The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-06

She went off to her own room that
afternoon and brooded. When Faith
brooded, something happened. And it
was not altogether a surprise to Dor
othy when a few days afterward Faith
announced her decision:
Mother, l have made up my mind
to so away and earn something for the
family I've tried every possible place
here, and you know how it is"
Dorothy looked at the girl gravely,
but did not say anything.
81 have been writing to Grace Hol-
ley, who went to Chicago a year ago
to learn retouching in Keffen's studio.
She is earning as high as SIT and SIS
a week. She says there will be a va
cancy there soon, and if l apply at
once | may get the place. You know
have learned retouching here, all
| they can teach me, and like it. Moth
er, | can't stand it any longer to re-
main here at home doing nothing. The
boys Will soon want to go to college.
! never cared about it. | want to be
photographer or an architect or pa
! per hanger or something useful. II IA
Their can spare enough money to get me
! started, can be in a position before
the year is out to help the family. We
never can break father of his habits of
helping everybody, and | want to be
self supporting and help the rest too.
This was long speech for Faith to
make but it was the beginning of sew
eral family conferences, and the end OF
it all was that one day in winter of
that year Faith and her father went
down to the station, and Faith took
the express sor Chicago. The arrange
ments had all been completed for her
to enter the studio, where she was to
receive IS week to begin with and
promise of rapid increase if the work
was satisfactory.
"Goodby, father. Don't give away
your overcoat before you get home,
will you?' Faith called out Of the Win
dow as the train started.
Malcolm Kirk smiled and waved his
hand Their he ran along the platform
and handed up an envelope to Faith.
She managed to kiss his hand as she
took the envelope and then leaned back
in her seat and cried.
When she opened the envelope, a
check for $25 dropped out
"This is a good companion my
dear. You will find it good company
on the road. Your father" This was
check Faith understood it was the
price of a story Malcolm had written
that fall. She tucked the check into
her purse and cried harder than ever.
But when she found herself in Chi
cago next morning, she set herself res
olutely and with courage toward heI
new life.
The work in the studio was extreme
ly interesting to her Her letters tc
the people at home We're very entertain
ing and even funny. But after She
had been in the city few months she
was obliged to face serious condition
one that she had not anticipated.
In the first place it cost her nearly
every cent of the SIS week to live
, i But economic as she would after
, counting out rent and fuel and light
with what her clothes and car fare
cost with everything that must enter
, had very little left when Sunday came
One day she realized, with shock
+ that she had been obliged to draw OF
the $50 check. She had used all thu
money her father had been able t.
spare. The work in the studio had 70
!, several weeks been piecework, and i
i happened that business was dull, ant
several weeks she had been able t.
/, earn less than So.
Then came a crisis that she had no
j, counted on. The studio changed hands
+ and the new proprietor began to Gu
{. down expenses and dismiss some .
the retouchers. Faith was one of TIL
:. latest arrivals, and one evening as sh
came down to the Office from the littl
@ workshop under the roof she was not
:. fed that her services would not b
wanted after the next week.
Il She went out of the studio, and il
n stead of taking the car as she usual
J. was obliged to do on account of til
# distance to her room she walked o
> until she was at the corner of Madiso
n and State streets.
y She plunged through that boilin
v crowd of humanity and started to wal
+. up State street the four miles that y(
v lay between her and her room. An
d as she walked on she was deepl
"a thinking of what she would do. I'll
p idea of writing home for money wa
,s so distasteful that she could not bei
a to entertain it.. Her lips closed firm
a ly. and she said to herself: 81 nevt
" will do it while / can live. | hay
ii made a failure out of it so far her
but | can't burden father and moth,
m right now | know how matters al
going at home with all the eXpens
o there and Hermons illness last mont
!. No, no! | started out to be Il breat
II winner. ] must earn my OWE living
o. She was suddenly brought to a stu
by a crowd that filled up the sidewal
+ in front OF a large window. Thel
II was a picture on exhibition there, an
h Faith, after running into one or tM
T. people. seeing what was the object
V. attraction, stopped herself and graz