The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-12

are SO busy?" they asked. "You
don't like to sew, and you do not
paint. And you cannot be playing
scales and exercises all the time, you
know"
No. mysteriously, 'practicing is
not work"
"You are making your winter
dresses. You must be-"
mo, my work is for others. Have
patience. You shall all see it,"
when? Now?"
mo, not now. Let me see. Yes,
it will be done then, think. Yes, l
am quite certain that, the morning of
the day before Thanksgiving, if you
will all come to my room, you may
see what l have been doing all these
rainy days"
On the day appointed, therefore,
the five girls, who were Lucy's special
friends, betook themselves in body
to her house. Lucy met them and
their looks of inquiry with radiant
smile.
eyes, my work is DONE" she said,
land ready for your inspection and
your criticism. Only" as she led the
way to her chamber, "you must not be
too critical of my materials or my
stitches"
The girls entered her room with an
eager curiosity which they frankly ex-
hibited. Their eyes fell at once upon
table in the centre of the room, and
they hurried toward it. Then almost,
simultaneously they spoke:
"What in the world are they?"
What do they look like?" ans
wered Lucy, composedly, who had ex
pected the question, and was, there
fore, not disturbed by it.
"Look like? WE'LL" said Alice Gray,
"some of the things look like dolls
clothes"
Lucy laughed. "No, I have not
spent my rainy day hours in making
dolls clothes; but" taking up pile
of folded garments, "these are little
wooden shirts for very little babies.
They do have dollish effect l ac-
knowledge"
''But"-
Lucy motionei toward the chairs
of her room. "Sit down, girls, and be
comfortable, and I'll tell you all
about it."
She stood by the table when her
friends were seated, and her eyes
held a look of deep content as they
rested upon the different articles.
"First, then" she said 'let me tell
you that one sentence from The
Greatest Thing in the World struck
me the first time l read it. 1t has
struck me every time have read the
book. And it flashed into my mind
the afternoon l helped mother to sort
her rags. You all know it, for you
have all read it,"
"What do you mean? Which SEN
tence?" asked Anna Fair, as Lucy
paused for moment.
This: IF there is any kind thing l
can do, let me do it now. for l shall
not pass this way again"
THAT Aud rags" commented
Anna.
"That, and rags, Yes. For, girls,
as l looked over the pieces that had
been consigned to the rag-man it oc-
Cured to me that many of them might
be used, if any one had the time and
the patience and the skill to use them.
And then that sentence came into
my thoughts, and so said to myself,
well, certainly have the time, and
I'd like to do kind thing for some
one, even if it is only a little kind
thing And so, to cut my story
short, put aside such pieces as
thought l could use, and afterwards
ransacked my drawers and boxes.
And then l borrowed patterns, and
consulted mother, and" laughing, 81
evolved some of these things, and
then | went to work. And" with a
wave of her hand, "here you have it
demonstrated to you that from moth
ing, or almost nothing, something
can be made"
The girls laughed, as they rose and
stood around the table.
"What do you mean to do with
them7" asked Anna.
"You have a variety of things, l
must say" commented Sarah May.
Hats, caps, pinafores, baby
clothes, handkerchiefs, stockings, nit
tens, and two shirt waists" added
Ellen Leet.
"Girls, did you suppose such in
dustry was in herr" asked Alice
Gray.
IL have been Industrious" said