The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-03-03
DEBBIE's WAGES.

farther on! james DucknoW
DEBBIE's WAGES.
Cant have it, said Farmer Colt,
shaking his head solemnly. There's
no use a-talking. Deborah, you can't
have it. Crops are all poor this year /;
the rain has nigh Almost split the
hay; that there COW died the other
night and help is not only lazy and
sassy, but charges more n ever heerd
tell on before. Silk, indeed Why,
my mother never had silk gown to
her name. She had too much sense,
and you should have orter tasted her
butter"
1t was striped silk, black and blue,
that had just arrived with the fall
stock at the store, and the recipient
of the lecture was blue-eyed Debbie
Colt, her fathers only daughter, who
certainly earned what her father call
ed her salt,' with her two plump
little hands. Morning, noon and
evening she was busy, taking upon
her shoulders all the work that her
dead mother had done in her life
time, and with no help to speak of in
the kithen or dairy. It was hard
life, and when winter came and there
was a little amusement to be had, a
few parties, lecture or two, perhaps
husking bee or two, perhaps sleigh
ride, is it any wonder that Debbie ex-
perienced the natural wish for little
fnery that is common to all woman
kind? Can one blame her as her
father did for wishing once in her life
for really nice dress?"
It's only dollar and half a
yard, pa,' she began again, and 1
can make it myself. I"
But this time the old man roared
Didn't 1 tell you to shut up?"
And Dehhie closed -hAr-iins a,.d rue',+s
supper.
M Perhaps the dishes did come down
on the table with little bangs. Per-
haps the knives were not softly and
tenderly laid down. At all events,
pretty soon someone who had been
standing out the door burst into a low
laugh and cried out:
"Well, never, Debbie Colt ! Any
body can see you are mad by the way
you sot the table. What has hap
pened? :"
ooh, come in, Mrs. Fish," said
Debbie, too cross to smile. "Come
in and sit down. There's nothing
the matter, only the old story. You
know how close pa is, and you know
how shabby l am, just as we'll as I
can tell you. shall have to shut
myself up all winter, for to go out in
that horrible green merino, with half
the color faded out, l won't; no, in
deed. The very girls at the factory
look better. Sally Parker fixes up as
if she were a princess, every Sunday.
Pa is rich and needn't be so mean"
"Old folks get near as they get on, )"
said Mrs. Fish, "and men folks worst
of all, 1 do believe but l don't know
but what there's way for you to get
your dress after all, if you amt too
stuck up to earn it, and if your pa
would let you. There amt SO much
to do now. and old Marthy Grey
would do up the chores for you. She
is always glad to hire round for her
keep"
"Oh, pa wouldn't mind" said Deb
bic, pausing in the act of putting
down dish of apple sauce. "What
is it, Mrs. Fish 7"
"Well," said that lady, rummag-
ing in her pocket-"well, I'll tell
you. Oh, here it is Old Mrs.
Doughty, up on the hill-frst-class
family, you know, and regular stylish
house-she's lost her sight, you know
that is, pretty nigh. She can see
to go about, but faint safe to go
alone and she can't read, nor sew,
nor nuthin'. Well, to-day her son
was speakin' to me, and he said he'd
like to get young lady to wait on
his mother. Not a servant, said he,
but companion-one that can read
we'll and would do everything a
daughter could. 1t wouldn't be for
long-only a couple of months-for
they are going to Europe then but
meanwhile you would earn your dress
for quite a spell. All, here is is
his card was looking for. He wrote
down what he was willing to give
and ALL"
Debbie took the card and regarded
it thoughtfully.
Its September now" she said,
''and at $40 a month l should have
$50 by November. Inever have had
so much as $40 at time in my life.
I'll do it, Mrs. Fish-that is, if I
should suit. can read aloud nicely,
I know: and perhaps I shall suit.
Pas consent I'm sure Of"
And so, after an interview with old
Mrs. Doughty, the matter was settled.
Debbie was a pleasant girl when
she was not tormented by undeserved
reproaches, and the life at the house
on the hill was new and pleasant to
her. The refinement of manners
were new revelations to her, and she
was adaptive by nature. Uncon-
sciously she soon spoke in lower tones,
moved more elegantly and lost those
bad habits of speech which were the
result of association with uneducated
people and she did her duty we'll and
was kind and faithful.