Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-03-15
WINNING A LOVER.
BY AMY RANDOLPH.


Give dollars Oh Bridget, | wish
| knew Of any way by which I could
earn five dollars"
Our scene was no ailk-lined bourdoir,
no picturesque wooden rayine fringcd
with ferns and musical with the ripple
Of moss-brown waters, but only an I'M
derground city kitchen, with a gloomy
range Of washtubs on one side, and q
scantily furnished dresser on the other
And Minnie Akerly, a beautiful Young
girl Of seventeen, sat peached on the
aforesaid tubs, swinging her pretty little
feet to ane fro, while a stout Irish wo-
man, with "A basket on her arm, stood
opposite.
"You. Miss, dear" echoed Bridget
Malooey. "But sure, that's a different
thing altogether
eve need money so badly" said
Minnie soberlv "And now that Papa
is ill, aud has lost his Office, We fave so
little And Sarah advertised for a
place as a nursery govomess, but no
one answered the advertisements. /
could teach, think, but every place is
illed, and Mr.. Russell says there are
en- applicants to at least every Va,
cancy."
"Ehe pity of it" sighed the sympa
hizing Bridget, "%hen the likes OF
me gets more work than she can do
For there is a jintleman sent a dozen
shirts last night to be done up, and it's
mesiIl will have to send them back.
How much to you have apiece ?
" A shilling Miss.
" That would be twelve shillings--a
dollar and Il half" said Minnie medita-
lively, Bridget, would you let me do
them p
aOn, MISS Minnie
"Do,' coaxed the girl. al know |
could. ( did popa's last week, and he
meyer knew they were not ironed by a
regular laundress. l shoull so like to
earna little money all of my own
could bay mamma some wine, and Sarah
new winter dress, and-Oh, with a
lov sigh, II could do so many nice
things, if only I had little money"
"Well, / declare" said honest
Bridget, rubbing her nose "And you
Judge Akerly's daughter !"
"Won't you let me, Bridget j.
Minnie had jumped off the wash tubs
and come close to the good natured
irish woman, with sparkling eyes and
theeks deep dyed with he deep earn
estness of her pleading, "Please, ]
sould come to your house this afternoon
and papa would think l was walking in
the Park"
"Sure, you'd be kindly welcome,
Miss, acceeded Bridget, "Only--"
Away ran Minnie in great glee, to
make all necessary preparations for the
work.
81 won't tell Sarah, " she thought,
NOR mamma, because they'd be sure
to cry and make fuss over it. I'll
Just steal quietly away, after I've made
the omelette for papa's lunch. Only if
Mr.. Russell should call-"and the
lovely face fell for n second-"But per-
haps he won't. Any way, this is one of
the opportunities to help myself that l
have sighed for so long, and it will only
be throwing luck away to neglect it.
And so Minnie Akerly stole away at
two O'CLOCK, much to the displeasure of
her elder sister Sarah.
"T think she might have stayed and
read to papa said she, instead of
leaving it always to me-"
my dear" said conciliatory Mrs.
Akerly, you must remember that she is
very young, and needs more relaxation
than we do"
Relaxation !" If they could only
have seen Minnie at that moment, with
flushed checks and sleeves rolled up to
the fair round shoulders, working as if
her life depended on it, they might
have taken different view of the mat
ters and things in general.
An the next day she went again to
iron the shirts she had washed so
"Sure Miss yours making them
look like white satin, " cried the admir-