The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-05-13
BARBARA'S CHANCES.
Her Decision In the Face of a Great
Temptation.

What selfish, heartless world this
is!' murmured barbara Blake 70 her
self, rs she sat by the window. mend
ing with deft, delicate stitches the
holes in old Mrs Dickinson's silk hose
Here ! am, girl of eighteen TO whom
guyCty. amusement and sunshine would
seem as natural as the fall OF the dew;
yet am coopcd up in gloomy. brown
stone house, the mere shadow of Z
cross, cxacting old woman. whose
wants are never satisfied. Companion.
indeed" us she broke off the needlcful
of silk floss with a snap Il am any
thing but that Drudge, menial-ma-
chine. if you please-but nothing like
4 companion. And all To earn a paltry
living, Oh, dear, why cannot people
live on flowers and fresh air. rs the
humming birds do? Why Is IL ncccs-
sary to toll SO for bread 10 eat and
clothes to cover US? 1t does seem to
me as if life were all failure
Ever since she hal risen from her bed
that morning she had been at Mrs
Dicllinsol's beck and call
Mrs Dickinson was not always in an
amiablc mood There was hot water
to bring up for her bath-it must b.
steaming from the kitchen. and the old
lady would trust no one but Barbara
to carry it, because, as she said the
servants were so careless and spilled II
on the stair carpets
Just then the dOo- softly swung
open, and in tripped a bright, pretty
damsel of two or three and twenty. in
I coquettish fall hat trimmed with
scarlet poppies and bows of cherry
velvet, and beautiful jetted mantle
Clara cried barbara. nearly upset
ting the work basket in her surprise
and delight ''How came you here!''
''In spite of the edict: No followers
allowed?'." lauglringly rctorted Clara
Belden. My dear, i ran the blockade.
l bribed the houScmaid. and crept up
the stairs as softly as mouse Don't
be alarmed-the ogrcss is snoring with
forty-woman power"
How beautifully you are dressed.
Clar." said barbara, with adniring sur
vey. You have got situation at
last?''
Clara nodded, and adjusted glitter
ing new silver bangle on her wrist
"A good one" said she, ,emphatically.
I'm in the company of the Cecelian
theater,' explained Clara 1--WE are
supposed to be singers, but our voices
tlOn DIIl nc OtCtllIh lSLiNcS
pride in its chorus bel ng the
handsomest girls in town. AMI you
are pretty, barbara, you know very
well-prettier than | am, if you would
only give yourself n chance. ] could
make n first-clasS beauty of you! And
it's only the eve enings, you see, with
an hour or SO at morning rehearsal,
and n matinee once 4 week-and it's
Srch finn Tharp'S n
the audience who has thrown a bou-
quet to me every night for eight nights
running. And there are suppcrs and
breakfasts, and all that sort of thing -
Involuntarily Barbara drew back.
but, Clara-is it right to
Right! Oh, you silly little goose,
why not? There's Mrs. Dowdin, the
bandmaster's wife, to chaperon us,
isn't there? And she's an old woman
of fifty. Oh, 1 assure you, it's very
select company indeed Sixty dollars
a month, and your salary raised if you
| do we'll And when l heard that there
! was a vacancy, l thought of you the
| very first thing. l knew you had n
nice mezZo-soprano voice, but, as / said
! before, that don't matter so much, as
/ long as you are so pretty. A brunette,
( too-we have an overplus of blondes
| already. And l knew, also, that you
were only getting fourteen dollars here
/ with an old martinez for a command
! ing officer. Come, am l not a good
friend to you?"
Still barbara looked with question
| ing eyes at the handsome, voluble girl.
/ Could it be possible that this self-pos-
! sesSed, beautifully y-dressed woman was
! Clara Belden, her classmate at school,
] and only a IN onth older than herself?
! Sixty dollarsi Yes, ii was kind OF
/ Clara-it would indeed De an outlet OF
escape from this wretched, grinding
! bondage of her daily life Sixty dol
/ lars, with suppers, bouquets, admira-
ton unlimited. Barbara drew her
( breath with a gasp. 1t seemed almost
! too much to realize
Just then Mary, the housemaid, tip
toed into the room, with her finger on
} her lips
Miss Blake" said she, with side
I long glance of admiration at the SNOWY
/ visitor in her silks, bangles and breath
! of roses" the ould lady is afther
wabin' up as cross as two sticks An
she says you We forgot her morning
tonic and Bijou's collar is too tight, and
8 this way, miss, PLACE" as Clara rose
/ precipitately. Its as much as M
place is worth for Mrs Dickinson t.
know that Miss Blake had compan!
unbeknown to Hrri Run quick, pl'aze
Miss Blalze-I can hear her scoldinl
nowr'
Never mind, dear encouragingll
I whispered Clara as she rustled by
leaving an odor of franggipanni in he
/ wake; the odious shacl1les will sooI