Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-07-16
BORN 70 JERDE
BY CHARLES NJ yHELDoN.
thor HIS STEPS," JOHN QUESTION CLASS"
EDWARD BLAKE"
BY CHARLES NJ. SHELDON


Copyright isue. ,,
1t was serious step In her daugh-
ter's life and under any circumstances
it might have most serious effect on
her future.
."rhis will leave me alone here, Bar
bara," she said us Barbara put on her
hat.
II think l can arrange to come home
evenings" said Barbara, thoughtfully.
1--WE Will settle it all right somehow.
mother" she added with cheerful
courage she did not altogether pos
seas. For since her mothers consent
she had begun to realize little more
deeply what she was about to do.
II hope SO, DEAR was the mothers
answer, and then quite naturally she
began to cry silently.
Barbara went up to her at once, and
said: Dear mother, believe 1t 10 all
going to be for the best. must be q
breadwinner. Give me your blessing
as IT I were o knight Of the olden time
going out to fight . dragon"
BLESS you, dear girl" said Mrs.
Clark, smiling through her tears, and
Barbara kissed her silently. and then
quickly walked out Of the room as II
afraid of changing her resolution.
Barbara Clark was not an extraor-
binary girl in the least. She was a girl
with a quick, bright mind, positive in
her convictions, with impulses that
were generous and sympathetic, with
very little self-esteem, affsctionate
towards her friends and ambitious to
do and be something. It seemed very
strange to her that out of all her class
in college she was one of half q dozen
who had not been able to secure posi-.
ton even of q secondary character in
any school. Her fathers death had
left her and her mother alone IN the
world except for few distant rsls-
tivss In the west. Influences that
might have secured place for her
were not used owing to compulsory
change of residence to another city
caused by Mr.. Clark's business fall
ures. The intimate circle Of close
friends that had surrounded the
Clarks during prosperity wsa changed
for the cold Wilderness OF strange city
lacking in personal frisndliness. And
Barbara and her mother had passed
several weeks in Crawford. practically
unknown, and with the growing con-
seriousness that the little legacy and
the insurance money were being
drained seriously without hope of re-
plenishing from any source SO far ss
Barbara was concerned.
The girls longing to be breadwin-
ner had driven her Into many dimcult
places. Under some conditions abe
would have gone ct once into one of
the great mercantile houses Of Craw-
ford as ono of its great army Of sales
women. But at that time OF the year
every position was Allied, except few
places that did not offer anything but
starvation wages under conditions
that Mrs. Clark positively would not
allow Barbara to accept SO long as
there was the slightest hope of the
girl finding an opportunity TO teach.
So for several weeks Barbara had been,
as she said, not unkindly, eating her
bread at home in bitterness, because
no one seemed to need her In the great
world, where the struggle for exist
ence seemed to her to be struggle
that made any other existence more
and more impossible.
1t was therefore not without posi-
tive feeling of relief that Barbara
Clark now hurried on to No. 36 Ham
flton street to secure the position Of
"hired girl" in family of Ave, en-
tire strangers to her; and she smiled
little to herself at the thought Of her
anxiety lest number Of other girls
should have been before her and Sc
cured the place.
II am in hurry to look into the jaws
of my dragon" she said, as she turned
the corner into Hamilton street 81
do hope he will not swallow me down
at one mouthful before / have had n
blow at him with my-my-broom-
stick" she added, not caring whether
the metaphor were exact or not.
She paused a moment when she
reached No. SO, and was pleased to note
that the house was not too large nor
too small.
Just an average family, hope.
Well, here goes" she said. under her
breath, as she rang the bell. She had
studied Latin and Greek at Mount Hol-
yoke. but Here goes" was all she could
think of to express her courage at that
moment. After all, Here goes" may
be as good battle cry as any other to
alarm dragon. especially if back of