River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-08-27
TO BE A LADY.
And Alice Was One, If She Did
Do Houseworlz.

SdNitlc ulSCOUSOAdlE1A SdAtl
lessons and music. and goodness knows
what all l 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-
SPAR.
II s'pose," said Uncle Brom (the
local Authorization for abraham },
"she amt none too good 10 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 a nice livin' sellin' eggs and
spring chickens to the boarders in
Jacksonville, and"
"Lo-i-sy never had no boardin'-school
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
Beckwith hotel"
Alice amt no hired gal"
''Humph! 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"
.'Ohr' 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. l
want to speak to her.
So Alice Saville was called. and came
downstairs-a pale, pretty girl with
wistful brown eyes, sunny hair and
red, sensitive lips. The bright hair
was rumpled over her forehead; there
was 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 chuckle.
Alice laughed and nodded.
Jest like me- said Uncle Brom.
I'D ruther cut whole crop o tobacco
than write 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-
ioning."
NO" sighed Alice. Every position
of that sort seems to be filed already. y
wal. look here" said Uncle Brom.
"0ur hired gal has gone home with the
neurology in her face, an the house is
chuck plum full o boarders, an my ole
woman she's in 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
member of congress has took rooms
thar with his two gals An she lowed
you was always a pOw'ful smart gal
round the house, Alice. Bless my soul,
what's your ma a-cryin' about?''
Il c-c-can't help it, blubbered Mrs.
Saville. Il brung my Alice up to be a
lady, and here she's agoin' out to days
work"
Don't fret, mother" soothed Alice
sIt's only to help Aunt Thalia, you
know"
..Git QUIT" Uncle Brom said. Don't
your ma know that we've all of us got
to work in this world?"
So Alice Saville ran upstairs to put
on her hood and shawl and make up
her little packet of belongings And
when she got there she discovered that
a sudden furry of wind had carried
every sheet of her painfully copied and
recopied manuscript out of the wide
open window into the field that sloped
down to the river.
For an instant she could have burst
out into a tempest of passionate tens.
Then she thought better of it
1T is just as WELL" she murmured,
setting her small, white teeth together
firmly. There shall be an end of my
scribbling! l will accept the fiat of
fate without a murmur,''
Papa, am so glad we came to this
place" said Gladys Ayrault- Its a
deal pleasanter than the hotels. And
the orchard is so beautiful, and the air
from the river comes up like a breath
of healing"
yes" little Fan cried, and old Mrs.
Hadgitt is so plump and comfortable,
and that new waitress is so pretty
And only think. papa" cried Gladys,
''her name is Alice Saville. Just like
the heroine of a romance, isn't If? And
she can repeat the whole of 'MarmiOn'
from beginning to end. and She trans
lated that French label on my bonnet
box without the least difficulty. yester-
day."
"A rara aUis. sh?'' laughed Col. VI
ault, the member of congress elect from
the - district. who hal brought his
daughters to jacksonville in order to
accelerate the slow convalescence of
Fanny, the youngest, who was just up
from scarlet fever But Gladys is al
ways discovering hidden treasures.
wouldn't like 10 count the number of
times that her swans have been trans
formed back into geese before her very
eyes; Ell, FAM"
But Alice is really gem, papa, de-
clared Fanny, siding audaciously with
her sister.
(Which is Alice? The little girl with
the curly hair?'' asked Col Ayrault
Eyes, papa. Do be kind to her: won't
you? She is some relation of Mrs. Had
gifts and she's certainly a lady by man
ner and education"
II try TO be kind to every bodv; don't
/, FAM" archly asked the colonel
"Yes, papa; but Alice is SO sensitive "
I'm sorry for her. them" said Col
Ayrault. IF she has her own way 70
make in the world. a sensitive nature
is a sorry endowment. And now,
Gladys, get your pen and ink. want
you to write some business letters for
me-"
Rather unwillingly, GLADYS laid down
her novel and went to look for her
desk. in the bedroom beyond, Alice
Saville was just hanging clean towels
over the rack and replenishing the solid
old evers with fresh water.
"Oh, Alice" said she. cant you
spare few minutes, to write some let
tiers for papa? You write such a beauti-
full, clear hand, and"
Alice colored a little, but answered
Certainly" with all due promptness,
and Gladys brought her triumphantly
into the sltting-room
Here's an amanuensis, papa said
she, that will bring you a deal more
credit than ! can ever do"
1t was Alice Saville's first lesson IN
writing from dictation, but she acquit-
ted herself nobly. and Col Ayrault ex-
pressed himself As entirely satisfied