The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-29

pul1Atu lux oi Hdhkicu duAdlEdAlon duu
reproach.
Are ye madS" she finally blurted
out with explosive suddennoss.
NO, not at all, said Hulda gently.
''Ye don't like me? Why don't ye
give it to ME? Nobody ever did like me
anyhow, and that's what's the matter
with me
She made this declaration in a hard,
perfectly matter Of fact way and with
out trace Of emotion.
why don't they like you?" hulda
queried with livelier interest. She ia
been too absorbed in her own sorrows to
lend more than half an ear TO the girls
words the queer abruptness Of which
was all she had noted.
Il hain't had no bringing up, don't
ye seeg hain't got no manners
Hulda could not conscientiously CON
tradict this statement and therefore
only muttered, "Ah, indeedr'
Don't ye see?'' Hattie went on, fix
ing her gaze upon her with an odd,
brazen cheerfulness, for her starved soul
reveled in conversation, my father. he
hadn't no bringing mp himself, and then
he drinks, and it's all that l can do TO
keep out of his tracks when / have a
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 off
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 go without it. She has been sent
up no end Of times, but il don't do no
good. Now, what can you expect of me,
coming out of such family?'
But how did you manage to liver"
Hulda asked, interested in spite of her
self. 'How did you get food and
clothes?"
Il lived at the missions as far back as
can remember. 4"
What kind of missions? Catholic
missions?"
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
mestic effort TO redeem and Christianize
the poor Of the great cities
''Lawsl No ain no Catholici They
have no church picnics, or they have
such mighty skinny ones that they amt
no good. Too much religion and too
little victuals "
'What has that got to do with it?'
why, don't ye see, had 70 make
my living off the missions. / professed
religion and got coffee and sandwiches.
l was baptized and confirmed no end Of
times. When there was to be a Metho-
dist church festival, / was n Methodist; !;
when the Baptists gave a picnic, l was
immersed and became Baptist when
the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians
had any victuals to spare, joined their
churches, and between them all man
aged to keep from starving. And at
Christmas they gave out clothing from
the missions and by going TO two or
three sometimes scraped up enough to
last me through the year -
'And what are you now?"
Now am an Episcopalian, and
reckon | am likely to stay one. When
| ye're growed up, they are apt to recog
! nize ye Then ye can't change. Since
! l learned typewriting l don't need to
run to the missions any more And we
4 have more religion here than is fair any
how, considering the quality Of the
victuals, but ye've got TO stand it, be-
cause it's respectable and cheap"
''How did you learn typewriting?'
"Well, they had girls friendly, as
they call l., 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 l picked up 'nough 10
teach myself the rest And they got me
position, too, in an office where get
$40 a week, and sometimes / manage to
make five or six moro by taking home
work.
Hulda had not needed to feign atten-
tion 10 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 hasty toilet
before descending with Hattie Halloran
into the dining room. On the stairs they
met half dozen girls Of the same gen
eral type as Hattie though some were
less dreary than others, a few having
preserved a half hysterical gayety which
manifested itself in senseless giggles and
kittenish little motions as they ex-
changed greetings with the new boarde-.
The dining hall, which was in the
basement Of the house, was barnlike
room with whitewashed walls and de-
void Of all ornaments. Three long Ia
bles, covered with thin wkite 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 boardess, who chose
this way Of reducing their bills
The girls stationed themselves behind
their chairs and remained standing
{ while the matron called upon visiting
clergyman to say grace. This proved e
be a much lengthier operation than HUI
: da had anticipated, aud it was fully fy,
9 minutes before he had finished enumer
D ating all th9 things for which these poor
half starved girls ought 20 be thankful
Hulda, TO whom this style Of grace wa
I something Of a novelty, was innOcently
led to expect a sumptuous repast, taking
perhaps in a too liberal sense "all th'
: good gifts which thy bounty has pro
. yided. " But tho meal turned out q dis
appointment The consomme was an in