The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-10-07
Our Mons ano Girls.
How Dorothy Helped.

save il, and no more can you, neither.
If you was only a boy, you could have
been earning many a dollar by this
time; but girls is sort of worthless
stock, make the best of them you can.
] amt saying that you are any more
useless than the most of them" the
complaining father added, realizing that
patient little Dorothy did a womau's
work about the house, and had waited
on him and nursed him rs but few
women would have had patience and
strength to do, since his long attack of
infammatory rheumatism. " You do
all you can, l know. 1t amt your fault
that you can't earn a cent; but if you
was only boy, now ~
Dorothy had heard that plant many
and many time before, and always
felt rather culpable, as if she might
have been boy just as well as not if
she had not been inconsiderate enough
to be girl. She would have been glad
enough to be boy, and just now she
wished more than ever that she could
transmogrify herself by some process
into all embryo lord of creation.
Hard times 7" were the usual thing
at the little brown house at the foot of
the hill; but just now things were in
worse plight than usual. Dorothy did
not know exactly what mortgage was,
but she regarded it as being as INSOFAR
able from a home as its roof or walls
1t was one of the first things she ever
remembered hearing people talk about;
and, whenever any treat or luxury had
been spoken of, it always had to be
given up at last, however reluctantly,
because of the mortgage. When she
...1 I'll IL l. i
dim fancy that it was a very hungry
monster that had to be fed all the time
or it would gobble up their little brown
house for lunch some day. She knew
better than that now; but still she
knew it was as Unsuitable as the mon
ster of her childish imagining, and it
assuredly did make life very hard,
cherries struggle for the little family
of two.
Now it seemed as if the mortgage
was going to make meal of the home
at last, in spite of the years of hard
work to save it. The father had been
taken i'll early ia the summer with in
fammatory rheumatism; and, though
late fall had come, he was only Just
able to sit in his big chair and worry
and fret all day. 1t was hard for him,
poor man; but nobody ever knew how
hard it was for patient little Dorothy,
who had all the nursing added to her
other cares, and besides the close con-
fnement to the house, and the work
which was really beyond her strength,
had to listen to the continual lament
that she was not boy, so that she
could earn money enough TO save the
house. AS steadily as any woman, she
went about the house, doing the daily !
work; and, when at last everything
was in scrupulous order, and an old |
neighbor had dropped in to have pipe |
with her father, she looked wistfully
out of doors, where bright Novemb n
sun was clarifying even the mellow
stubble in the cornfields, and ventured
to ask if she could not go out for lit
tie while.
ION, yes, | suppose can get along
without you," her father answered,
rather reluctantly.
Girls always want to be gadding, so
am used to getting along without you.
Don't be gone long though"
No. promised Dorothy; and in
few moments she was trudging along
the road, enjoying the fresh air, which |
was treat to her, after her long con-
tnement TO the house, with only an oc-
casional outing. She had to cross the
railroad track, and in the distance she |
heard the whistle of the express, which |
always stopped here to water. Dorothy |
paused to watch it come laundering
along. She liked to see it come gid |
ing along the shining rails, and stop |
with noisy whistle, that made her |
lump little; though she was expect
ing it.
While she was standing there, a
lady opened one of the car windows.
and, looking out, beckoned to her
Do you know wheher there is anv
place where can get any apples or
ginger-nuts or anything for my little
boyP"
No, there ISM" Dorothy answered
| am sorry, and | would have brought
something for him if had known"
"That's very kind in you," said the
lady, smiling at the earnest little face
and Dorothy's willingness to be ob'ig-
ing. cit would be good business for
some one to have something to sell
here, l should think"
She put down the window again, and
Dorothy went on her wav; but there
was an idea in the brown-t matched haad
that had just found place there. Why
should not she have a little basket of
the shining red apples that grew on the
tree behind the house and some little
paper bags of gingernuts, and perhaps
popcorn?
Dorothy gave little hop and skip
and jump at the thought. She had
been on the cars once with her father,
and had looked wistfully at the tempt
ing basket that the train-boy carried
along the aisle and she knew she could
fix just as tempting-looking a basket.
When she went home, full of her
scheme, she found her father ready to
admit that perhaps this was way in
which she could make little money if
she was girl; and he was quite willing
for her to make the little necessary out
lay to have the crisp, delicious ginger
nuIs anQWN non. corn In white hnns oil