River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-07-26

an afTectionate smile. She was very
proud OF her sisters brightness and
quickness. even when the jokes were
aimed at herself
IAN idea has just occurred to me-"
said Lena. but / shall not whisper a
syllable Of il TO any body till see how
it is going to turn out. Meanwhile,
il this misguided mortal tCiU put
her head into lions den Tor an
editors, which is the same thing),
she must go clothed and in her right
mind. Dora, why couldn't we take the
best of your brown tricot, rip and color
the disreputable street suit with
diamond dye exactly the shade of the
brown, rim with a dash of brown
velvet, cover a twenty-five cent bonnet
frame with the same, and send you
forth, cOnquering and to conquer"
LENA, you're the salvation Of the
family" cried Dora, in ecstasy.
Clara hustled the arithmetics back
into the closet. and produced three
pairs of sharp scissors. In a short
time the two suits were ripped, shaken
free of dust and rawlings, and the
diamond dye. purchased for ten cents
at the drug store around the corner,
was seething in an old tin pail on tie
kitchen stove.
81 am dyeing, Egypt, dyeing,'"
sang Lena, as she fished out the pieces
with an old brOom-handle, rinsed them
through four or five waters, and hung
them out in the bright air without
wringing.
''If Howard Vandyne should come TO
call. shall send him out here to shake
hands with yOu?" said Dora, saucily,
coming to the kitchen-door with her
half-made bonnet in her hand.
Considering that these lily fingers
are being darkened for your especial
benefit. young woman. il strikes me
that your iests are rather unseemly."
You will be rid of me next Monday.
Clara. the dear soul, has run around to
see If little Miss Moss can come to-
morrow to cut and fit the transformed
goods. | have just had it out with
father and mother in the back parlor.
They were opposed to my going, Of
course, but / finally convinced them
that there was no choice. Father is
too old and disheartened for a new
start in business. If we all get situa-
tiOns, we can take care of ourselves
aud the dear old folks. too"
That remains to be proved" said
Lena. 1T is very certain that we must
try it, whatever the issue"
Monday morning Clara was installed
as assistant bOok-keeper in the estab-
lishment of the elder Vandyne at a
salary which seemed small when COM
pared with the lavish pin-money
formerly bestowed by an indulgent
father. She accepted it gratefully.
however. for it meant independence
thing more to be desired than fine gold.
Dora left on an early train for Bos-
ton. carrying in her hand-satchel five
dollars in money and about a dozen
MSS, which had never yet been sub
mitted TO the piercing glance of an
editorial optic. The new suit was all
that could be desired.
You needn't tell Beacon street
people how much il cost. Dora" said
Lena, dabbing at a sistcrly tear or two
with her handkerchief, as the hour of
parting drew near.
Il don't expect to meet many of
them" was the reply. Don't cry,
dearie, till you see whether make a
failure or not"
Lena went home from the station,
and, with the help of one small maid
(the other servants having been dis
pensed with), set the house in order,
made preparations for dinner, then
prOcee ded to put in execution the plan
which had been simmering. She made
brief calls on six or eight of her lady
acquaintance, and when Clara came
home at noon, she found her sister
sorting various garments in all stages
Of dissolution, from the merely faded
and stained to those that were ''rim-
racked and center-shook!"
What are you doing. Lena? Those
things never belonged to our house,"
exclaimed the astOntshed Clara.
True. But l am going TO build up
the fallen fortunes of our hose on just
these shreds and patches. To elucidate
-" she produced from under her
chair large placard on which she had
printed with pen:
Hospital for disabled garments. Patients re-
ceived in all stages Of inirmity. Dyeing and
cleansing speciality.
II have the privilege of doing tie
best | can with these things. The ut
terly irredeemable ones will be cut up
into carpet-rags for their owners. /
expect eventually to require several
assistants, and if you get sick of book
keeping and Dora's journalistic plan
falls through. we can organize a home
Consolidated
Clara dropped into chair. the pict-
ure of amazement.
'YOu never were like other girls.
Lena, What put this into your head?"
Planning DOra's suit last week."
answered Lena, serenely, shaking out
a lavender silk skirt and cycling it critic
| ally. That card is merely the rough
draft of an advertisement which l in
tend to put into the Weekly Chronicle
Most OF the ladies i have spoken to
| look on il as a freak. They little
dream that | mean to make a serious
business of it. BY the way, people are
unjustly accused in this world
When the heroine of a novel loses
her money, society is invariably repre-
scented as turning very frigid shout
der toward her. | can't say that |
have seen any difference in people
| since the Consolidated went TO pieces.
Mrs. Delano was as kind and chatty as
| ever-promised to do all she could to
help me, but evidently thinks that l
| shall tire of the business in a week.
To change the subject. how do you
like bookkeeping"
Clara gave little sigh.
II can't truthfully say that | dote on
it. The poetry of mathematics be-
comes very commonplace prose when
one has TO sit on hard stool and jOt
down figures from morning till night