Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-14
ROSARY OF A RAMBLER

There are three women who live to-
gether in a tiny Chicago flat. They
nave not always lived there. In one of
the best known cities Of Michigan, their
name has always been synonymous with
wealth and fculture. Then the man of
the family died, suddenly. His affairs
were found to be in a complicated con-
dition; and by the time all debts were
paid and few friends had helped
themselves to what they could. there
was but little left for the three women.
So they went to Chicago and took a tiny
flat. The daughters looked for work
and they found 1t, altho 1t was not easy,
for while beautifully educated. they
found they had scarcely been practic-
ally trained. The mother, who had
been accustomed to stately rooms and
the management of many servants,
staid in the little flat, and tried to make
its cheap gloominess seem like home to
the daughters. They are worthy OF the
name gentlewomen, for they have not
been the ones to complain-each one has
tried to be cheerful for the sake OF the
other two. But harder things We're to
come. One daughter was taken III, and
the firm for which the other worked,
failed. 1t was real bravery then, not
to be downcast. One day had seemed
especially hard. The doctor said the
girl who was i'll, might not leave the
house for many weeks and the girl VINO
was well, had put her pride away, tried
to forget she had not found any. That
night, the washerwoman came for her
money. There was not enough change
in the purse to pay her. Here is a ten
dollar bill," the mother said, IF You can
change it," The washerwonian looked
up with a peculiar smile on her face.
.Ten dollars she said, "Oh, isn't that
nice?n There was a positive awe in
her voice at the thought of so much
money. The mother and the daughter
who was well, looked at each other and
smiled. They had heard of different
standpoints, but even In their darkest
days, they had never thought OF ten
dollars as fabulous sum. They had
heard that nothing is ever so bad, but
that it might be worse. But until tnen,
they had not considered that anything
could be worse than tiny city nat.
with an income barely enough to pay
the rent, the butcher and the grocer.
So they smiled, and for one evening at
least. they emulated the optimistic Mrs.
yyirps and made Industrious haste to
rub the dust from their rose colored
spectacles.
Who was 1t who said that luck really
should be spelled with another letter
and, that the initial one-p? 1t was
wise person who said it, whoever 1T was.
1t seems oftentimes as if pluck is worth
more than any thing else in the world,
to its fortunate possessor. Talent is
yery good thing to have, but there is
much wasted talent. But there never
was nor never will be an ounce of
wasted pluck. The rambler has just
seen how pluck became luck for one
ambitious girl. There are really two
girls in the story, which might never
have presented itself for consideration
as a story at all, If the two had not
been SO dissimilar They were alike
in many ways. Each one had been
horn and reared In small city, had
SING at every entertainment given for
whatever cause and then had come TO
Chicago to gain foothold In the ranks
of the singers They had happened to
live in the same great boarding house.
There, their similarity ended. me
difference in their talent and their adj
vantages had been great. One was a
Canadian and altho poor herself. had
wealthy relatives in England, who had
housed her and given her the best OF
advantages for years. Her voice was
full and firm and great
things had been predicted for her, not
,aons in tho little Canadian city, but
by her masters in London ana laris.
She had come book to America and
like 90 many young men and women
Who are irving ..to do things" had come
TO chicago. The other girl had never
studied except in her home town and
IN Chicago. She had lacked all the adj
yantages of travel and the meeting OF
noted people which had been the other
girrs. Nor were those all Of her short ]