St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-18
A SENSIBLE BEAUTY.
Whose Level Head Brought Aer d
Husband and Wealth.


ssShe's an old darling, said Grace Craxall.
ssAnd mean to help her all can. I've
cot beautiful recipe for chocolate cellars,
and on Friday evening l am going there TO
make I'D all that | can, so that the scnool
children will buy them on Saturday.
know how to make cinnamon apple tarts,
too. and lemon drops and cocoanut pails'
"Grace. lido believe you have taken leave
of your senses" said Medora May. one
would think it was disgrace enough loI
Aunt Deborah-our own mothers sister
to open a horrid little huckster shop, with.
out our mixing ourselves up III the allaH. :,
But Aunt Debby must live, you know,
said Grace, who was perched, kitten lash
ion ON the window sill, feeding the canary
with bits of sparkling white sugar. ANA
cousin Nixon couldn't keep her any longer,
and her ewes are not strong enough for fine
needle work. and her education has not
fitted her TO be teacher, and her poor old
rheumatic bones keep her from going be-
hind the counter or entering factory.
suppose YOU wouldn't be willing to have
her come here and live with yOu?"
.Ir' cried Medora. ''DO you suppose |
want TO proclaim to the whole town that
have such a dilapidated old relation as
that?"
81 would take her quick enough" said
Grace. s'if didn't board with Mrs. Hewitt,
and share the little upstairs back room with
the two children. Just wait until marry
some rich man. she added with Saucy
uplifting of her auburn browS, land then
see if I don't furnish upa stately apartment
for Aunt Debby?"
Don't talk nonsense" said Medora,
acidlv. Its very likely, isn't it, that a
factory girl like you is going to. marry
rich man?"
Grace Craxall laughed merrily. All
through life she and her cousin, MedOra
May. had agreed to differ on most points.
Grace seeing no other career before her had,
ON the death of her last surviving parent,
eheerfully entered factory, while Medora,
taking her stand on the platform OF false
gentility, had done fine sewing and silk
embroidery on the sly to support herself,
putting on all the airs of a young lady OF
fashion the while. And now Aunt Debo-
rah May, to the infinite disgust of her aris-
Observation-Disclosures niece, had actually
opened little low-windowed shop in a
shady street just out Of the main thorough
fare, and as Medora despairingly expressed
it, ''gone into trader
For Aunt Debby, in her bewildered loneli-
ness, had scarcely known what to do until
Grace CraXall came to the rescue with her
hopeful courage and straightforward COM
mon sense.
81 only wish it wasn't sinful to take a
good big dose of laudanum and put myself
out of the way" sighed the poor old lady.
''Now, Aunt Debby, that doesn't sound
bit like you," said Grace, cheerfully.
''But what am to do" said Aunt De-
borah.
''What can you do?" said Grace.
81 don't know as am good for anything"
said the old lady with quiet tear or two,
amt strong enough for regular hired help.
Your uncle always said 1 was a master
hand at making bread"
''Then make it," brightly interrupted
Grace.
''Eh?' said Aunt Debby.
''There's nice little store to let on Bay
street" went on Grace, ''for ten dollars a
month";"
''But haven't got ten dollars month, "
feebly interrupted Aunt Deborah.
''Vll lend it to you," said Grace, tout of
the wages have saved. And there's a
pretty bedroom at the back of the shop, and
a clean, dry basement under it, where you
could bake your bread. | know, for the
s:ster of the lady where board is looking
sor dress making rooms, and | heard her
speaking about it..
''Do you mean to open a bakery?" said
5ewildered Aunt Debby.
mot exactly that explained Grace.
''But if Mrs. Hewitt, or Mrs. Taylor, or
any other Of the ladies around here could
get real homemade bread, such as YOU
make, do you suppose they would put up
with the sour stuff they get at the bakers
shops? And you could easily get up a
reputation on your raisin cakes, and fried
crullers, and New England pumpkin pies
Now. couldn't you?"
The old lady frightened up little.
81 used to be pretty good at cooking, -
said She "And if you think I could sup
port myself So"
81 am sure of itp' cried cheerful Grace.
''And I'll go there with you this very day
to look at the place, and We'll engage it for
three months on trial. And l can paint
you sign to put over your door, Home
made Bread by Mrs. Deborah Mayr' And
I'll hem you some curtains and arrange the
shelves in the low window! l almost wish
was going to be your shop girl,' she adj
ded merrily. But can help you in the
evening, you knowp'
rect. Aunt Debby's delicious homemade
bread, whittier than powdered lilies. sweet
as ambroSia, soon acquired reputation.
and the old lady could scarcely bake it fast
enough. People came half a dozen blocks
to buy the yellow pumpkin pies and deli
cious apple tarts; children brought their
boarded pennies to invest in chocolate sweet
meats, vanilla caramelS, and cream cakes
with puffy shells and delicious centers of
sweetness. The little money drawer grew
fat with coins, and Aunt Debby'g dim ewes
grew bright and hopeful again.
And one day Mr.. Herbert Valance, walk
ing by with MedOra May, stopped and
looked in.
isn't that your cousin Grace" said he,
''behind the counter"
Medora turned crimson with vexation.
MY cousin Gracew she said. mo, in
deed! We are not-in trader'
What possessed her to utter this deliberate
falSehOOd MedOra couldnOt afterwards have
told. Partly the sting of false shame. partly
Discrimination for Mr.. Herbert Valance to
know that her relations were not, to use
her expression, ladies and gentlemen
Mr.. Valance looked up at the sign over
the door.
''The name is May" he remarked indif-
ferently.
Eyes" said Medora, angry at herself
blushing so deeply, ''but we are no rela-
tion."
Mr.. Valance thought over the matter: he
afterwards met Miss May at party given
bya friend, where pretty Grace Craxall was
also present; he had taken rather fancy
to the bright blue eyes and delicate blonde
beauty of the former. Valance Hall, on
the hill just out of the city, was solitary
enough, now that his sisters had all married
and gone away, and perhaps man might
find less attractive and graceful wife thar
Medora May. But he could not be mis-
taken, he thought in Grace Craxalrs iden