The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-09-18
5Miscell
A Little Shop Girl.

D
"and l mean to help her all | can. I've got
beautiful recipe for chocolate eclars, and on
Friday evening am going there to make up
all | can, so that the school children will buy
them on Saturday. | know how to make
cinnamon apple tarts, too, and lemon and
cocoanut balls"
"Gracie, / do believe you have taken leave
of your Senses" said Nledora May. "One
would think it was disgrace enough for Aunt
Deborah to open horrid huckster shop,
without our mixing ourselves up in the at
fair"
"But Aunt Debby must live, you know"
said Grace, who was perched, kitten fashion,
on the window-sill, feeding the canary with
bits of sparkling white sugar. "And Cousin
Nixon couldn't keep her any longer. | sup
pose you wouldn't be willing to have her
come and live with your"
II W cried Medora, "Do you suppose |
want to proclaim to the whole town that |
have such diapidated old relation as that ?"
81 would take her quick enough" said
Grace, eff 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 up
lifting of her auburn brows, land then see if
/ don't furnish up stately apartment for
Aunt Debby."
Don't talk nonsense" said Medora, acdly.
tits very likely, isn't it, that factory girl
like you is going to marry rich MANI"
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 cheer
fully entered factory, while Medora, taking
her stand on the platform ola false gentility,
had done fine sewing and silk embroidery on
the sly to support herself, putting on all the
airs of young lady of fashion the while.
And now Aunt Deborah May, to the infinite
disgust of her aristocratically .inclined niece,
had actually opened little low-windowed
shop in shady street just out of the main
thoroughfare,
But what am to do?" Aunt Deborah
had said.
"But what can you do? ?" said Grace:
81 don't know Your uncle always used
to say l was 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 l haven't got ten dollars MONTH"
feebly interrupted Aunt Deborah.
"Ell lend it to you," said Grace, tout of the
wages have saved. And there's . pretty
bed room at the back of the shop, and a
clean, dry basement under it, where you can
bake your bread"
do you mean to open a bakery ?" said be-
wildered Aunt Debby
mot exactly that" explained Grace, "But
if the ladies around here could get real home
made bread, such as you make, do you sup
pose they would put up with the sour stuff
they get at the bakers shops? And you
could easily get up reputation on your raj
sin cakes and fried crullers and New England
pumpkin pies. Now, couldn't your"
The old lady frightened up little.
81 used to be pretty good at cooking"
said she. "And if you think could sup
port myself So"
81 am sure of it !" cried cheerful Grace
"And I'll 90 there with you this very day to
look at the place, and will engage it for three
months on trial. And can paint you a
sign to put over your door Home made
Bread by Mrs. Deborah Mayw And III
hem you some curtains and arrange the
| shelves in the low window. almost wish |
was going tc be your shop girl" she added,
merrily. "But can help you in the evening,
you know"
Grace Craxall's prophecies proved correct
Aunt Debby's delicious homemade bread
whittier than powdered lilies, sweet as ambro-
STA, soon acquired q reputation, and the old
lady could scarcely bake it fast enough. Peo-
pie came half dozen blocks to buy the vel
low pumpkin pies and delicious apple tarts ;
children brought their boarded pennies to in
vest in chocolate sweetmeats, vanilla cara.
mels and cream cakes, with puffy shells md
delicious centres of sweetness. The little
money drawer grew fat with coins and Aunt
Debby's dim eyes grew bright and hopeful
again.
And one day Mr.. Herbert Valance, walk
ing by with Medora May stopped and look
ed in.
isn't that your cousin Grace" said he,
"behind the counters"
Medora turned crimson with vexation.
"My cousin Grace" she said. mo, in
deedl
Mr.. Valance looked up at the sign over the
| door.
"The name is May" he remarked, indiffer
emily.
EYES," said Medora, angry at herself blush
| ing so deeply, "but we are no relation"
Mr.. Valance thought over the matter; he
| afterward met Miss May at party given by
| 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 a less attrac-
tive and graceful wife than Medora May.
But he could not be mistaken, he thought, in
Grace Craxalls identity
And so the next evening, about the same
time, he sauntered into the shop
Grace was behind the dantily clean little
counter taking some newly baked maple car
amels off the PAN She looked up with q
smile.