Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-08-23

shall say it, my dear, seeing I am
old enough to be your grandmother"
whats that?" Barbara asked,
coloring. she anticipated Mrs. vane's
| next remark.
II think it would be distinct saw
ing of power if in some way we could
make the training-school q part Of
Mr.. Morton's social-settlement work"
II don't think it is possible" re-
Piled Barbara in low voice. Her
manner expressed so much distress
that the old lady said at once: my
dear, will not say any more about
1t. But will you permit me to tell
you plainly that I am firmly con-
WINGED that Mr.. Morton Is In love
with you, and will ask you to marry
him, and you will have to give him
some kind Of a satisfactory answer,
for he is not a young man to be sat-
isfied with unsatisfactory answers"
ooh, cannot believe it'll" Barbara
exclaimed, and then she put her face
in her hands, while she trembled.
Its true!" the old lady said, stur-
Oily. 'My old eyes are not so dim
that / cannot see love talking out Of
other eyes. And that is what his
were saying when he was here last
week. My dear, there is nothing
dreadful about it. should enjoy hav-
ing you for my PASTORS"
"But it is impossible" Barbara
lifted her head blushingly.
There is nothing impossible in
loves Kingdom" replied the old lady,
gently. eff it comes to you, do not
put it away. You are his equal in all
that is needful for your happiness"
Then Barbara told her all about the
event of the night before at the
church. If she had been Catholic,
she would have gone to priest. Be-
ing Protestant, she confessed to
this old lady, because her heart
longed for companionship, and there
was that quality in Mrs. Vane which
encouraged condolences.
When she was through, Mrs. vane
said: "There is nothing very hope
less about all this. He has certainly
never been anything but the noble
hearted Christian gentleman in his
treatment Of YOU" barbara did not
tell of the remark Mr.. Morton had
made about beautiful faces. But, in
as much as he had apologized for a
seeming breach of gentlemanly con-
duct, she did not feel very guilty in
withholding the incident from Mrs.
Vane.) "And I really believe he feels
worse than you do over any sights
you received from the members of
the church,
Barbara was silent. Now that her
full to Mrs. Vane, but she naturally
shrank from undue expression of her
feelings. Mrs. Vane respected her
| reserve as she had encouraged her
confidence.
Don't be downhearted, my dear.
Go right on with your plans. Count
on me for the 10000 and more if the
plan develops as think it will. And
meanwhile, if in your trips among
the working girls. you run across
| anyone who can take Hilda's place,
| send hec around. I haven't been able
to find anybody yet. I would get
along without help, but Mr.. Vane will
| not allow it, with all the company we
have. No, don't shake hands like
men. Kiss me, my dear
So Barbara impulsively kissed her,
dreaded the thought that she might
meet the young minister, and half
hoped she might. But for the next
three weeks Mr.. Morton was called
out of Crawford on lecture tour
which the Marble Square church
granted him; and, when Barbara
learned that he was gone. she almost
felt relieved as she planned her work
with Mrs. Wards hearty cooperation
to see as many working girls as pos
sible for information, and to learn
from them the story of their choice
of life labor, and its relation to her
own purpose so far as helping solve
the servant question was concerned.
What Barbara learned during the
next three weeks would make vol
ume in itself. She did not know that
she had any particular talent for
| winning condolences, but a few days
experience taught her that she was
happily possessed of rare talent for
making friends. She managed in one
way and another to meet girls at
work in great variety of ways. In
the big department store of Bond
man & Co., in the long row of fac
tories by the river, in the girls re-
freshment rooms at the Young Won
| ems Christian association, in the Of
fees of business friends where the
click of the typewriter was the con-
slant note of service, in the res
taurants and waiting-rooms about
| the big union station, in the different
| hotels and few of the boarding
houses of Crawford, Barbara met rep
resentatives of the great army OF
young women at work in the city;
and out of what seemed like meager
and unsatisfactory opportunities for
confidence and the sharing of real
| purpose in labor she succeeded in
| getting much true information, much
of which shaped her coming plan and
determined the nature of her appeal
| to the mistresses on one hand, and
| the servants on the other.
with few exceptions, them" she
said to Mrs. Ward one evening after
she had been at work on this per-
sonal investigation for three weeks
'all this army of girls at work repre-
sents real need in the home some
where. l found some girls working
in the offices, and very few in the
stores and factories, who said they
were working for other reasons than