The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-02-21
UPSIDE DOWN.

down, Henrietta, said Helen Marcy.
s'What is the differenceP They will
never know it; throw it into the box,
the young girl replied. Nobody will
know who made it."
Eyes, Henrietta, but when they open
the box at the mission, somebody will
have to rip it out 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. Do
you suppose they would know whether
a sleeve was upside down, or even wrong
side out, HelenP"
Helen Marcy made no reply, as she
saw her companion throw the gingham
shirt-waist into the box that stood in
the middle of the floor where the fin
ished garments were deposited. She
would have taken the sleeve out and
put it in again herself. but she had
promised to finish off 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
box for a charitable institution in the
city.
Henrietta Fassett was one of those
persons who always did things, as her
aunt Jerusha expressed it, ''in a whew. "
She did not think it worth while to
haste the pieces of her garments to-
gether, for that took too much time;
so when she sewed under her mothers
or her aunt's supervision, she was
oftentimes obliged to rip out the stitches
and do the work over again. She had
heard her aunt say a hundred times:
''Lazy folks alawys take the most pains,
Henrietta" That afternoon she was
responsible to no one, so the up
side-down sleeve was allowed to be
sent off, and that was all she thought
about it.
Helen Marcy was entirely differentin
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. If 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
well 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 gingham shirtwaists on. It was
such 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. Leayenworth, a 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 off with smiling face.
Fourteen boys had been equipped and
sent off happy. Then the fifteenth boy
cameup. He was thin, pale boy, with
the saddest of faces. The matron said
he had a very sad history, and some
time she would tell Mrs. Leavenworth
all about it. Martin Beers stood by the
box with smile lighting up his face.
He was going to have 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.
What's the matter with this sleeveP'
queried the matron. ''Oh, l see; it's
put in upside down; somebody's made
mistake. It will have to go to the
sewing-room and be ripped out. The
sewing-girl is gone, too, this after
/ noon"
Mrs. Leavenworth saw the disap-
pointed look on the little fellows face.
All 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 a few min
utes, Martin, and l 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. It took q
half hour to do the work, but she told
Martin some pretty stories while she
was at work Then he marched of
to join the brigade with new ginghan
waists.
| Henrietta had forgotten all about the
''upside-down sleeve, until the presi
dent of the society raped on the table
fortnightafterward, and called the sbusy
workers and takers to order. Their
sheread the letter Mrs. Leavenworth haC
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 thu
whole truth as we as part Of it. and 81
she added that one waist had to be fix
ed before the boy could wear it, al
enYnaIad1y had yso,5n d v,afatalvs ord ~,