The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-11-05

care much about living. Life had very
early in her existence resolved itself
n a mere matter of not enough to
eat, a sick mother. a father out Of
work. and general discomfort. 1t was
difficult and wearyinw. AT nine she
was quite certain she had had enough
of it. n at twelve. seeing that she
ture imminent. she decided to make
the best of it.
AT twelve. Dawn suddenly took on
Il premature womanlineSs. Energy
"gu1nption" she called twas the
main thing needed in her family. She
looked about her and saw what
gumption did for people who applied
1t wisely. She knew that it was use
less to expect her father and mother
to have any gumption. and so She de-
cided to supply it herself. At twelve
Dawn was slim and thin. a mere
handful of bones strung together with
wirelike muscles. Her thick black
hair hung in an untidy shock at the
cilled with black lashes, had Il moody
unsmilingness. Her square ~resolute
little face was tanned to the color of
copper. She was a fright to see. She
knew it. for the boys told her of it
twenty times a day and the girls
Stunned her-that is, the nice girls
stunned her. She did not recog-
nize the other kind. There was a
strain Of something good and solid in
Dawn that kept her in the middle OF
the current. away from the drift that
up to the fact that she herself had a
value and a meaning not at all. ue-
pendable upon her environment. If
she nus wear red calico dresses,
which she loathed. she could have
them clean. If she must go with her
brown feet naked, she would step as
haughtily as if she wore the finest of
shoe leather. If she must live In a
hovel. she would live in it lecently.
There was n thing she felt the
need Of above all others and she in
tended to have it. Education stood to
her for a key that opened all doors.
Why, there was Lily Meade, who had
been brought up much a. she was.
Lily had got an education and come
back to teach in the high school. Even
Mrs. Judge Laisdell had Lily to din
ner. Some day." gritted Dawn,
shell be feeding me. too" So, de-
spite the bare legs and red calico
dresses she went to school. And she
learned, too. Her mind soaked up in
struction. She Rugged her books and
let humanity go. Sne was sour, DE.
fiant, remote. and her school mates
grew to be afraid of her. She got in
their way, but they dare not jostle
her.
At home Dawn got acquainted with
the mop and broom. She did not at
tempt to make her father get a job
Or have her mother show spirit Int
tidiness. These things were too big
for her handling, and she let them
alone. But the things she could ham
die she attacked vigorously.
One Saturday morning she crawled
over the high iron fence that kept the
forlorn Hesper premises from con-
Eliminating the splendid grounds Of
the Laisdells and confronted Mrs.
Laisdell. who was reading aloud to her
son on the side veranda. Mrs. Lais-
dell was a beautiful woman who wore
white. summer and winter, and her
son, Rex, looked just like her. But 1t
was said he had the Judges aptitude
for law. Mrs. Laisdell dropped her
book, shocked It the sudden appear
ance Of an elf in red colors on her
g~reensward. Rex. who was seventeen
or so, stared open mouthed: Before
either could speak DaWn stated her
errand.
Mrs. Laisdell. I guess you'll think
I'm crazy, but I want to ask you how
to make bread-decent white bread.