Holbrook argus., 1910-02-15
The Resource
 fulness of Sue

ucy uNtu III du dpdTtueAt IHdI Hcds plenty of closet room-five rooms and bath. to be exact. Sue usually stopped on the way home and bought two. lamb chops and 3 head of lettuce, if. it was the beginning of the week, Ori five cents worth of stew meat all no lettuce, If it was toward the tag end of the week, near pay day. Sue, was generally the one to negotiate the. purchases because shs left the office at five and came up town on an eI- press train, while EtheIinda's Shop didn't close until six.
 Now, upon a certain evening they. had invited Marie and Ralph to dine with them. They could say dine" because they intended to turn in :,:e necks of their shirt waists and wear their near-Brussels lace collars and because Marie was going to bring over her finger bowls. It behooved Sue to shut up her typewriter on the very stroke of five, therefore, even if the manager passed her the glance frappee, and make all possible speed to the express train.
 She had the list of dinner items complete. Chops, bread, lettuce (oh, this was Monday evening", corn on the ear, meringue pie and some ber- ries for desert. She looked like the Goddess of Plenty as she reached the door of the fiat house.
 She had to put down the chops, the bread and the lettuce on the floor of he vestibule while she dug in her bag for the keys.
 Keys? Keys? Here was her pen, knife, her handkerchief. pencil, three nairpins, some chewing gum, a pow der puff, nail file, a mirror and herr ist of dinner supplies-but no keys 'learly she must have left them at he office in her hurry. Now, here was indeed pretty how-de-do.
 Ethelinda wasn't due for an hour. he guests were apt to come along any minute, and she had ordered the grocer to send around the four bot. les of ice cold" right straight away, and now she couldn't even get in to open the dumbwaiter door.
 It was comparatively easy to col pot the p;s, the chops, the bread. The lettuce and the berries and go, town through the cellar and up the our flights of scairs to her apartment ioor. But then what? She sat down 1n the stairs and thought some more.l There were two flats on floor. She could ring the bell of the next-door .ady and beg to be let climb out her kitchen window, across the fire es-. cape and into her own kitchen win dow. Fine! WheFeupon she rang No answer. Lady away. Lovely! Now what? And time was flying There was but one other way. The glat just over theirs was vacant. She might gct into that if the door was open, go out the kitchen window, and down the fire escape to her own.
 She carefully deposited the chops. he berries, the corn, tle lettuce, the pie and the bread upon the floor and started upstairs. The door of the empty fat was unlocked. An, joy!
 She rushed to the kitchen window and gazed down through the fretwork of he f-e-escape to the street My! It was long drop if she slipped. Fur rhermore, the ladder was rusty old thing, and as the flat house was at the corner of the block. the fire es- cape hung to the outer wall of the building. The openings in the iron platforms at each floor were right over each other, and offered a clear drop, if anything happened. straight to the areaway. She hoped she'd fall nice and plump into the area, and not out on the sidewalk. whefs every body passing by would have to see her all mussed up.
 She stepped forth courageously. desperately, and put her foot on the iron ladder. It seemed firm. She tried not to look down in the street. but she couldn't hep noticing a man driving a sprinkling cart. He gased up in her direction and shouted, pleas antly: "Oh, say, Maude, the waters fine. Drop in!"
 Two small boys playing ball in the street yelled at a companion block away: Hey, Chimnlie, hurry up! Pipe ue lduy uuI6.di
 "Oh, you blue stocAing!" remarked a college youth from across the way. And two men who were repai--g tie street stopped their steam re- all called out: Don't jump! We'll save you!'
 The ladles in the tenement or 0 nearly fell out of their respect.V
 dows in their enthusiasm over tic
 usual spectacle. The grocry
 from the corner store droIped b----l of potatoes on the ggocer's foot, he driver of a delivery wagon raGss1 with his parcels slipping from his arms-and all because a desrer1 young rerson was descending a fl escape. It seemed to Sue to take an hour at least to get to the platform outside her own kitchen window. He- hands and dress were red with rust