St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-12-13
WHAT ONE GIRL DID.

w liza ONL OlhL DlDs
Molly Perry woke, the morning OF
Memorial Day, about as cross as it
is possible for healthy, sunny.tem-
pered girl to be, and with some
reason.
For, to begin, her waking senses
were first greeted by a strong Whit
of tobacco smoke waited into her
open window from the pipe ofa ledger
below, and as she had gone to sleep
with the same incense in her nostrils,
you must own that it was trying,
particularly to a country born nose
that knew the fragrance of wild grape
vines and locust trees. Whatever
you may think, Molly was wrathful,
and hounced out of bed, shut the
window with emphasis, and sitting
down in her one rocking chair, eyed
with strong disfavor a pile of clothes
on another chair. And here was an
other reason for her crossness. The
night before she had taken account
of stock in the way of clothes, and
found herself on the verge of bank
ruptcy. Not a decent thing among
them except that gray suit" she
thought disconsolately land the truth
is they were a shabby lot. Barring
the gray suit, a navy blue serge,
ragged as to edges and shiny as to
elbows and back, faded cambria, an
old black cashmere, hot and dusty
looking, made up the sorry display.
why didn't she buy some new
clothes ?" Well, there was no par
ticular reason except that she had no
money to buy and no time to make,
being one Of the forty or more clerks
in the Mart of Fashion," on Wash
ington street, at salary of six dol
lars week. Any one mathematically
inclined can do the little sum which
Molly did every week:
Board 81 90
Washing so
One sitting at Trinity" "a very hum -
BILE one) 10
Total 81 Go
And out of the difference between
this total and six dollars must come
boots and gloves and hair pins and
pocket handkerchiefs and everything
else, so you can see that the Queen OF
Sheba was quite safe from a rival as
lar as Molly was concerned.
But this mention Of the Mart OF
Fashion" brings me to the cap sheaf
of MoIly's discomfort, She had ex-
pected to have the day to herself, but
Rush & Crush, seeming possible profit
from country visitors, had decided to
keep open. SO it was very cross
face that looked at Molly from the
little, wavy looking-glass, and the
soft brown hair was hatchelled and
twisted with very few Of the little
pats and touches usually bestowed
on il, and the blue dress was donned
with some twitches. The sight OF
the breakfast table did not tighten
her mood. Shelooked down its long
length and noted the spots and rings
and splashes on the coarse cloth, the
knives and forks at all angles, and
the dishes piledup, fragments and all,
by an untidy table girl, and felt an
unutterabe disgust with it all
1t is not necessary to 60 into the
story of sickness and debt and death
which had brought her from quiet,
refined home to be clerk in the Mart
of Fashion and an inmate OF Widow
Jackman's second rate boarding
house, but we will start with her this
Memorial morning, when, after try
ing her sharp little teeth on some
tough steak and turning over on her
plate some habby fried potatoes, she
hshed fly out of her coffee and took
her way to the store.
Halt the long forenoon had worn
away when Molly, with a box OF
tumbled laces before her, stood look
ing after lady who had just passed
with cluster of violetsat her throat
and thinking wisttully OF a certain
place she knew OF where they grew
cool and moist in their green leaves,
when the voice Of the ubiquitous
foor-wa brought her back to the
present.
Miss Perry, if you are not more {,
attentive, I shall have to report you:
q" | will save you that trouble, ~ SAID
Miss Perry, and clap went the cover
on the box, and swish went the ooX
into it's place, and Miss Perry, with
very red cheeks and bright eyes, went
down the long store to the office, ana
rendered her resignation, ito take
effect at once, if you please"
Mr.. Rush pleased. for trade was
sIackenipg, and there were twenty
girls for every vacancy. but you