The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-28
Hiss Jennie's
Memorial Check,
(BY z. Y. BLACK.)

Miss Jennie was in smilingly trem-
orous state of excitement. 1t lay there,
in all it's beauty, a check-a real one,
and drawn to her order-to Miss Jen-
MES order She had scrutinized it very
closely dozen times in the last Week,
and now, at last, had made up her mind
to part with it.
Il want to go right into papa's bank
and do it all my own self" So now she
was ready to go, but first she took up
from the book table in her own room
something even more precious than the
check. 1t was d magazine, not, per-
haps, a very high class magazine, but
still a monthly periodical with ''maga-
zine printed on its cover in very large
letters, and it contained within its
pages the origin OF the check-a poem,
and the poem was signed just Jenny
Pretty verses they were, and very good
for a girl of Is.
Jennie took the magazine along with
her, that she might, on the cars, profit
ably employ her time by making men,
tai improvements with a view to future
poems and fame.
In her fathers room at the bank, af-
ter the check had been cashed, she sat
on his knee and almost cried with de-
light.
You ought to buy a little keepsake
We'll, I'll think of 1t, said Jennie,
kissing him goodbye, but, you know.
this is only the first. Soon I'll earn my
own pocket money"
When she was on the cars again to
go home, she thought seriously about
the keepsake. She was, as We remark
ed OF a tender heart, and had designed
to buy little present for the one best
of her school friends who had shed
tears-real, actual tears-at the pathoS
of the poem-a little present of appre-
citation.
Then you must get off right here"
said the conductor suddenly, interrupt
ing Jennie's reVeries. He said it very
Grossly, and Jennie looked up. An old
woman was sitting opposite her with
baby on her lap. and a big bundle, and
she was just beginning frantically TO
open the bundle to see if the fare she
had lost had not been, magician-wise,
whisked out of her pocket into the par
eel of clothes.
Il don't think you'll find it there,
ma am" said Jennie, gently.
But it must be somewhere" cried
the shaking old woman. Twas quar-
ter. and was to take me to my son, this
baby's father"
"Oh. come off and get Off" cried the
conductor, angrily. That's an Old
story
me Olu lduN looked so terribly aSl-
tated that Jennie came TO the rescue.
IF you will let me- she said, Il will
pay the fare" and she did and slipped
another quarter over to the woman.
In her earnest purpose to earn money
for herself, Jennie had only accepted
car fare from her mother in the morn
ing. The old woman thanked her young
benefactress plentifully till Jennie got
off the car. The poetess-her best friend
had unanimously greeted her as the
poetesS-went her way through famil-
lar streets. II was nice neighborhood,
but like almost all nice neighborhoods,
there was the shadow of a darkened life
lowering near it. 1t was winter, and
Jennie had gone to the bank in the af-
ternoon. so that it was already getting
dark when she approached her home. !
Still, she had one thing she wished very
much to do, and yet was rather afraid
to do. She walked along, hesitatingly. 1
doubtful in fact, if she We're not going /
to make a fool of herself.
The fact was, Jennie's poem had 1
been suggested to her by the sight of !