The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-07-27
Dorothy looked at the girl gravely,

to learn retOuching In keHen'S studio.
She Is earning as high as SIT and $1S
q week. She says there will be va
cancy there soon, and If l apply at
once l may get the place. You know
have learned retouching here, all
they can teach me, and like it. Moth
er. I can't stand 1t any longer to re-
main here at home doing nothing. The
boys will soon want to 60 to college.
I never cared about it. 1 want to be a
photographer or an architect or pa
per hanger or something useful. If IA
ther can spare enough money to get me
started, 1 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 a 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 for Chicago. The arrange
ments had all been completed for her
to enter the studio, where she was to
receive So q week to begin with and
promise Of rapid increase II the work
was satisfactory.
"Goodby. father. Don't give away
your overcoat before you get home.
will your Faith called out of the win
dow as the train started.
Malcom Kirk smiled and waved his
- rI0 <h4 nvo
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 en- elope, .
check for $25 dropped out.
'"This Is good companion my
dear. You will find it good company
on the road. Your father" This was
written hastily In a note with the
check. Faith understood it was the
price of a story Malcom 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 her
new life.
The work in the studio was extreme
ly interesting to her. Her letters to
the people at home were very entertain
ing and even funny. But after she
had been in the city a few months she
was obliged to face a serious condition,
one that she had not anticipated.
In the first place, it cost her nearly
oon< nf ho GO fO 1.-Two
But economize as she would after
counting out rent and fuel and light,
with what her clothes and car fare
cost, with everything that must enter
into the account Of daily existence, she
had very little left when Sunday came.
One day she realized, with a shock,
that she had been obliged to draw on
the $25 check. She had used all the
money her father had been able to
spare. The work in the studio had for
several weeks been piecework, and it
happened that business was dull, and
several weeks she had been able to
earn less than $5.
Then came a crisis that she had not
counted on. The studio changed hands,
and the new proprietor began to cut
down expenses and dismiss some Of
the retouchers. Faith was one of the
latest arrivals, and one evening as she
came down to the Office from the little
workshop under the roof she was noti-
fed that her services would not be
wanted after the next week.
She went out of the studio, and in
stead of taking the car as she usually
was obliged to do on account Of the
distance to her room she walked on
until she was at the corner of Madison
and State streets.
She plunged through that boiling
crowd Of humanity and started to walk
DIP State street the four miles that yet
lay between her and her room. And
as she walked on she was deeply
thinking Of what she would do. The
Idea Of writing home for money was
SO distasteful that she could not bear
to entertain 1t. Her lips closed firm.
ly, and she said to herself: 81 never
will do it while 1 can live. have
made a failure out Of it SO far here
but l can't burden father and mother
right now. I know how matters are
going at home with all the expense
there and Hermon's illness last month
No, no! I started out to be bread
winner. I must earn my own living"
She was suddenly brought to stoI
by a crowd that filed up the sidewalh
in front of a large window. There
was q picture ON exhibition there, and
Faith, after running into one or two
people. seeing what was the object oi
attraction, stopped herself and grad
ually was pushed up to the window a.
the crowd went and came.
1t was an oil painting with life size
figures, representing the deck of an
ocean steamer. A man was holding a
baby In his arms, and the baby was
looking up into the mans face and
smiling. The title Of the picture il
gilt letters on the frame was simply
"Motherless."
1t was one of those pictures that ap
peal to a common humanity, and the
crowd on the sidewalk was irresistibly
drawn to 1t. But the effect on Faitl
was electrical. AS soon as she hat
seen the face Of the man on the can
vas she exclaimed aloud, "Why, that's
fatherw
Those nearest her looked at her IL
surprise. She checked herself and was
silent. But there before her was tn,
| likeness of Malcom Kirk as she hal
seen him in the sketch her mother ha(
often shown her. And the story o
| hn hu vryho hod 1inI ~
midocean was familiar to all the chill
dren at home.
She looked at the corner of the can
vas and saw the artists name, Francis
| Raleigh. A card in the window an