The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-06-09
The Wooer.


/ met Miss Evelyn Briggs at So
ciable of our church during the winter.
and it occurred to me that she was the
girl | had been looking for. She didn't
give me any encouragement but. you
know, faint heart ne'er won fair
lady," and l concluded when the spring
came on to go down to the Briggs
country place and call on her | sent
up my card. and she Obliged me to
wait some time before she made her
appearance. but when sne did she was
quite cordial. took courage at this,
because. you see. | hadn't had an in
vitation. Besides. a1iss Briggs father
is lawyer and well to do lawyer,
standing high in his profession, while
am foreman in a children's waist fac
tory. Besides, Miss briggs is highly
educated and intellectual, while don't
make any pretense at that sort of
thing. ! know my business. and that's
all want to know. | can take hold of
sewing machine and do more work
on it In given time than any trio of
operators in my department
We'll. we hadn't been chatting but a
few minutes when Miss Briggs looked
absorbed in something passing in her
mind Presently she said: Mr.. Bea-
die, I'm in peck of trouble. Next
week were to have the house full Of
guests. and when we came down this
summer we found the rats had got
into our linen closet and made havoc
of our sheets and pillowcases. We
have the material for new ones, but
the woman We expected to make them
up has disappointed U.S. | was trying
to do some of the work when you
called, but there's something the mat
ter with our sewing machine. / won
der If you could fix it for me-"
Il should SMILE" said, pleased to
have an opportunity to be Of service;
that's just In my line. There isn't a
part of a sewing machine that | don't
know all about. l can put your ma
chine in order and then make her
hum
She took me upstairs to a sewing
room. There was a machine at one
end of it. and the rest of the room was
taken up with white goods. 1t looked
to me as If there were thousand
yards. sat down at the machine and
started it up. 1t went very slick.
why. the machines all right" l
said
us it? Well. you might try it on one
of these pillowcases."
She handed me the top one on a big
pile. and in few minutes | had fin
lshed it. She moved the pile up where
| could reach it and said:
Il must run downstairs for a little
while. Mothers not well. and have
to go into her room occasionally 70 see
that she doesn't want for anything"
She gave me an encouraging smile
and went out looked around at the
piles of cotton and linen all ready tc
De seWcd and remembered the princess
to whom the bad fairy gave impossible
| tasks. ! had often boosted of my prac
teal knowledge of my business and
the amount of work can do in a given
time, but had never calculated on
anything like this. ] thought | would
be good natured about it and let Miss
Briggs see by the time she came back
how many pillowcases could turn out
She didn't come back. | worked
about an hour when, getting tired,
concluded TO make an excuse to stop
| broke the needle. Going downstairs
met Miss Briggs coming up. told
her why I had to stop. but she said
there was no need to give up for lit
tie things like that. since there were
plenty of needles in the house. She
got me another. | put it in and went
to work again reluctantly.
Miss Briggs stayed with me a little
while. chatting pleasantly. and was
getting satisfied with my work when
her mother called her. and she skipped
\ out again. l expected she'd be back
soon, but she didn't come. An hour
passed, and | began to think up an.
other excuse for stopping work. This
time ! concluded to break something
that couldn't be fixed. took a stout
brass rod out of a window. curtain and
inserting it in the curved arm that
holds the needle, broke it off. Then
| sat still awhile. knew when Miss
Briggs heard the machine stop shed
come up, and she did. When she saw
the damage that had been done she
looked grave for awhile. Then shs
smiled. | looked ruefully at the broker
arm.
Sorry" said. There's no way Of
repairing that damage. Pm afraid
can't help you any more this afternoon
There must have been weak place IN
the arm. l don't like this kind Of ma
chine anyway. We never use 1t at the
factory"
Don't disturb yourself in the least,
she replied amiably. But I'm afrait