The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-06-02
BARBARA'S IDEA.
The Happy Ending of Her BUSH
ness Enterprise.

Barbara Bedford stood looking medi
t~atively at an old rocking-chair that
occupied the center of her dainty
chamber.
The usual order Of this pretty room
was sadly d~isarranged. Bits of leath-
er, pieces Of an old comforter. and
scraps Of brown linen were sire wn
recklessly over the floor. That morn
Ing Barbara had been recovering this
old family friend, and it was pardona-
BILE pride with which she now sur
veyed her latest triumph in economy
and skill. But her satisfied smile was
replaced by a faint sigh, not called
forth by the piece of embroidered
linen. gracefully tied with bright rib
bon over the restored seat
Many A girl besides Barbara has
had to grapple with the p~erplexities
that brought the frown to her fair
brow. She had announced to the
other members of her family. at the
breakfast table, that the "exchequer
OF the house of Bedford was depIora-
bly, low. Al hough SIC made ;her
statement with a smile anu lest she
was seriously troubled by the state OF
the household finances,
The Bedford family consisted Of
three others besides Barbara; her
brother Jack, who obtained a small
salary as a journalist, and Tom and
Jean, two youngsters in school. Their
mother had died three years previous
", and she had been soon followed by
her husband. Having vepl!t!ured a
small fortune in stock speculations,
and lost it all. it seemed as if Mr..
Bedford died simply because he was
too discouraged to live. Since that
time. the children had managed to
exist on their elder brothers income,
but the wants of Tom and Jean in
creased in alarming proportion to
their sizA Barbara felt that she had
exhausted every means of saving
money, and now she was resolved to
Try some other expedient
Il am young and strong" she
unused, ''and it is not only my right,
but | ought 10 earn some money, as
well as Jack. But how? There's the
rub"
Mechanically she wandered about
the house, back and forth from room
to room. as she vaguely soliloquized:
.If l only knew enough could teach
school. But what wonder is it that
am a hopeless Ounce, having given up
my studies at the callow age Of ff.
teen? l could not g. into a store.
Imagine a customer waiting for me to
reckon her change!' And the little
maiden laughed aloud at the absurdi.
ty of her thought Il might have
been an artist, If I could only have
kept on with my lessons" and she
paused at the drawing-room doorway
as she mentally summed up her def
%ciencies In spite of a certain degree
of shabbiness, this was a charming
room, and as Barbara's eyes rested on
the artistic draping Of a curtain in a
particularly cosy corner OF the apart
ment, she said to herself: Il do pos.
sess q certain knack Of arrangement,
and can make a room beautiful If there
is any thing to it. ! love to fix orna-
ments, dust books and give things ar
air."
Suddenly an idea seizsd Barbara,
which caused her eyes to dance. and
the decided little chin to elevate it.
self. Jack said he always could tel
the state of his sisters mental Amos
pherc by the angle Of her chin. and
when that facial a~ppendage was ''ul
in the air." he knew something wal
about to happen