The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-01-10
HENRiETTA's MISTAKE.


HENRlETTA's MISTAKE.
Any Thing Good Enough for the .Iittl.
vandals" Lesson Well Learned.
'.Yon've put the s'eevcs in upside
down. Henrietta" said Helen Marcy.
What is the difference? They will
never know it; throw 1t into the box,
the young girl replied. Nobody will
know who made it,
Yes. Henrietta, but when they open
the box Mt the mission, somebody will
have to rip it ont and put it in again
before it can be worn,''
They ought to be glad to get any
thing to put on those little vandals. dc
you suppose they would know whether
sleeve was upside down, or even wrong
side out, Helen?"
Helen Marcy made no reply, rs she
saw her companion throw the gingllam
shirt-waist into the box that stood in
the middle Of the floor where the fin
tshed garments were deposited. She
would have taken the sleeve out and
put it in again herself. but she had
promised to finish of some other work
that evening, as the box was going in
the morning. These two young girls
belonged to the busy workers sewing
society,"" They had been preparing a
box for charitable institution in the
city.
Henrietta Fassett was one OF those
persons who always did things. as her
aunt Jerusha expressed it, Tin whew.' .
She did not think it worth while to
basic the pieces Of her garments to-
gether. for that took too much time;
90 when she sewed under her mothers
or her annt's supervision. she was
oftentimes obliged 10 rip out the stitches
and do the work over again. She had
heard her aunt say hundred timoe:
Lazy folks alawys take the most pains.
Henrietta That afternoon she WAS
responsible 10 no one. 50 tho up
side-down sleeve MAS allowed tn be
sent OF. aai tina, was al she thought
about 1t.
Helen Marcy was entirely different in
that respect from her intimate friend.
Henrietta Fassett. It took her longer
to finish her work. but it never had to
be done over again. She was response
BILE to herself and her own honor in
such matters. II she had made the mis-
take that her friend made, she would
have sat up all night, If need be, to
rectify it. She always aimed to do
we'll whatever she did, and even in the
very best manner she was capable of.
The matron at the charitable institu-
ton was very glad to get the box.
There were fifteen little boys in ragged
garments waiting to put the fifteen
new bingham shirtwaists on. It was
such a help, she thought, to have them
all ready to put on-no buttons to be
sewed, and no fitting to be done, and
no running up Of seams. Those new,
clean, pretty gingham waists all ready
to be slipped over the boys shoulders.
How good and kind the ..busy workers.
had been.
Mrs. Leavenworth, friend OF Mrs.
Marcy's, was there to see the box
opened, and she was proud to say that
the box came from the young girls Of
the town where she spent her summers.
One boy after another stepped up to the
matron and had new waist put on,
and marched of with smiling face.
Fourteen boys had been equipped and
sent off happy. Then the fifteenth boy
came up. He was thin, pale boy, with
the saldest Of faces. The matron said
he had very sad history, and some
time she would tell Mrs. Leayenworth
all about it. Martin Beers stood by the
box win smile lighting up his face.
He was going to have a new waist,
probably the first bright. fresh, new
garment he had ever had. His right
arm went into the sleeve. but there was
something wrong with the set of it.
Whats the matter with this sleevc?'
queried the matron. oh, see; It's
put in upside down; somebody's made
q mistake. 1t will have to 60 to the
sewing-room and be ripped out. The
sewing-girl Is gone. too. this after.
nOOn."
Mrs. Lcavenworth saw the disap-
pointed look on the little fellows face.
AL the other boys were in the play
room with new waists on, and he would
have to go back again with his old torn
shirt on. The lady laid aside her bonnet
and wrap, and said; "Wait q few min
utes, Martin, and will fix the sleeve;''
and SO the boy sat down on stool by
her side, and watched her rip out the
sleeve and put it in again. 1t took q
half hour to do the work, but she told
Martin some pretty stories while she
was ut work. Then he marched off
TO join the brigade with new gingham
waists.
Henrietta had forgotten all about the
''npside-down Sleeve" until the presi-
dent of tho society raped on the table a
fortnight and called the busy
workers and takers to order. Then
she read the letter Mrs. Leavenworth had
written about the box She wrote how
needy the boys were, and how pleased
they all were with the new garments.
But this lady thought best to tell tho
whole truth as we as part Of it. and so
she added that one waist had to be fix
ed before tho boy could wear it, as
somebody had made mistake and put
the right sleeve in upside down. She
only mentioned it because she know that
the waist would not have been sent SO
unless II was mistake She also
thought it would be a good thing to tell
the young girls, SO they would be more
particular in future.
who could have made that mis-.
take?" asked the president, as she
stopped in the midst of her reading.
No one answered, and Helen Marc,
would not betray her friend. But Hen
rietta, after u few moments considera
ton, spoke out clearly: Il made tina
mistake, girls, and did not remedy it
but threw the waist into the box.
think / shall be more particular afte
| this. / really did not think it woul,