The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-06-02

but
"You can learn, / suppose" sal,
Aunt Medlaw.
| I'VE certainly can learn" sal,
Eda, hopefully.
| And in less than a week the littl
thread and needle store around th
corner, which had presented a grin
and shutterrd front for some days
was reopened, and two pretty girls
dressed in black, were posted behint
the counter.
Mrs. Mopson sent her two little
boys to match a skein of green wors
ted, and enquire for peppermint taffy
first. The widow Hope purchased (
little hosiery and three cheap pocke
bandkerchiefs. A small girl came tc
ask the time of day and an old mar
bought pair OF suspenders, all with
in an honr-and Eda and Ella begar
to think they might, in time, devel.
op into commercial characters of note
To be sure business waxed rather
dull toward the end of the day, but
just at dusk tall, nice looking young
man came in to buy a card of pearl
shirt buttons. Ella took down a
box, and they were quite long time
in selecting the prettiest pattern and
most appropriate size.
II forgot one thing" said the
young man, (" after he had contracted
for an eighteen cent investment. II
must have them sewed on. Could
you do it?"
"Tll try" said Ella, laughing, if
you'll bring the shirts around"
So the young man brought his
shirts, and sat down to wait, while
Elias needle flew deftly in and out.
He was in hurry, he told her-he
was foreman in the printing Office of
a great daily paper, and worked at
nights, when the rest of the world
was asleep, like bat or an owl.
In the meantime Ella was trying to
suit an old lady in green spectacles,
who wanted some ribbon, whose color
she didn't exactly know, whose size
she wasn't certain about, and whose
quality she had not yet made up her
mind concerning. But Elias pa
tience, tact and good humor were in
exhaustib1e. At last the old lady
was suited, and went away rejoicing,
leaning on the arm of her nephew,
who had manifested extraordinary
interest in the shade of the drab rib
bon.
"That's a nice girl, Oswald" said
she. DO you know, I almost think
she might suit me as a companion.
She seems so very good humored 1
wonder if it would do to ask her if
she would like such situation. -
II don't see why not" said Os-
"Shall we go back r.
Tomorrow will be time enough, y
said Mrs. Martiguy.
On the morrow she came back.
Didn't the ribbon suit ~ asked
Ella.
.'Oh, yes" said Mrs. Martiguy;
"the ribbon was all right. But there
is something else want.
"What is that?" asked Ella inno-
Gently.
ga companion to read to me, take
care of my canaries and play drowsy
old tunes on the piano when I feel
sleepy. I give FIVE hundred a year,
Saturday afternoons and board. Will
you come? 7"
Eda looked at her sister. Five
hundred a year seemed a great sum
for a girl who never yet had earned
five for herself.
eyes, go, Eda," said Ella. ''I can
manage the store by myself easily
enough. And," in whisper, GIVE
taken a contract to make half doz-
en- new shirts for Mr.. Lessner, we to
find material"
"Who is Mr.. Lessner?"
"Oh, the printer. I can do it at
odd minutes, when there is 70 one in
the store. -
At the end of the month Eda came
to report to her sister.
"We1l, Eda, how do you like it ?"
said Ella.
ooh, SO much Mrs. Martiguy is
queer, but she is SO kind. And
and-Oswald Grey, her nephew, is
very polite
''Is hep
eyes" said Eda, lingering at a
box of hooks and eyes. 81 like him
ever SO much, and he likes me- To
tell the truth, Ella
II see," said Ella, putting her
arms around her sister, he wants you
to be his companion. For life, eh,
Eda :"
"How do you know?" faltered
dimpled Eda.
"Oh, I'm not quite a. fool, said
Ella. But now I've got something
to tell you. I finished Mr.. Lessner's
shirts, and they fitted him perfectly.
He says I'm the only women he ever
knew who fitted him with shirts on
the first trial. He has saved up q lit
tie property and he wants to invest it
somewhere, and Aunt Med1aw wants
to sell out this store. So he's going
to buy it and I'm going to keep it on
condition that 1 marry him."
"Oh, Ella p
"Not such a very hard condition,
either" said Ella. Because he is
very handsome, and very pleasant,
and like him very much in fact, 1
believe L m in love with him. There
now it's all out. And I do believe,
Eda, we're the two happiest girls in
the world, and all through Aunt Med
laws thread and needle store, and
her meanness, too"
"Well, well, grumbled Mrs. Med
law, 80 the girls have gone, and I
am all by myself again. 1t is rather
lonesome. They were nice girls
but the young men found it out as
we'll as me. Young men always do