Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-09-17
- HARYE57
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copyright, 1903. by tho Author.l

ing her gaze upon her with an odd,
brazen cheerfulness, fox her starved soul
reveled in conversation, my father, he
hadn't no bringing mp himself, and then
he drinks, and it's all that I can do to
keep out Of his tracks when ! have .
little money, and my mother. she took
to drink, just because she was too awful
~ poor and miserable, and now she's
much worse than he, for he is sober of
and ON and only goes on sprees when he
can get money, but she'll pawn her last
skirt to get liquor, and she'd rather steal
than 90 without it. She has been sent
up no end Of times. but it don't do no
good. Now, what can you expect Of me,
coming out Of such q family?'
"But how did you manage to live?"
Hulda asked, interested In spite Of her
self. "How did you get food and
clothes?"
II lived at the missions as far back as
] can remember"
what kind Of missions? Catholic
m~issiOns?"
The Catholic mission and the mission
to the Zulus were the only ones Hulda
had ever heard Of at home, and she did
not know the word in the sense of do
nestle effort to redeem aud Christianize
the poor Of the great cities. :
"Lawsl No; I amt MOI atholict They
have no church picnics, or they have
such mighty skinny mes that they amt
no good. Too much religion and toe
little victuala"
HWhot hos khot not IN ID with ;<2,s
"Why, don't ye sec, I had to make
my living off the missions. I professed
religion and Igoteoffee and sandwiches.
| I was baptized and confirmed no end Of
times. When there vas to be a Metho-
dist church festival. I was q Methodist /;
when the Baptists gave a picnic, I was
immersed and became q Baptist: when
the E~piscopalians and the Presbyterians
had any ~victua;s to spare, / joined their
churches. and between them all l man.
aged to- keep from starving. And at
Christmas 8 they gave out clothing from
the missions and by-going to two or
three I sometimes scraped up enough to
last me through the year."
"And what are yournow?"
"Now-I am an .Episcopslian, and I
reckon I am likely TO stay n When
ye're growed up. they are apt to recog-
nize ye. Then ye can't change. Since
I learned typewriting I don't need to
run to the missions any more. And we
have more religion here than is fair any.
how. considering the quality Of the
v~ictuals, but we've got to stand it, be-
cause it'a respectable and cheap" so
"How did you learn typewriting?' 4
"Well. they had a girls friendly, as
they call it, In the Episcopal church.
and there they kept teachers in sewing
and cooking and typewriting. trying to
make the girls self supporting. don't ye
see. and there I picked up 'nough to
teach myself the rest. rAnd they got me
q position. too in an office where I get
$40 q week, and sometimes I manage to
make five or six hystaking home
work."
Hulda had not needed to feign atten-
ton to this extraordinary narrative,
which was to her stranger than any
fairy tale to which she had ever listened.
They were presently interrupted in their
condolences by the dinner bell. and HUI
da started up and made, q hasty toilet
beforas descending with Hattie Halloran
into the dining room. On the stairs they
met half a dozen girls Of the same gen.
eral type as Hattie, though some were
less dreary than Others q few having
preserved q half hysterical gayety which
manifested itself in senseless giggles and
kittenish little motions as they ex.
changed GREETINGS with the new boarder.
The dining hall, which was In the
basement Of the house, was a ba1nlike
room with whitewashed walls and de-
void Of all ornaments. Three long ia
bles. covered with thin white cloths and
lined with wooden chairs Of . most
primitive style, extended from the win.
dows toward the walls opposite. The
crockery ,was white. clumsy, substantial
heavy enough to kill man with The
mattresses were boardera, who chose
this way Of reducing their bills.
The girls stationed themselves behind
their. chairs and remained standing
while the matron called upon q visiting
clergyman to say grace. This proved to
be . much lengthier operation than HUI
O1 400 00t1EAt0VSA AAAA ~ - IuAAy i've
minutes before he had flushed GUNNER
ating all the things for which these poor,
half starved girls ought to be thankful.
Hulda. to whom this style OF grace was
something Of q novelty, was innocently
led to expect q sumptuous repast taking
perhaps in q too liberal sense "all the
good gifts which thy bounty has pro-
vided- But the meal turned out q dis
appointments. The ,consomme was an in.
sipid lukewarm liquid On the top OF
which globules Of fat were swimming.
The roast beef was AZ dry a. chips and
Internationally tough. The vegetables
were tasteless and watery, and tho des-
sert was q nondescript pudding, consist
ing Of odds and ends Of stale bread,
cooked with cinnamon and covered with
q charitable mantle Of custard. sHulda,
who had adelicate palate and could her.
self pretend to some skill in cookery,
had eve in her life tasted anything sc
crudely, 80 execrably prepared. The only
cause she could find for such barbaric