Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-04-04

mer months, when orders had
grown few again, Dora disposed ot
her surplus eggs at the regular
market price, and the plump, full
breasted spring chickens she ship
ped to a poultry dealer in the city
who gave her good price fol-
them.
The next year she inclnded in
her advertisements the offer of 4
limited number of full grown fowls
at five dollars a trio, and soon had
more orders than she could fill. In
this way, Dora soon found that she
was on the road to independence.
But in the meantime she had not
neglected the strawberry patch.
In the second fall Of her expert
ment, she hired farmer Wilkins to
pillow up al acre of groued, and
prepare it for the plants, which he
procured at a nursery, at from fifty
to seventy five cents hundred.
.lsShe chose the Captain Jack,
Wilson, and Shhrpless,for early
varieties, and one or two kinds
which ripened very late.
"For," as she reasoned, "tl'ose
Will bring the highest prices, and
will not find the market overstock.
ed"
The, plants she set ont herself,
with the assistance farmer Wilkins,
Hannah, and Aunt Betsy, and
when winter set in she covered the
beds, plants and all, with a thick
coating of bright, clean straw,
which served to protect them from
the cold.
In the spring the plants grew up
through their straw covering, which
now became a carpet, on which the
bright, scarlet red berries rested,
without being soiled by the ground
beneath.
Over ~ thousand gallons Of ber-
RES were shipped to the city in the
spring from this patch, bringing
the highest price both for early and
late varieties.
Dor;, had hired a number Of wo.
men and girls from the village to
help pick the fruit and pack it into
small boxes, which were then tan
sported without injury on the cars.
The sale Of her strawberry crop,
after paying all expenses, brought
Dora IL snug sum of several hun
dred dollars.
The following summer aunt Bet
sy Grimes decided to so and live
with a married dauglter in a neigh.
boring town, and Dora hired Han.
nah Wilkins to stay with her and
help with the work.
During the first year or two of
her venture, Dora WAS compelled
TO live trugally and economically.
Her food, though abundant and
substantial, was not luxurious, and
she dressed plainly, according to
her means.
The smart farmers daughters i'll
and around the village, who sport
ed all the tinery they could COM
mand. looked distlainfully on Do.
ra's plain calico frocks and her old
FASHIONED shawl and hat. But
with her increas ng means she
made Il suitable change in her at
tire. Though her new wardrobe
was not Of great variety, every ar
ticle was of good quality, and was
vel! and tastefully made.
Her black cashmere dress was
the real stuff, and her navy-blue,
tailor-made suit, her black hat, with
its nodding ostrich plumes, her
neat fitting gloves, plush .iacketand
tidy boots were in the height Of
good taste.
Letters had been frequ ntly ex-
changed between the sisters, but
Dora had only informed them that
she was earning her living. with
out going into particulars as to her
experiments and successes. And
now, at the beginning Of the third
year she determined to pay them a
visit.
She found Almira drudging
away, from SIX O'Clock in the morn
ing till mne at night, doing the
cooking, washing, ironing. and all
the other work in IL family Of four.
She was hearty and contented, how
ever, earning her twelve dollars a
month, and proudly informed her
sister that she already had one
hundred and fifty dollars safely
laid up in the savings bank.
II suppose you have not saved
anything, Dora, from the way you
Dress" she added, scanning her
sisters becoming costume. '.You
had better dress more economically,
and lay up something fol a rainy
day" But Dora only smiled at
her sisters advice, and went to
pay a visit to Rosamond, who was
living in two tiny rooms in South
St. Louis, or Carondolct, as it was
called.
Rosamond was much pleased to
see her sister, but was very busy
with a press of overwork, and was
debating the necessity of hiring an
assistant.
She was prosperlng very well,
and saving money, she informed
Dora, but the work was very con-
fning, and her health was not so
good as it had been.
Il