The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-28
p BRAVE GIRL,
BY EI4IZABETH STUART PHELPS,
IurIoR,oF .ruE GATES AJAR"
OF THE TUBs'' ETC.,

"bpt your Ihtlef wished you 70 go on
my dear. He would be hesrt-broEep L
have you give up you college course"
"People don't break their hearts In
heaven" said Lotto Htoutly, winking back
the tears, sand ICan'ts 60 to college on
Ave thousand and Q house and q boy Ia
educate. I've thought 1t all out. | am
the Oldest, / must look alter Slam"
Her bright eyes grew dreamy for
minute, and through the dream there
passed q vision Of the girls in the south
west second corner bedroom, and Mary
Mace, Consclentiously picking peanut
shells OF the carpet and some ones say,
ing: "Mary, what are you going to be2"
And Mary's quiet answer; "Whateyer
will educate the boys" Lotto had wonder.
ed at that answer then, She thought Of
It now, with the feeling Of one who has
learned the grammar of new language,
Mary was older than the rest Of them las
well as better in the othefage thRtts not
OF years,
"Itia just here" urged Lotto with the
calmless OF one whose mind Is quite
made up, ~ can't 20 on without using
our capital, That Is plain. was near
ly through, that's a fact, and I-well-I
wanted to graduate, mamma. And Of
course could get better salary II l did.
But there's the capital-and the boy. ]
won't infringe on either OF them, l de-
tsrmined on that, I've had so much more
than Slam already, don't you ses? l'm so
nearly through, II isn't because he's a
boy, you know. don't believe in this
sacrificing Of girls to boys, oil the same,
mamma-poor things that sew and dress.
make their brothers into the ministry, and
all that kind Of thing, Juggernauts, such
ministers are, I'D az lief worship one az
the other. 1t isn't because I'm girl that
I think l ought to give up to Slam. It
is only because he is my brother"
added Lotto simply. "And little,
to BIO wild perhaps Always get.
ting bumped, l think II Slam didn't
get bumped quite 80 much, l shouldn't
feel my duty 30 strongly, mamma"
laughing merrily, "Perhaps nothing but
an education will save his head. So you
see, mamma darling, II you don't mind,
l've settled 1t. SLAM shall go to Uncle
Peters and try tho academy and ht for
somewhere. And-Fern must 60 back to
Northampton alone. And Smith college
must be- the loser OF one great and gloTi.
Gus graduate. lrRther think lean teach
u district school. My education has done
80 much for me. That's more than most
girls can do. I'd rather sell peSnuta
chan teaCh-only," regrettully, ~ always
meant to ba q Professor Of Biology. But
40 much is Bettled, mamma. shall sup.
port this family aud educate that boy"
"Dssr gill But how are you going 10
do it,
"DOn't know" said Lotto briRkly. Find
way. Boys do.
but girl"
"Td be ashamed to BIO q girl" said Lotto,
stoutly, 70 great well girl, With ireCkles
and q dimple-and not an ache nor an all
to ner name, not even toothaChe, aud
most through junior year at college, and y
mother like you, and sleep eight hours a
night, and wslk ton miles q day, II 1
couldn't support this iamily!"
The conversation was interrupted by
Slam, who appeared dripping with Icy
water, and planted himself plGintiyely in
the middle Of the largest Persian rug TO ex.
plain that tho raft had sunk in the middle
OF the meadow and no and the other boys
got Q little damp, and the little ones went
over their hoads and one went down three
times, and he SLAM picked him out, be.
cause he'diuvited them, and their mothers
were scary, and the boy that liked to
drowned was afraid he'd get looking.
Loto'S decision contained the wisdom OF
necessity, Plainly, there was no other
xyay THO 1trI n,nuL Iaovn onlL,.o H.,
and by, when they could all zoe what was
before them clearly, when the boy was
well started, and the family set at ease in
some mysterious manner by Loto's pnde.
veloped energies as fortune hunter
then, she thought, she would creep back
some brave day and take the senior
studies, and get tho diploma, and perhaps
who knew 2-become Professor OF
Biology after all. True, the girls would
all bs gone, and she would crawl in like
somebody who was aont to the foot OF life.
Even the little irizzled Freshman would
hRyo carried her baustes through her final
commencement weeks, and be married
diploma and ally by that time. But Il
could not be helped, Lotto put her flexi.
BILE young lips together firmly. u won't
waste time In the dBmps,H ahs said.
Secretly sue wondered how Daisy Dubbs
would succeed In the plan she had Of re-.
duclng her weight by eating slste.pencils,
and alas how hard Fern would cry at
night on frat going back slopej and then
shp io4ad would not do foi her TO won.
der. She must learn the harder lesson OF
forgetting. To think oil what she had lost,
made her feel as weak as II she had stayed
too long in warm bath.
SO che posSsA wondering, and went TO
work instead.
II have plan" she said, when people
asked her what she Vas going to do.
This plan she explained to nobody but
her mother, and her mother explained Il
TO nobody at all. She did feel q bounding
hope Of the prccess Of Loto'a plan, but abe
did feel reluctance 10 toll her 80. Which
was more natural than 1t was wise.
There was mystery about |. which
Slam took al o personal insult. Why Lotto
should shut heiSelfil her room, several
houta day, aud consider AeEeOlt as sup
porting the family, he failed TO under.
stand, and Slam expected 10 understand
everything. Then the door was locked.
This was iatal grievance. 4ioto used 10
70 In smiling and come out sober she en-,
tered rosy and fresh, and appeared pale
and tircd. Slam tried the key. Ityaa
fast. Railing the handle, and oven kick.
ing the panels more or less, did not have
that moral effect which was "a
be expected on Loto's character,
She did not become a docile
and Confdipg sitter even when she was
called names through the key-hole. She
remained q Sphinx although plnched d
good deal, and poked at rsvengstully
through the hAnlStem. Threatening her
that he, Slam, would fall To provide fol
her education II she did not tell him
what she was doing, had no perCeptlble
effect. She was not moved by the Ia,
tlmation that too much family mystery
would drive him before the mast on 4
voyage to surlnatn. Suggestions Of
suicide itself had no evident weight with
her. Slam was puzzled. He even went
90 far as TO kiBS der voluntarily, on two
occasions, and once he told her that Il
she wasn't irocklOd she'd be almost
pretty. Ilut oven these Establishments
4 - a T. a