night she would cough a dry, painful cough that would keep Lyddie and the other girls up.
One night when Lyddie and Betsy and Amelia were sitting in their room the girls got into an argument.
Amelia wanted to talk to Lyddie but Lyddie was busy reading her book.
Amelia said, "Lyddie! Get your nose out of that book and come take a walk with me"
Lyddie replied, "I'm busy", she just wanted Amelia to leave her alone.
Suddenly, Amelia snatched Oliver Twist out of Lyddie's hands.
Lyddie yelled, "That's my book!"
Amelia said, "Come on Lyddie, just a short walk by the river before supper!".
Lyddie began to get more and more upset.
Amelia said, "Besides, this book isn't fit to read on the Sabbath, it's a sin!"
Lyddie felt the anger build up inside her. "You ain't read it! How can you know??"
Lyddie didn't understand, how come Amelia didn't understand how important this book was? It was about life and death.
Finally, Amelia said, "I know about novels, they are the devil's instrument to make young girls think about things they shouldn't".
After arguing for a while, Amelia broke down and cried. She apologized and said she didn't mean anything that she said but she was just so stressed out and tired from all of the hard work she couldn't help it.
Betsy said, "I understand what you mean, we're all working like black slaves is what. I've half a mind to sign the petition!"
Amelia looked at Betsy shocked and said, " You wouldn't sign the petition would you?!"
Betsy said, "I might. I used to work hard, but now I work twice as hard as I used to and get paid even less"
Lyddie didn't even want to listen to the conversation. She couldn't think anything except that if the girls signed the petition they would work less hours and therefore get paid less. Lyddie didn't want to get paid less because then it would take her longer to pay off her debts .
Also, Lyddie was worried that if Betsty signed the petition, Betsy would be blacklisted, which meant no other corporation would hire her. How could she survive without a job??
As the girls kept talking, Betsy began to sing:
"Oh! Isn't it a pity such a pretty girl as I
Should be sent to the factory to pine away and die?
Oh! I cannot be a slave,
I will not be a slave,
That I cannot be a slave!"
After Betsy finished singing Lyddie called out, "I ain't a slave! I ain't a slave!"
The girls agreed that they weren't slaves, but that with how hard they were working and how little they were being paid they didn't feel much better than one.
Finally, the bell for bedtime rang and Betsy and Amelia's argument was coming to an end.
Betsy told Amelia that it was time to fight for justice and for equal pay and treatment in the factory and Amelia told Betsy that it was against the Bible to fight back. Amelia also said it was unladylike to rebel against authority and be a radical .
As the girls finally stopped talking and turned out the lights, Lyddie was glad that it was quiet, but her mind was still full of thoughts after the discussion the girls had just had.