The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-08-07

ming idly on the win
dowpane. The black dresses OF the
girls told the pathetic story OF recent
bereavement, and their troubled
young faces limited of pressing care
as we'll as sorrow.
81 have been looking into fathers
affairs today, girls" said Flo, the
sweet-faced elder sister, "and l find
that beyond this little house and
about five hundred dollars of moth
er's money which he put by for US
when she died, we have not penny
in the world. It is no use, however,
to groan about this state OF things;
we must remember the motto that
dear mother loved and lived up to
God helps those who helps them
selves and consider how we can
best keep together and support our
selves"
"And is there really no one to earn
living for us until Ralph is grown
up?" plaintiv ely questioned Mabel.
But the mere idea of leaning even
in prospect upon such weak reed
as the petted baby boy, brought
smiles to the faces of her sisters, and
practical Allison said incisively:-
There is certainly no oak for us to
cling to, but we must remember that,
though we are but weak vines, yet we
may by uniting manage to do with
out the proverbial prop"
"The question is, how we can earn
enough money to keep the house 60
ing" said Flo, in business-like way.
SIT is too tiny for us to dream of TAX
ing boarders, there is no land about
it for us to make fortune on by
raising small fruit, our few hens are
not specially profitable, nor have we
either the experience or the capital
to start hennery."
There are some things in our ia
vor, though" said Allison, cheerily.
''We are all young and strong, and
we have an unlimited amount of faith
which we are quite prepared to back
up by works. If we lived anywhere
but in this little village I would pro-
pose that we turn the one talent we
have in common to account and take
orders for cooking; but here where
all our neighbors do their own work
there would be no market for our
cakes and pies"
Ralph had ceased to drum on the
pane. He was watching intently a
scene in front of the great summer
hotel which stood across the road.
A large picnic party was returning
from days outing, and number
of the gentlemen were lifting out the
amptied baskets from the van.
There have been lot of mad visi-
tors this summer" he said, with the
bluntness of youth. GAIL of those
folks are angry about the picnic
baskets. heard them scold old Fer
guson yesterday for giving them
such stuff to eat.
"The hotel is full to overfowing,"
said Allison, by way of further ex-
PLANTATION, "and the Fergusons can
not get help to run it properly. All
the people who want to take long
drives have to put up with what is
given them. He complains because
they growl so, and they complain
because they have to pay the regular
board and extra for the picnic bas-
,kets, and still they do not get COM
Portable meal"
A sudden light broke upon Flo.
''Why, girlsw she said, enthusiastical-
ly,"I believe this is what mother used
to call "a leading We can prepare
the baskets-it will oblige Mr.. Fer
guson-and we shall make it our
business to see that they are salts
factory to our customers, and it will
help us in the way we need to be
helped; and after few minutes fur
ther consultation she put on her hat
and ran across the street to confer
with the hotel-keeper,
Mr.. Ferguson was delighted with
the idea. He was doing his best to
run comfortable hotel, and was
succeeding fairly we'll; but the SER
wants resented the extra work of
preparing baskets for the excursion
lists, and he was now nearly at his
wits end. He tore leaf out of his
memorandum-book and handed it to
Flo.