THE PAPER CAP
CHAPTER I—THE SQUIRE OF ANNIS
“The turning point in life arrives for all of us.
A land of just and old renown,
Where Freedom slowly broadens down
From precedent to precedent.”
NEARLY ninety years ago, there was among the hills and wolds of the West Riding of Yorkshire a lovely village called Annis. It had grown slowly around the lords of the manor of Annis and consisted at the beginning of the nineteenth century of men and women whose time was employed in spinning and weaving. The looms were among their household treasures. They had a special apartment in every home, and were worthily and cheerfully worked by their owners. There were no mills in Annis then, and no masters, and no Trade Unions. They made their own work-hours and the Leeds Cloth Hall settled the worth of their work.