The Somerset reporter., 1903-01-08
In THE NAME OF
PHILANTHROPY
BY O'Ryon O'Bryon
Copyright, 1902. by the
s. S. Mcclure Company

storms swept over the land-girls, four
teen years Old apiece, bright, fiercely
energetic and up to date.
They owned two adjoining ancestral
places well furnished with fathers and
mothers. and from cellars to attics,
particularly the atties, with chairs and
things, and with servants to dust the
chairs and things. They owned also
one grandmother In common besides
two or three others in severalty.
Said their mothers whom grand
mother In commons illness called
away, How fortunate that school is
in session; otherwise the girls might
be lonely" a maternal euphemism re
suting from long years of practice
The term closed, however, without
the mothers presence to soften the
blow. Grandmother-in-com illness
neeesstated a longer leave of absence,
Which was granted in a characteristic
message: We're all right, little moth
ers. Stay as long as you please. Love
to gram
This was Endorsed by the Fathers
Dawson.
That WAS what the Fathers Dawson
We're for to indorse. Although much
absorbed in trying to double the output
of the foundry without increasing the
expenses. they still reserved the veto
power at home. But the possibility of
the overruling two-thirds vote led them
to preserve the show of authority by
indorsing, always and speedily.
The mothers were becoming uneasy.
The daughters were becoming uneasy
too. Usually when these restless fits
came ON the girls were tactfully guided
into the paths of philanthropy. Great
executive ability" their mothers said
they had, and indeed they could dress
dolls or make serapbooks for children's
hospsals if necessary, but they just
dotted on sales.
When n sale was announced their
subordinates drew long breath. The
mothers fell to work with a will, echo
ing the remark of Rosa, the cook: "Now
we knows where wese at. | can stan
on my feets all day maxim canny, an
| doesn' complains, but it's desc yere
surprisins dat gibs me de misery in
my haid."
The restlessness now worked itself
into a fever, and as it reached its
height simultaneously in both girls
they started on a run from their re-
spective homes and met under the
linden tree on the boundary of their
ancestral lawns.
In breathless duet they exclaimed,
"Oh, Susannah. | have an idea" "Oh,
Hepsibah, ! have an idea"
Their names were neither Susannah
always spelled with an "h'D nor Hep
sibah Their mothers in youthful ig-
norance of what good form would de-
mand in mamie later had called them
Nellie and Oracle. The girls early
came to despise these weakly cogno-
mems, and when some Harvard author
ity in proud spasm of reform chang
ed their Uncle Harry's name to Henry
without so much as saying by your
leave they promptly said, We'll
change ours" Susannah and Hep
sibah they became to each other from
ers at first stoutly resisted, but might
prevailed. The general public now
knew no others.
"We'll have sale-a fresh air
sale"
Then the embryo '1ady board" put
their heads together and gave their ex-
ecutye ability full play.
AT night the Fathers Dawsons in
dorsement was called for
"A sale? Certainly" What a re-
lief.
When the girls signal lights greet
ed each other from their windows,
each Father Dawson started for the
telephone
My dear" said Susannahs father,
rest easy. \ sale is ON. They are
quite capable of managing the Pan
American. you know, and they can
this. The servants. both men and
maid, must by this time be letter per
feet"
When his turn came, Hepsibah's IA
ther said much the same thing.
The mothers embraced each other
fervently. The little dears," they
said and slept the sleep of the unwor-
ried
This was Friday. The sale was set
for the next Wednesday. Grandmoth
er-in-common was now recovering rap
idly.
Tuesday night the mothers said to
each other, Were homesick."
"Wouldn't n surprise be funP'
Lets go hsme. should enjoy n
sale when we haven't worked TO get
ready for it
I'VE wont even telephone for the
carriage The girls will need all the
help they can have"
This WAS true \ sale without the
two faithful henchwomen called for
manual labor as we'll as executive abil-
fly.
Thus it was that the waning Wednes
day afternoon found the two mothers
hurrying on foot up the street from the
station
Look at all the people coming down
the street remarked Susannah's
mother. There must he circus in
town"
Yes, or fire somewhere They all
seem to be carrying something"
"They are most women and look
like the Plains people"
Not all. There's Mrs Gaines"
Now Mrs Gaines WIS an intimate