Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-12-31

fascination, the poor girl advanced d.
rectly toward it, and heard the pen
ellis click in her nervous fingers as she
gathered them up.
Miss Vaughn" said l, at is in my
mind TO offer you employment. have
heard that you need it. With this pur-
pose in view, will you permit me to ask
you a few questions?"
She sat down in the chair by the ta-
BILE as IL She lacked the strength to
stand. In the few seconds that elapsed
before she answered me her nervous
ness increased. She began to mark
upon the sheets of paper with one of
the pencils, though l am sure she had
no consciousness of doing SO.
"What is the nature of this employ
| ment| she asked.
There was a longer pause than be-
fore. l could see clearly enough what
the poor little girl expected. Burnham
and others had suggested her peculiar
powers as means of earning her liv-
ing. and she felt that had come upon
the same Grand Seeing how she
| shrank from that theme, had not the
heart to take 1t up.
you have heard about me-" she
said. You think am some phenome-
nally gifted monstrosity. Really am
nothing Of the sort. am just like any
other girl. can guess things. So can
every woman. My aunt was interested
in-in that subject, and so did it.
am not interested and shall never do it
again."
1t was pitiful protest, and it car
ried the day with me.
II think YOU mistake my Grand"
said l as gently as possible. Have
YOU ever had any experience in teach
ing?'
She dropped the pencil and stared at
me.
I'VE are planning to open an evening
school in the town where 1 live"
continued. "a great part of the popu-
lation consists Of people who work in
my factory, the Hackett & Harrington
| carpet mills. Some of these people
| and l am thinking now of the young
women especially-have lacked educa-
tiOnal training in their childhood. We
are going to give them chance to re-
cover the lost ground. They are obliged
to work in the daytime, but many Of
them will welcome the opportunity to
study and to acquire some simple ac-
complishments in the evening. We are
| not slave drivers. Our people do not
have to drop exhausted into their beds
as soon as they have eaten their sup
pers."
At this point Miss Vaughn interrupt
ed me by suddenly falling forward,
with her head in her hands. l think it
| must have been five minutes that she
wept and sobbed, and was both dis
tressed and alarmed, though she kept
assuring me that she was not i'll and
that she WAS very happy. When she
had recovered some share of self COM
mand, she begged me to give her a
trial in the school.
| II should so love that work." she
said over and over again. 81 know I
should succeed"
| The idea seemed to enchant her. She
spoke of her own powers with conf
dence. She became brilliant, enthusiasts
tic, splendid-in fact, precisely the sort
of girl to inspire the right feeling in our
young women of Tunbridge who must
take up too late in life the heavy men,
tai tasks of childhood.
was greatly embarrassed and vic
tim of that nervous dissatisfaction
which comes to rational, practical
man when he blunders into good and
judicious action. 1t is Il species of i'm
posture. 1 perceived that it was n
most fortunate thing for both of us
that had come to call upon Miss
Vaughn. and it distressed me to know
that 81 would always credit me witt
a kindnt $, even though should con
fess in the most open manner that
had come upon wholly different err
rand.
While l hesitated the poor girl wal
on the rack. Her nervousness was un
comfortable. She began to scribblt
with the pencil and to twist the sheet.
Of paper in her fingers without know
ing what she was doing. Seeing this,
came straight to the point.
Its simple matter of business,
said 1; rather sudden of course, bu
you mustn't mind that. The position i,
yours If you'll take it, and for my owl
part, I'm more than content. We'll
make the salary satisfactory and let i
begin Immediately, though the schoo
| doesn't open for some weeks"
The crazy pencil stopped, and thu
dear child who has been like my owl
daughter from that moment looked W
into my eyes while the tears shone up
on her cheeks.
Now, this may seem small mater
to cause SO much emotion, but it mus
be remembered that Dorothy had beer
at her wits end since her aunt's death
We forget sometimes that the term q,
living" has close connection with III,
verb 'to live" Whether pennies!
/ girl is alone in the world or maj
fighting in the heart of mob feels {
pistol pressed against his head, it l!
muck the same. We should not lool
for perfect calm. And that Is the cyl
Of our present social system, that
puts the poor and the distressed eve
at their worst and their weakest 1t Il
grand to see human being stand I'm
moved in deadly peril, but as bust
ness man cannot say that we produce
the best possible results in this ( L
by making life one long, mortal "a +
gency for the majority of our species.
While l was endeavoring to maxi
Dorothy understand that l was no an
gel sent from heaven, but only q carpe
manufacturer from Tunbrldge, N. ],
my glance happened to fall upon tn
sheets of paper on the table, and oh
served with surprise that she had beel
writing mans name. She must hav
written it, in whole or in part, at leas
hundred times. 1t was Donald Don
aldson.
81 was only scribbling," she said, de
tecting me in the impertinence of read
ing over her shoulder. "That's nothing
/ all, y