The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-04-04
A LITTLE SHOP-GIRL.

oic All Otu ,udtllHS, Sdlu GrdCe
i9faxall. 'and | mean to help her all
4 can. I've got a beautiful recipe for
chocolate eclairs, and on Friday ev-
e1ing | am going there to make up
all that | can, so that the school chill
Gfen will buy them on Saturday. |
know how to make cinnamon apple
tarts, too, and lemon drops and CO.
coanut balls"
"Grace, | do believe you have ta-
ken leave ofyour Senses" said Medo-
"a May. One would think it was
disgrace enough for Aunt Deborah
our own mothers sister-to open a
horrid little hucksteF shop without
our mixing ourselves up in the af-
f,ir."
sgg&ont Debby must live, you
Tspw, j" said Grace, who was perch
ed kitten fashion, on the window
| nil. feeding the canary with bits
d white sagar. And Cousin Nixon
cluldn't keep her any longer, and
hr eyes are not strong enough for
nedleWork, and her education has
MT fitted her to be a teacher, and
her poor old rheumatic bones keep
Pr from going behind a counter or
etering a factory, I suppose you
youldn't be willing to haYo her come
here and live with you ?"
ZIP exclaimed Medora. "Dn you
Suppose that I want to proclaim to
tie whole town that have dilapi-
hted old relation as that ?"
81 would take her quick enough"
sid Grace, eff l didn't board with
Mrs. Howlit, and share the little up
stairs back room with the two chill
d'en. Just wait until | marry some
rbh man." she added, with a saucy
uplifting of her auburn eyebrows,
'@nd see if | don't furnish up state
ly apartment for Aunt Debby."
Don't talk nonsense" said Medo,
ra acidly. ITS very likely, isn't it,
that a factory girl like you is going
to marry a rich man?"
Grace Craxall laughed merrily. All
through her 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
off her last surviving parent, cheer
fully entered a factory, while Medora,
taking her stand on the platform OF
lfalse gentility, had done fine sew
sSfA1.9ad silk embrcidery on the sly
tGTsUh1port herself, putting on all the
arts Of young lady Of fashion the
while. And now Aunt Deborah
May. to the infinite disgust of hel
ariStOcratically inclined niece, had
opened a little low WindOWed shOr
in a shady street just out of the main
thOroughfare, and as Medora despair
ingly expressed it, "gOne into trade"
For Aunt Debby, in her bewilGer.
ed lonliness, had scarcely known
what to do until Grace CraXall came
to the rescue with her hopeful cour-
age and straightforward common
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,
cheerfuliy.
"But what am 1 to do ?" said
Aunt Deborah.
"What can you do ?" said Grace.
II don't know as L am good fOl
anything" said the old lady, with a
quiet tear or two, "eXcept to help
around the house, and | amt strong
enough for regular hired help. Your
uncle always used to say that l was
a master hand at making bread"
"Then make it," brightly inter
rupted Grace.
"Eh 2" said Aunt Debby.
"There is a nice little store to let
on Bay street," went on Grace, "fOl
$40 a month";"
I"Put | havn't got so month, u
feebIy interrupted Aunt Debby.
"I'll lend it to you," said Grace
out of the wages l haye saved. And
there is pretty bedroom at the back
of the snop, and a clean, dry base
ment under it where you can bake
your bread. | know, for the sister O
the lady where l board is looking
for dress making rooms, and l heard
her talking about it,"
"Do you mean to open bakery"
said bewidered Aunt Debby.
mot exactly that" explained
Grace, "but if Mrs, Howlitt, or Mrs
Taylor, or any of the ladies around
here could get real homemade bread
such as you make, do you suppose
they would put up with the SOU
stuff they get at the bakers shops