The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1903-02-14
In THE NAME OF
PHILANTHROPY
BY Organ O'Bryan
Copyright, 1902, by the
S. S. Mcclure Company

The DawsOns were double cousins
first in days Of calm, but second wher
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 attics, 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" maternal euphemism re-
sulting from long years Of practice.
The term closed, however, without
the mothers presence to soften the
blow. Grandmother-in-c illness
necessitated a longer leave of absence,
which was granted in a characteristic
message: Were all right, little moth
ers. Stay as long as you please. Love
to gram"
This was indorsed by the Fathers
Dawson.
That was what the Fathers Dawson
were 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
1ndorsing, 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 scrapbooks for children's
hospitals if necessary, but they Just
dotted on sales.
When q sale was announced, their
subordinates drew a long breath. The
mothers fell to work with a WILL echo
Ing the remark of Rosa, the cook: "Now
we knows where wese at. l can stan |
on my feets all day maxim canny, an |
l doesn complains, but it's desc yere
surprisin's dat GIBBS me de misery in
my haid"
The restlessness now worked itself |
into a fever, and as it reached it's
height simultaneously In both girls
they started on 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, 1 have an ideal" "Oh,
Hepsibah, have an ideav'
Their names were neither Susannah
always spelled with an "h'D nor Hep
slbah. Their mothers in youthful ig-
norance OF what good form would de-
mand in name later had called them
Nellie and Oracle. The girls early
came to despise these weakly cogno-
mems, and when some Harvard author
ny In proud spasm of reform chang
ed their Uncle Harry's name to Henry
without so much as saying by your
cave they promptly said, well
change ours" Susannah and Hep
'ibah they became to each other from
nat moment. The fathers and moth
RS at first stoutly resisted, but might
Prevailed. The general public now
NEW no others.
wen have sale-a fresh air
ale."
Inen the embryo 'lady board" put
heir heads together and gave their ex-
cutive ability full play.
AT night the Fathers .Dawsons in
orsement was called for.
"a sale? Certainly" What re- ]
EFF /
When the girls signal lights greet
each other from their windows {
ach Father Dawson started for tho
telephone. {
My DEAR" said Susannah's father t
rest easy. A sale is on. They are
ute capable of managing the Pan q
merlcan, you know, and they can b
lis. The servants, both men and s
lald, must by this time be letter per- b
sct" ~ q
I" men his turn came, Hepsibah's ia S
Ter said much the same thing.
Inc mothers embraced each other k
'rvently. "The little dears," thew C
ld and slept the sleep of the unwor- h
ed.
Inns was Friday. The sale was set II
+ the next Wednesday. Grandmoth- b
uncommon was now recovering ran. h
ly.
tuesday night the mothers said to i'd
en- other, We're homesick."
wouldn't a surprise be fun?" a
Let's go home. 1 should enjoy n
le "nen we haven't worked to get fe
ady for it, o. IT
we won't even telephone for the
rriage. The girls will need all the