The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-15
SELF-RELIANCE.
A Girl Who Took to Work for Money
and Speedily Earned Love.

| centre of a heap of discarded finery.
There were frayed and spotted velvet
| skirts, satin and silk waists, strained
out and threadbare in almost every
seam, hounced and bedraggled gros
| grains and nuns veilings, crampled
ribbons and torn laces.
"What do you propose to wear2"
Florence Annable's only companion
on this occasion was her married sis
ter, Mrs. Paul Grenman, in whose
pretty ears sparkled valuable s%olitaires
and whose fingers were crowded with
costly jewels. Mrs. Grenman's tone
was cold and the smile on her faultless
lips was almost a sneer.
81 don't mean anything unkind,
Julia" Miss Annable replied, 'but
the truth is, / am not comfortable in
secondhand clothing"
blanche would be edited at your
remarks, Florence" said hrs. Gren-
man. 1T was no easy task to get
these things together, she added with
increased hauteur. "You know very
well that my maid expects every gar
ment | discard. and so does Branches"
Notwithstanding her protest, the
young lady had selected the least in
jured of the velvet skirts and had be-
gun to rip off the braid. But she
threw down her scissors now and
stepped out of the debris.
'"That settles it, julia" she said,
with shining eyes, but with no other
indication of excitement. Il will sort
those rags and jags and velvet gowns
into bundles, and you and Blanche
need not disappoint your maids"
What stupidity, FlorenceP' Mrs.
Grenman fastened to say. lyon
know that we want you to have our
things. You have made lovely cos
tunes many times out of poorer ma
terial than that is there"
"These things are much more suita-
BILE for your maid than your sister,
Julia" Miss Annable replied, as she
set about. her task.
perhaps you think that your sister
should keep you supplied with new
clothes, !" said Mrs. BRENNAN.
mo, / do not; but | will tell you
what / do think" Miss Annable re-
sponded with heightened color, but in
firm, cool tones:-"I think that you
and Blanche ought to be willing that
| should earn my wardrobe"
Earn it?" said Mrs. Grenman dis
painfully. "What new and abomina-
BILE crotchet have you got into your
head now? Something to disgrace us
all, | s%uppose?o
''If you and Blanche would pay me
in hard cash, as you would be COM
PEELED to pay a professional. for play
ing a piano at your luncheon parties
and your kettledru1ns, your recep-
tions and your informal evening
gathering, l could buy my w clothes
and be much better satisfied
Mrs. Grenman's establishment and
Indignation were overwhelming.
"NWho eyer thought that one of our
| family could be so oarse and mer-
cenary? Pay ones own sister for
| playing a few sonatas and quadrilles
| once in a while! Why don't you ask
us to pay you for condescending to
attend our ~kettledrums and recita-
tions? Indeed, Florence, if l must
say it, l think you have been gen
erously compensated for everything
YOU have ever done for either of us"
and Mrs. Grenman waved q jewelled
hand toward the bundles in the
| centre of the room.
Julia, l will find out what a pro-
| fessional pianist will charge for play
ing the piano the same number of
hours that l do" Miss Annable began
| again calmly. "rhen, not being a
professional, l will play for you and
Blanche for just one-half that
amount"
Mrs. Grenman rose, picked off a few
bits of the thread from her handsome
silk dress-she had been darning q
tiny bit of lace-and proceeded to
array herself for the street.
ut is wicked to keep you at the
piano, Miss Annable, when we all
know you are so fond of dancing, but
no one plays as you do" her friends
were constantly saying.
Now, why, she asked herself, with
this available talent in her possession,
should she not earn some money, and
in a business-like and open and above
board II as men earned it? Miss
Annable was unable to see why she
should be idle, and wear her sisters
cast off clothes, any more than the
man who had a.room across the cor
rider should be idle and YEA his rich
brothers rags and jags." This ques-
ton of the utilization of talent had
been logically met and settled a good
while before, but the hindrances in
the way of putting her theories into
practice had been hard to overcome.
Her sisters had aimed high and
brought down their game. 1t was no
more than fair that she should do the
same, her relatives had frequently told
her, instead of occupying the fourth
story back in a crowded boarding
house and making them a world OF
trouble in explaining and excusing
her anomalous position. Their fire.
quent assertions that sister Florence
was exceedingly peculiar and could not
be induced to make a home with either
of her relatives, were in the main true.
Miss Annable could have made her
self useful in either of these establish
ments, but her liberty was far too pre-
cious to jeopardize by any such
arrangement. Here in the sky parlor,
certain hours of each day were hel
own, her very own.
"And you wish me to understand
that you will not play for one of my
parties again unless you are paid fol
it?n
Mrs. Grenman's hand was on The
knob of the door as she asked this
question.
Il wish you to understand that dc
not regard your old velvet and silk
gowns as a fair equivalent for my ser.
vices as chief musician" said Miss
Annable. "And, also, that not only
believe with the Bible that the
- Ia 49,