New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-01-16
IollleGto|l:e
Cupid Z
BY ESTHER HARNDIN
BY ESTHER HARflDIN
Copyright, 1906, by P. c. Eastment

! Copyright. 1906, by P. G. Eastment
Peggy Hall sat among her shattered
household idols and wept.
The particular idol which she had
elected to moisten with bitter tears was
small desk of mission wood, around
which had conferred her happy house
hold interests. How she had kept her
accounts, calculating with infinite
pains her steadily reduced living ex-
penses! And she had written to the
little town in New England letters
which fairly brimmed with the content
ment she had found in her life in the
busting city which would have terri
fed most girls from her native village.
For she had been contentnay, more,
she had been happy. She had done
her best, too, to make things move
smoothly, but now
No, she would not say that she hated
Kit and Lucy, but she did think they
were playing very small part. Then
she dried her eyes, pulled out her bank
book and a sheet Of blank paper and
began to figure. At the end of five
minutes down went her head again.
and this time a sheet of paper sprin-
kled all over with relentless figures re-
ceived the flood of tears.
Perhaps at this time Kit and Lucy,
who worked in the suit department. of
Keith & Blanks store, felt a bit I'M
happy too. 1t was rainy, depressing
day, and customers were few. The
hoorWalker went downstairs to con-
suit with the head of the advertising
department, so Kit and Lucy stood
shoulder to shoulder in the big square
window overlooking the rain swept
street.
II never dreamed she'd take it SO
hard" remarked Kit, with slight asper-
ity in her voice.
why, she just acted as if we were
cheating or doing something dishon-
est" assented Lucy In aggrieved ac-
cents. 'Tm sure we haven't hurt the
furniture, and the company has had
more than rent on it. They'll polish it
up and SELF for new"
II don't think it was the furniture
exactly" said Kit. Peggy is just
crazy about keeping house, but for my
part don't think girls in business have
any right to do homework. I got so l
just hated to think Of going home and
waiting on myself
.Mrs. Hopkins says we can have our
old room back at the same figure. She
I knew we'd get sick of light housekeep-
I ing. She says the head bookkeeper at
/ Ainsley's has the second story back,
( and. he plays the piano splendidly.
Maybe we can get up some Friday
night dances.
swell, anyhow, I'm glad we're giving
up the apartment. Peggy makes love
i " salad dressing and fudge, but can't
maze a bed decently, so housekeeping
was mistake so far as I am con-
cerned."
Talking in this strain, each imagined
that she was convincing herself, if not
her companion, that they had treated
Peggy in perfectly fair way and
were altogether justified in their posi-
ton. Down in their hearts they did
not feel quite comfortable, and neither
could forget the pathetic figure they
had left in their small living room.
Peggy, Kit and Lucy had met at a
MONDAY lunch room in the days when
Peggy was working in fashion syn
dictate Office for $40 week. A kim
dred spirit Of inconsistencies had
brought them together, and when Peg
gy had pushed her way to the point
where she could afford tiny studio
Of her own and command regular or
+ ders she had fed the Offices Of the fash
7 lon syndicate and had asked the girls
to start up a small esta blishment with
her. They had selected an apartment
with northern exposure for Peggy's
work, furnished 1t on the installment
plan, and for time all went we'll
Peggy, being: most domestic in: her
instincts, picked up the burden of
household management, and in time
the other two girls not only depended
upon her for managing the little estab-
lishment, but failed to do their share of
the work. In her first enthusiasm
Peggy bore this meekly, but very soon
she found that the homework inter
fered with her work at the easel. She
ran behind on her orders, and then,
automatically and kindly she took up
the question with her housemates Kit
and Lucy promptly announced that
they were disappointed in the house
keeping scheme, and they would be
only too glad to return to boarding,
where working girls belonged. If she
wanted to pay the rest on the furni-
ture and keep the fiat open for herself,
they would not begrudge what they
/ had spent.
g And that was just what Peggy found
she could not do meet the rent and
furniture payments. She sat up, wiped
her eyes and figured some more. The
girls were leaving Saturday, the rent
was paid for two weeks longer, and
the collection day for the furniture
company was ten days distant. She
- ~,