Gilpin observer., 1899-11-09
yes" /"


| She said there was woman there who
sold trunks of them to the people and
made as much money as some of the
hotel men,"
"Then we can make Money, too"
said Helen, eagerly reaching for
| beautiful specimen that was being
| carried away by the waters, reaching
| until suddenly her foot slipped and
with a splash she fell into the water.
This will do for today" said Ame-
liza. laughing as she helped her sister
to arise.
Its too bad that we didn't think
of it before" said Helen as they walk
ed back to the house: it is a long
time to next summer"
why not make up lot and try to
sell them at the holiday season?" ask
ed Amelia, perhaps we could do
something then, even If it was not
very much"
There were cards to be bought;
beautiful shells to be selected; and
quantities of ribbon of numerous deli
cate shades to be purchased; and to
attend to these matters and certain
other details of the proposed venture
Amelia started for Boston bright and
early one morning, taking the earliest
train. She had laid her plans very
carefully, allowing so much time for
this and that errand and had intend
ed to take the three o'clock train for
home; quickly the hours passed, how
ever, and it was not till nearly six that
the last item was attended 10. Weary
and loaded down with a dozen or more
packages, Amelia at last reached
home, and never had home seemed
more to be desired.
Meanwhile the MOSES which they
had collected remained in dish
of sea water and when they began to
work on them the following day they
were as fresh as when first dipped
from the sea. The work of transfer
ring the MOSES to the cards was
delicate operation and one requiring
considerable skill the more the
better. Perhaps it will be interesting
to know how the work was done.
First of all a shallow dish contain
ing quantity of clear sea water was
placed upon the table. Into this wa
ter they dropped one of the pieces of
moss, and instantly the most minute
thread of the moss would take grace
full curves, displaying every fibre and
part. Beneath this floating mass the
girls would now place one of their
cards, disturbing the water as little as
possible. Now they would gradually
bring the card to the surface of the
water, permitting the water to fall
away from the card until the piece of
moss was left in precisely the same
position that it had, in the water,
though at that stage of the work it
would not so appear. This card along
with other similar ones would now be
placed between great sheets of blot
ting paper and a heavy weight placed
above. Permitting the cards to stand
thus for day and night, all the
moisture would be absorbed by the
blotting paper, leaving the moss firm
ly adhering to the card with every
line as distinct and beautiful as when
the rocks by the sea.
Day after day for two months the
work was carried on with diligence,
and each day the girls seemed to learn
something new about the work, for
the results of their labor became more
and more gratifying as the time
passed.
They made some of the MOSES into
little books of a dozen pages or more:
some specially large and fine ones
were placed upon fine panel-cards
while still others were placed as leaves
between scallop-shells. and larger, ex-
pensive shells brought from the East
Indies and other foreign countries;
they made photograph frames, beauti-
full blotters, in fact almost anything
that would look beautiful they made
from time to time
AS the fall advanced the girls Sc
cured other varieties, each season
bringing different kinds in turn.
All of these moses of course had
botanical names, some of them almost
If not quite unpronounceable. Ame-
liza suggested that they learn them and
write the correct one under each va
riety. The undertaking appeared so
great, for there seemed no end to the
species which they had pressed that
Helen. half Joking, suggested that
they think up some long names and
let 1t go at that, saying that no one
would know the difference. save possi-
bly, one who had made study of sea-
mosses.
But that would not be right" said
Amelia, smiling at Helen's easy way
of disposing of the difficulty, "and be-
sides,' she added, there will be so
much satisfaction in knowing that no
one can find fault with our work. I'm
going to consult some authority and
| get the right names or there will moi