The Opelousas courier., 1891-06-27

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you must be a genius or nothing"
There was a break in the young voice
that sounded suspiciously near to tears,
and in sharp contrast with the seeming
gayety of the moment before.
''Eyery note | strike, every stroke oil
your brush is weighed in the balance
against the very best talent IN the. city;
and your stories, | think, are just as
bright and clear as they can be, but it's
lust awful to think that after you have
worried yourself almost to a shadow, and
put your very life's blood, you may say
into them, they've got to come into
competition with the very best writers
in the whole land-from the great army
of unknown writer's, the editor takes
only what he must, what IS SO abso-
lutely gbod~~"
The sentence ended IN an dnnr,stak-
able little sob. and the eyes so bright
but a moment before, were turned away
| to hide a sudden film of tears. The 9th
er now became the comforter.
''There, there, Katie; you have a fit OF
| the blues again. | am sure we lave been
very happy here, and very thankful that
a way has always been provided for US to
live; so long rs we have our health, and
each other, let us be thankful even fer
this eight housekeeping"
The other wiped her eyes and looked
up.
"There, I'm better now. And now
Twin Nan, you just listen to me and
hearken to the words of wisdom I'm GO
ing to pour out. I'm just as Thankful as
Lean be to- the geed Lord, that we've al
ways had our daily bread, and most al
ways butter for the same, but | tell you
Heaven helps them who help themselves,
and there's going to be a new leaf
turned over, It'd we're going to drop
this hand to mouth business, and turn
our talents to something where we'll
stand at the head of the class, instead OF
Just hanging on by the eyebrows and
never knowing when we're going to
drop clean out"
"What can we do3'' asked Annie
"Madame Marchon's place on the ave-
nue. is for sale-only twenty-five hundred
dollars-if we're anything, Nan, we're
born milliners, both of us-it's the very
thing for us and I'm going to buy it."
"Howll you buy it, How much
money have we2"
"We've got just twenty-five dollars,
just the one hundredth part needed, and
[ don't know where the other ninety
nine hundredths will come from, but
I'm going To get it, l feel it in my bones;
aud we're going out of this ten-penny
business, and stop cooking our dinner in
the bedroom, and we'll dine every day
at that stylish restaurant around the
corner, and we'll keep a girl, and you'll
just stop making the bed, aad mixing
your fingers up with that tires Ame scrfb-
bling"
ooh, Katie, if we only could"
eve can and will. In the brief lexi-
con of youth there is nc. such word as
fall Twin Nan, suppose you just put
the kettle on and cook our dinner; while
I put my thinking cap on, and take a
little walk around the square. | may
look in on Madame while I'm out, ]
can't say-ask me no questions or you'll
spoil the working of the charm. When
the deed is done, I'll take you over and
just turn you loose among the ribbons
and the velvets and the plushes, and if
it don't prove the making of our for
tunes, then I'll confess that I've mis-
Judged the skill of your fingers and the
weakness of old mother Ewes daugh-
ters."
Katie's walk extended around several
squares; out into historic Lafayette Park (;
down the avenue past the White House,
and thence into F street. Her active
thoughts had kept pace with her nimble
feet, but no plan had suggested itself
whereby she could hope to raise twenty
four hundred and seventy five dollars, OF
indeed any part of it. She paused a
moment in front of the old book stand
near Willard's; noted the hour of four
on the dial in the window opposite; ran
idly over the battered volumes on the
ten cent counter, watched for a moment
the army of Government clerks pour out
of the great gray stone structure across
the avenue where Uncle Sam keeps his
cash; gave a sigh for the unattainable
millions of the famous ''surplus" lying
piled and heaped in those dark and mys-
terione vaults, and then turnd to go.
The feverish haste had gone out of her
feet, and for the next five minutes she
loitered along the sidewalk, taking list
less note of the lawyers and brokers'
signs that abound in that region.
She smiled grimly at finding herself
drifted into this atmosphere OF dollars
and cents, of money-getters and money
changers; she who had neither stocks
nor bonds nor ready cash.
"Heigh-hoi I'll go home. Mans
got dinner ready by this time, and | can't
seem to think of anything. Oh, dear
Lord and the words were surely a
prayer yelling up from the orphans
heart, otis such a hard world for Twin
Nan and me; why can't we have what
we want, when it's SO Little, and others all
around us have so mdMh?"
Mechanically she read a modest little
sign in a window, the last but n on
the square. She was about to pass on,
but in idle mood stayed ,her steps and
read it again.
Quick as an electric flash, a thought
took shape in her active BRAN, and she
entered the dingy little Office. A frowsy
and unkempt boy looked up from a
flash paper he was reading and made re-
luctant answer to her eager inquiry.
The "boss" was out. the urchin said.