The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-15
A Little Story About Being Ready
The Narrative Is Recommended For Certain Element of Truth It Contains Even If It Does Sound "Fish-y'-"The Lightning Change Outfit Our Grandmothers Always Kept On Hand Some "Picked-up''
 Work, As They Called It
D DOLLY DALRY1RLA

A little boy asked his mother once if all fairy stories' began with .once upon a time," and the doting mother skeptical- ly replied:
 ''No. dear, many of them begin: 'Darl- ing, I was detained at the office.'"
 This fairy story" doesn't begin in either of these ways, but 1t has to do tho first shot out of the box" with a simple little recital of a girl who 'g0t ready" for something beautiful to hap pen to her, when there was yet no earth ly prospect of anything under the sun ever happening to her except steady work staring her in the face until she died.
 She was a working girl who had prac- tfcally no friends-no home-and to the casual onlooker no justified hope of any thing better or brighter coming her way
 Instead of hoping and pining her life away, however, she set about to change what is known in certain "mediumistic circles as "conditions."
 She might have afforded an occasional piece of cheap finery and gone with her associates in their outings. but she came from refined parentage and the amuse- ments of the park and the dance hall' didn't appeal to her strongly.
 Her one joy flife' was watching the 'shop windows
 She was woman to the very tips of her fingers and loved all the pretty "gew- gaws" and ribbons and laces and dainty little articles labeled keep your husband at home" (namely, pretty lingerie), which every woman adores.
 Finally, an inspiration dawned upon her one fine morning.
 Why shouldn't she start and save some thing out of her wages to buy some of these pretty things?
 She could save a few dollars each month and while the thought was still in her brain she conjured up visions of herself arrayed in silken petticoats and sillsen hose with pretty little slippers and high-heeled shoes on her dainty feet
 True. she had no "boudoir' in which to wear them, but as she didn't mean to wear them (merely to own them) that didn't trouble her bit.
 The first thing that she bought was . lovely pale blue silk and lace kimona; then next, silk stockings and then pair of pale blue satin mules to cover her pretty feet.
 Sho walked home to save car fare; she did without lunch; she econoniized in every possible way. and at last the little weary-eyed shop girl that she was, ac- quired very pretty little trousseau and --waited.
 Then the story says that one night sine came home with the good news ringing in her ears that her salary had been raised and in her transport she cele- brated by arraying herself in all the lovely things she had bought and she got out the pale pink lamp shade that had been laid away for just such an occasion and she sat by the table read ing in the dimly lighted hall bed room the daughter of luxury and ease.
 There was a sudden alarm of fire and before she knew it she was whisked out of the window by a great big sturdy fire laddie and when she opened her eyes next morning she was in a wonderful silken hung bed chamber and handsome man was benindg over her asking, her 'how she felt.
 The handsome man turned out to be a young physicaan-rich and well-to-do- who. being called in to administer to