The Press., 1908-01-22

| you are with money, beauty and every thing. And I've slayed and scrubbed and done washing to earn money enough to pay for my course. But even If do learn stenography, who will hire me? What do they want with me when they can get girls like you and Miss Layton? There's something wrong with me- What is it?"
 Grace laid a friendly hand on the heaving shoulders.
 ."I think it is your name-and your hair"
 Violet sat up very straight.
 "My what?"
 'eYour name and your hair. You see, one always thinks of violet as some thing small and shrinking and delicate, and you-well, you are six feet tall with that pompadOur. You cannot change your name, but you can change your hair."
 The weeks that followed were like fairyland trips to Violet, whose mother had read herself into mental and phys. teal inertia on a diet of novels, while her father had tried to wrest gold from the sphinxlike~mountains She learned that Grace Saunders was merely study. ing bookkeeping and stenography in or der to help her father, whom she adored, and that she had time between studies to do the most wonderful sew ing Violet had ever seen. But first she taught Violet how to dress her hair, low and soft in puffs above her ears 1nxuy n+ fhn oN neck; then how to do Delsarte exer cises to acquire ease and to feed cer- tain angles with massage cream.
 The change was gradual, but one day when Violet waited on the table in a frQck made with deep ruffles that broke her height and soft frllls at throat and wrist young Graham looked puzzled.
 Seems like violets do bloom some times rather late in life,'' he remarked as he took the entire circle of boarders into his confidence. But I would like to know how she became shorter"
 'Some girls are born with feminin. ity," remarked Grace Saunders gently, 'sllke Miss Layton, for instance" {" Whereat the little stenographer dim. pied delightfully."- and young Graham beamed approval, And some girls have to acquire 1t, like Violet. Just as soon as she dropped exaggerated high heels. lowered her pompadour and wore fluffy frocks instead of straight lines she became feminine and attractive. Such Is the psychological influence of frocks. But under 1t all she had always most charming na ture and a brilliant mind"
 "Yes, and she makes such good fudge. l never tasted better in my college days"
 It was Professor Hinds who spoke, and in the sudden silence every one stared at him. Who would have thought the man behind the glasses cared for fudge? And then somehow 1t dawned upon the circle of boarders that the professor was looking very young and had-yes-he had some wild violets, the first of the warm early spring. in his buttonhole, He took off his glasses and glanced around with amusement.
 "Why not? l always was partial to violets."
 Mrs. Brent slipped her hand under the tablecloth and found Grace Saun- ders' palpitating finger tips.
 ''You knew all the time," she whis- pered.
 Rather! It was my idea, but the professor took to it with amazing alac- rity."
 l And then pretty Miss Layton sprang from her chair and pushed the aston plghed young waitress, who had just entered the place, beside the profess or.
 "The idea of announcing an engage ment with the bride to be out of the room! I insist upon passing the hot cakes this morning. 1 And then, with the memory of that first day and the wave of amusement that had gradually changed to respect and admiration for the girl and her pluck and her adaptability, the board CTS of Mrs. Brent's select and hOmelike esta blishment rose and solemnly drank A toast in the coffee for which Mrs. Brent was famous:
 'sPo Violetr' cried young Graham.
 And this time no one laughed, but the tenderness which comes when loves wings futter close seemed to soften every eye that looked upon the happy professor and the happier girl.
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