Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-02-02
Alice'S
Graduating Dress

Wnat IS tne matter With my lille
daughter" asked Mrs. B ack, as sac
tenderly placed he hand on Alice'a
bent head, and Wit loving fingers
lifted the long, heavy braid of shin
ing brown hair that hung far down
over the chair back.
Nothing, mother, DEAR" answered
Alice. raising her head quickly ans
smiling into her mothers anxious
face, Il was only hinking--thinkirs
hard, and you could never guess what
aboXt, but I will tell you, so you need
not begin to pucker up your forehead
into those naughty wrinkles and wear
your dear self out trying to guess. !
was thinking about my graduation
dress"
"But, Alice, you will not graduate
for three years. Isn't it rather tos
soon to be planning about your dress
and worrying, too I should say, from
your sober face?"
eyes, know | am little 'previous.r
as Tom would say, but I have been
wondering lately if I could not de
something myself about getting ny
dress If began in time. Father seems
SO worried nowadays about money
matters, and I hate to have him put
to extra expense for ne, ard I have
heard some Of the girls in this year'n
gro duating class say, that besides tho
dress each one has to pay her STARE
towards the cost of the rece' on:
there's the hall, invitations, re. esk-
ments a" all that, 50 that graduating
really cos IS quite lot
"Cf coUrEo l want a pretty dress !iks
the other girls. Our class colors are
white and pale green, and the dresses
will be white with lovely, soft, pala
green Liberty silk sashes, and we will
each carry big bunch of white pinkE
al fine &. en- leaves, and wl.ite rib
bons on the bouquets"
Are they going to be muslin dress-
es?" questioned her mother. "Cne
would not cost very much, and l coud
make. it for you" glancing l..tie
d Qbtfully at her stained. toil-wors
fingers.
45ut tn is Just what don't W..
cried Alice Il want not only to ears
enough money for my dress and az
the fXiags, but also enough to pay
M IS Burns for making it. do II
want you and father to have g bit OF
trouble or thought about It, l think
/ have found a way to do it, too, bus
| an not going to tell you about that
nov" and jumping up she threw her
arms around her mothers neck, Civ
ins her a sounding kiss on the thin
check, and whispered, This is rea
secret until tomorrow, mother, dear.
and ran gaily off to school.
Mrs. Black sighed and thouoht,
Lear child. she is always so fuA of
hope and courage, l do hope she will
succeed, but cannot think what she
fan find to 90; she knows, however.
row her father and I feel about her
staying out of doors all the time she
possibly can out of school, so she ID
no. planning any indoor work trust
1t will be something we can heartily
approve of, SO she will have nothing to
dampen her enthusiasm"
he next day was Saturday, ana
while Alice was helping her mother
ded her all important secret with
many smiles and joyous exclamations.
Il have talked with father" she
cried, "and he says l can try 1t, but
he hasn't much faith in it. and says
he thinks he will have to come to the
rescue whei4 it is time for graduating,
aid he trusts by that time his long sx-
rected ship will surely have come in"
Il have been looking over some Of
fathers farming papers lately and ore
woman wrote how she had made mon
ey with currants, and that Is what |
am going to try Isn't that fine
scheme, mother? l shall be having
outdoor exercise, too, that you and
father are always talking about"
"Put the bushes are all sar'ed in
with grass, and then every year the
eIrrant worms eat Off the leaves SO
the currants dry up. | don't see how
you can do --euch with raising cur-
could do better with? All the papers
sGy one can make money with hens,
though l have never been able to dc
So" said Mrs Black signing
"No hens for me, they are much too
contrary to suit me, tiresome crea-
lures, l am going to give the cur
ralts a trial anyway The very first
warm day I am going to hire Jerry
Neal to spade up all the grass about
the bushes and then every minute out
of school | am going to pull up the