The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-02-14

lAC hCAI llAoL0hb olAC LOunQ nCl 6Cll
encircled by velvet-clad arms, her nose
buried in costly furs, the ostrich
plumes Of huge picture hat nodding
above her, and as she emerged from
this ardent embrace, Mrs. Vau Dus-
enberry Bits tripping accents saluted
her:
$50 pleased and charmed to meet
you, dear Aunt Dodd! When / awoke
this morning and removed the slip
from the calendar, and saw the date
and perused those inspiriting lines:
While the poor gather round to the
end of time,
May this bright flower of charity dis
play
It's bloom, unfolding at the appointed
day.
said to Van, THAT means me, for to-
day is the collection for Aunt Dodd's
clothing society,""
Mrs. Dodd parted her lips to remon-
strate, thought better of it, and closed
them resignedly.
From her fluffy muff Mrs. Bill ex-
tracted tiny roll and thrust it into
Mrs. Dodd's hands, which she clasped
in both her own.
It's small offering, not at all
what | long to give you, dear Aunty
Dodd, but such as 1t is, vast deal of
love and kindly feeling goes with it,,
She beamed down upon her hostess,
kissed her on both cheeks, and with
a last pressure on the imprisoned
hands and final, BEST wishes for
your noble undertaking, Aunt Doddl"
Mrs. Van Dusenberry Bill frou-froued
from the room.
Mrs. Dodd united the blue ribbon
that bound the "smal1 Offering" and
tore off the covering. For a full min
ute there was silence. Then Mrs. Dodd
groaned.
II was positive twas handkerchiefs,
too! And | kept praying, Lord, Lord,
give me thankful hearth and they're
shoestrings!"
"Why-ee" calculated Mrs. Wells,
shrilly. "Why-ee, Sereny Dodd! I new
er heard the like!"
well, you've heard it now!'' re-
torted Mrs. Dodd, wrathfully. want
to hear it again? Shoestrings! Shoe
strings!" She glared at the offending
objects in her hand.
There, there, Sereny," comforted
Mrs. Wells, 81 wouldn't feel bad a
mite! There has to be shoestrings,
and like enough Mrs. Bill thinks shoes
grow on busiest Why, she was
reared in the lap of luxury, as you
might say and l wouldn't wonder If
her bare toes had never touched cold
cobhlestones in all her born days! At
any rate, it counts two more, and my
face-cloths are done, and they make
another two Why, you've got IS al
ready"
Eyes, said Mrs. Dodd, grimly, land
IL made myself"
1t was Z o'clock, and again Miss Ly-
dia Barnum had assembled the Tor
bolton Home for INDECENT Females.
MY, Aunt Sereny, but your bed
looks packed ready to start. Guess
your members all turned up!"
"They did so, affirmed Mrs. Dodd,
happily. Miss Sally Sloane, she hadn't
Joined at all, but she donated we'll!
Samanthy and me, we felt condemned
when we saw what twas, for we'd
been remarking only last night on how
seant she's made her new print bed
gowns, and there, she'd narrowed the
cores and slSinched on the fiounces till
she'd squeezed out two of the elegant
est little girls calico petticoats ever
you saw! And Betty Macdonald
fetched in wadded pumpkin hood
and a pair of speckled leggings like
they wear down in Pictou county, and
said she wouldn't wear them on the
street here for money, and could
have them and welcome. Betty's a
good child. And Cousin John from
over Taunton way lugged in bundle
from his wife-I never even asked her,
only sent last years report with my
name written big and black and bold
OUT Ou tue euSe-duu LHeI6 were SIX
new dish towels and six new hand
towels and two lovely pin-and-spool
worsted lamp mats from dear little
Ethelindy! And Cousin John said If
the society wasn't taking ornaments,
they could tack on tape and use EN-
for chest protectors. And when l saw
him standing up so smiling and pleas
ant, l took my life in my hand, and
said /, Cousin John, I'm all fixed for
but my moneyed member, and with