Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-09-03
TO BE A LADY.
And Alice Was One, If She Did
Do Housework.


1--WE brung her upto be a lady," Mrs
Saville disconsolately said French
lessons and music, and goodness knows
what all I never wanted no girl Of
mine to work as hard as have done.
And this 'ere's the end on it,
Mrs. Saville wrung her hands in de-
spair.
81 s'pose," said Uncle Brom (the
local abbreviation for "Abraham"),
''she amt none too good to work.
We've all of us good Bible authority
for earning our bread in the sweat Of
our brows There's Lo-i-sy Hall, she's
made nice Iivin' seIlin' eggs and
spring chickens to the boarders in
Jacksonville, and"
'Lo-i-sy never had no boardin'-sch
education - whimpered Mrs. Saville.
''P'r'aps she amt none the wuss for
it, said Uncle Brom, closing his snuff
box with a significant click. And Eb-
enezer Laight's darters earn twelve
dollars a month dom homework at the
Beclkwith hotel"
"Alice amt no hired gal"
"Humphl Where is she now?"
upstairs a-writin'. She's read in
the papers how them New York editors
pays big prices for poems and stories,
and she's a-mind to try her luck at the
business"
'Ohm Uncle Brom said. Postage is
cheap, lucky for you But l guess
Alice won't make her fortune outen no
such work as that Call her down. 1
want to speak to her"
So Alice Saville was called, and came
downstairs pale, pretty girl with
wistful brown eyes, sunny hair and
red, sensitive lips. The bright hair
was rumpled over her forehead; there
was a troubled expression in the brown
eyes, and the pretty middle finger of
her right hand was stepped to the bone
in ink. Evidently, literature did not
agree with her.
pretty hard work?" said Uncle
Brom, with a chuckle.
Alice laughed and nodded
''Jest like me-" said Uncle Brom.
''I'd ruther cut a whole crop o tobacco
than write a letter, any time o. day.
But look here, my gal: Your ma says
times is hard and you can't get no place
to governess out or do ladies' compan-
Joining"
NO. sighed Alice. Every position
of that sort seems to be filed already"
"Wal, look here" said Uncle Brom.
"Our hired gal has gone home with the
in her face, an the house is
chuck plum full o. boarders, an my ole
woman she's in a peck. of half bushels
what to do. S'pose you come over and
help wait on table and straighten up
the bedrooms. My ole woman she
wants things to be pretty nice since the
of congress has took rooms
thar with his two gals An she'lowed
you was always pow'ful smart gal
round the house, Alice. Bless my soul,
what's your ma a-cryin' about?"
81 c-c-can't help it, blubbered Mrs.
Saville. II brung my Alice up to be
lady, and here she's agoin' out to days
work"
Don't fret, mother seothed Alice.
Its only to help Aunt Thalia, you
znowi'
''Git out!'' Uncle Brom said Don't
your ND kuObN1 Iilsbf w fO al VI 10 SCS i
10 work in this world?"
So Alice Saville ran upstairs to put
IN her hood and shawl and make up |
her little packet of belongings. And
when she got there she discovered that
| sudden furry of wind had carried
very sheet of her painfully copied and
manuscript out of the wide
open window into the field that sloped
Town to the river.
For an instant she could have burst
,ut into tempest of passionate tears.
Then she thought better of it.
cit is just as WELL" she murmured,
citing her small, white teeth together
irmly. There shall be an end of my
l will accept the fiat of
ate without a murmur!'