The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-16

1t the things she dreams about ana
wants. I've lived a good many years ana
seen many a time honored adage proved
! false. I've seen a nightly good imitation
of silk purse made from Things nope
lessly coarse to begin with
You mean.n Betty began, beginning to
understand the spinsters words.
yes, mean.n gently repeated Miss Pe-
tunia, that to me the woman who puz-
zes with all sort of unpromising mater
iais to achieve the results she wants in
house furnishings is only symbol-a
type; type of the courageous woman
facing the same poverty of the heart
ard spirit, and sets cheerfully to work
to convert what she has in hand whether
it's hopelessly stupid and unkind hus-
band or bakers dozen of commonplace,
sordid relatives into the semblance of a
well ordered family. happy in the affec-
tior they feel for one another"
"Oh, / Know" Miss Petunia went on,
that you laugh at Mrs. Smith because
she spent her time and patience budding
up an ingle seat out of a dilapidated
clothes horse, but | don't laugh at her
My heart swells with pride at the
thought of knowing a woman who can
effect such transformation. The world
at large doesn't know that same little
woman has made almost human being
out of creature who was born crouch
and grew UP appointment.
Her husband is tolerated in a CIV
lied community only because she has
worked on him with her affection, and
so nodded him with her tact and breed
ing and intelligence that the thing that he
was TO begin with is almost lost sight
of in the husband she has made of him.
The Inglenook she built out of clothes
len apc ct fn no mi
scle she wrought out of raw material.
that never should have been permitted
to leave the stable
Betty kept silent while Miss Petunia
said;
'In the same manner I've seen step
mothers work miracles over children that
deserve the treatment usually accorded
such unfortunates in the old time story
books I've seen loutish and stupid sons
brought up to be dinner table ornaments
by mothers who laughed in the face of the
fell circumstance that started the same
children out In life with not enough
brains to plan saunter across country
road."
$50, my dear, she concluded, her soft,
brown eyes becoming tender and symp-
thctic II continue to read with a certain
degree of joy these pages in womens
magazines which tell the dear subscribers
how to make fireless cookers out of old
fiat irons. and turn vinegar into a spark
ling drink. better than champagne, and
how to make a wonderful wedding gown
out out of an old lace curtain. / don't
laugh at a woman trying any of these
experiments. and | don't question her
ability to put them through. For myself,
I've always had a sneaking suspicion
that Eve herself was up against some
thing as ira gic when she moved out of the
garden Most women who are real wom-
en- sometimes in their lives are called upon
to use up what they have in hand-to
make the best Of a sentimental, or maybe
IFS only an every day sort of bargain
OF acquaintance and there are precious
few of them who don't do wonders, all
things considered, for silk purses. Betty
dear: maybe made out af almost any
old thing If the right woman starts about
1t. Don't laugh when you see some
novice bungle her material. She'll get
II into presentable shape IL youll just
give her little time to experiment. The
man. in fact who doesn't believe in White
Magic has yet to meet the right woman"