Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1907-11-14

All the members of the Winters
family, with one exception, were liter
airy. This exception was Dorothy. Mr..
Winters was e~ditorin-chief of n Of
,he large city papers, Clarence was re-
porter for another, sister Mary was a
schoolteacher. and sister Lucia wrote
Tor the magazines. As for Mrs. Win.
ters, she was president Of the Brown.
ing club. secretary Of the Woman's
club, and an active member OF a vari'
ETY. Of other clubs too numerous TO
mention.
1t would seem rather strange that In
a family so stepped in the atmosphere
Of books and newspapers there hould
be one black sheep; although to call
Dorothy a black sheep were certainly
a libel, for ~ there ever was a white,
sweet, dearly loved lamb in any flock,
she could lay claim to that distinction.
The term is only used to convey the
idea that she was different from the
others. While they were all studious,
thoughtful and serious in their tastes,
she was the gayest, most careless and,
so they all declared. the most frivolous
little body in existence. Everyone
owed pretty Tnlly. She was so sweet.
natured, so generous, so full OF vitality
and sprightliness, that II was impossi-
BILE TO do otherwise,
1t never happened that anyone ever
questioned the domestic talents and
i%nclinations Of Dorothy. II had beer
settled when she was quite a small
hid that Nature had intended her
or a little housewife. She could make
he most delicious desserts and the
most toothsome confectionery: she
aad such beautiful taste in arranging
he d~ining.room table and kept the
louse SO fresh and orderly that no one
aver suspected that she abhorred the
lishpan, hated to make beds, or was
made faint and sick by the sight OF
'aw meat when she went to market
o select her fathers fayorite cuts.
Dolly never said anything about it.
Naturally, no one could be supposed to
fnow.
Now, It frequently happens that the
careers laid out for US by our friends
are not always the ones we should
select II left to ourselves. This was
he case with Dorothy. Secretly she
onged to be literary, like the rest,
instead Of domestic. She did try to
write sometimes, Just as the others
lid. and worked hard over some ex-
remedy Indifferent little stories which
we're destined to travel many weary
niles between herself and various pub,
ishers.
Dorothy knew well enough that her
writing was very poor, and soon
5gased to hope to distinguish her.
self in this way. As a matter OF fact,
.he did not like to write at all, and
jnly did so because she hated to be
: drone in this literary beehive. 1t
a simply a bore to her, and she
spent much OF her time making
sketches on the margin OF her paper,
As Tommy Traddles did in David Cop
Jerfeld; only instead Of drawing skel-
tons. she made curious brownies and
zrotesque animals that 1t certainly
would have been no sin to worship,
or they were like nothing on earth or
n the waters beneath the earth. The
amily called them Dorothy's queer
ruws."
At last she despaired altogether,
and when the rejected manuscripts
mad all come back she tumbled them
Il a heap into a drawer, which she
never opened without a very down.in-
he mouth sort Of feeling. 1t is to be
feared that just the least little bit
II a grain of bitterness was in Doro.
thy's heart when she thought OF the
position Of the household director TO
which she had been so summary rele.
gated by her afectionate friends. Still
he old longing TO do something kept
pulling away at her, and when she
began TO beg to be allowed to take
drawing lessons at the Art Institute
her mother said:
Why not let her do It? The dear
girl has a good many lonesome hours
when we are all away or busy, ever
4 she is so domestic. Looking after
the house doesn't take all her time
why Of course" said Mr.. Winters
If there's anything in the world tina
| can do TO give Dorothy q pleasur,
I'm only too glad"
oh. certainly" said sister Lucia
1t will give her something to thinl
IF, even II she doesn't accomplish
much with it."
And so Dorothy was entered in on
IF the classes Of the Art Institute
and then the family, absorbed in It
" more important affairs, at one
proceeded TO forget all about II. Ne
body ever thought TO inquire about he
work except Mr.. Winters, to whom
occurred once In awhile In a vagu
fashion.
And how are the queer COWS
laughter he would ask, pinching be
soft, round cheek.
oh, they're Just as bad as ever.
Dorothy would say with an answerin
smile. They pop out on the cast
and stll life exactly as they di
On the manuscript" She was a bray
little soul, and II she felt hurt b
this indulgeut neglect she kept it I
herself.
When she had been In the Art Inst
tute for about a year without haviu
ever seemed to accomplish anythl1
to attract attention IL the least, N
Winters began 10 talk very muc
about a new artist who had OF la,
been sending in drawings as illustr
lions Of current vents, They wei
humorous IN character, and q GOO
many Of them appeared in his a D