The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-09-06

"is in crying need of help. They will
not drive me away without a trial,
references or no references"
Mrs. Clark did not reply, but looked
and felt very anxious.
II was a serious step in her daugh-
ter's life and under any circumstances
It might have O most serious effect on
her future.
"This will leave me alone here, Bar
bara," she said as Barbara put on her
hat.
II think can arrange to come home
evenings" said Barbara, thoughtfully.
eve will settle II all right somehow.
mother" she added with a cheerful
courage she did not altogether pos
sess. For since her mothers consent
she had begun to realize little more
deeply what she was about to do.
81 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 is all
going TO be for the best. / must be
breadwinner. Give me your blessing
10 II WtIt VI tnt
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 il
afraid of changing her resolution.
Barbara Clark was not an extRaor-
| binary girl in the least. She was girl
with a quick, bright mind, positive in
her convictions, with impulses that
were generous and sympathetic, with
very little self-esteem, affectionate
towards her friends and ambitious to
do and be some thing. 1t seemed very
strange to her that out of all her class
in college she was one Of half dozen
who had not been able to secure posi-
ton even of a secondary character in
any school. Her fathers death had
| left her and her mother alone in the
world except for a few distant rela-
tives in the west. Influences that
might have secured a place for her
were not used owing to compulsory
change OF residence to another city
caused by Mr.. Clark's business fail
ures The intimate circle of close
friends that had surrounded the
Clarks during prosperity was changed
for the cold Wilderness of strange city
lacking in personal friendliness. And
Barbara and her mother had passed
several weeks in Crawford, practically
unknown, and with the growing con
seriousness that the little legacy ant
the insurance money were being
drained seriously without hope of re
plenishing from any source so far as
Barbara was concerned.
The girls longing to be breadwin
ner had driven her into many difficult
places. Under some conditions sht
would have gone at once into one o
the great mercantile houses of Craw
ford as one of its great army of sales
women. But at that time of the yeal
every position was filled, except few
places that did not offer anything bu
starvation wages under conditions
that Mrs. Clark positively would no
allow Barbara to accept so long a
there was the slightest hope of TIL
girl finding an opportunity to teach
So for several weeks Barbara had been
as she said, not unkindly, eating he
bread at home in bitterness, becaus
no one seemed to need her:n the grea
world. where the struggle for exist
once seemed to her to he a struggl
that made any other existence NOR
and more impossible.
1t was therefore not without posi-
tive feeling of relief that Barbara
80. I'm
ilton street to secure the position o
"hired girl" in family of five, en-
tire strangers to her; and she smile'
little to herself at the thought of he
anxiety lest n number of other girl
should have been before her and sc
cured the place.
IL am in a hurry to look into the jaw
Of nv dragon" she said, as she turne,
the corner into Hamilton street. g
do hope he will not swallow me dow
at one mouthful before l have had
blow at him with my-my-broon
stick" she added, not caring whethe
the metaphor were exact or not.
She paused a moment when sh
reached No. SO, and was pleased to not
that the house was not too large no
too small.
Just an average family, l hop'
Well, here goes" she said, under he
breath, as she rang the bell. She ha
studied Latin and Greek at Mount Ho
yoke, but "Here goes" was all she coul
think of to express her courage at tina
moment. After all, Here goes" ma
be as good battle cry as any other
alarm a dragon, especially if back c
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