Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-08-28
THE ONLY WAY

~ F course it was planned before
II II hand, he knew who would do 1t
- best, I'm sure, and perhaps II the
girls had known what the prize was
to be, they would have tried harder for
it. although l think none of us would
have gotten that one.
It came about this way: Ten Of us
girls have a sewing club and meet once
a week. We do not accomplish much,
Ned says, because we do too much Cos
slipping, but then, Ned is horrid, any
way.
Right across the way young DR..
Thornton has his office, and on warm
day when the windows were open, he
could. hear everything we said, but we
did not realize that until afterward.
We were all slightly acquainted with
him and were dying to know him bet
ter-he Is awfully good-looking, you
know, but all taken up with his work,
which made him even more attractive
TO us.
One day we were busy as bees-if
not with fingers, with our gathering
when the door opened, and in walked
DIR. Thornton. He held a bundle in his
hand, and after greeting us, he walked
up to Maude, who Is our president (al-
though how he knew l didn't find ont
until later), and said: Miss Williams,
have rather a peculiar request to
make, but perhaps you will overlook
its popularity, as you know l am a
lone bachelor l am in an even more
lonely state than usual, as my house
Keeper is away, and there is no one TO
do my mending for me. This bundle
contains ten pairs of socks which need
mendlng most awfully (the girls looked
scandalized), and it struck me to-day
that possibly as yours was a sewing
club. you would tale pity on the lone
bachelor and each darn pair for me.
perhaps one pair each will not be too
much Of a tax on you, and l shall not
need them until next week"
OF course we could not refuse, for his
loneliness and (apparent) helplessneSs
appealed to us.
The doctor stayed long enough for
us 10 feel that he was not so unap-
proachable Us he had seemed. l re
membered afterward that he never
once looked toward Claire, or spoke to
her during his stay. Claire is our shy
one. with the great brown eyes and
duszy hair with touch OF sunshine
In Tive call her our wood anemone-
the most domestic Of us all
The doctor started TO so, but turned
back and said, as in after-thought. Il
never thought about payment. We all
protested. horr1hed at his wishing TO
nay for what we considered a pleas
ure.a We'll" said he, "since you re-
fuse payment, will let you do the
work on one condltion-that the one
who darns her pair the neatest shall
accept a prize, and will take whatever
offer for a priZe-of whatever value.
We agreed to this, and he said, laugh
Ing, "will you consider this promise
binding?" We promised solemnly that
we would. laughing all the while, as
we thought 1t all an excellent joke.
The next week when we met we CON-
pared our work. and Claire's mending.
as we expected. was so daintily done
that you could hardly tell where the
darns were.
Then the doctor came in, and when
we showed him the socks he declared
Claire's the best, and said that the
nrIze was not quite ready, but begged
m be allowed TO call on Miss Claire
that evening to bestow 1t upon her. She
reluctantly said that he might and the
doctor suggested a meeting next day,
in order that we might CHS eyes
sxinkling wickedly) see how we liked