Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-06-11
Two Ladies' Bsrsft.
CHAPTER I.

Jo slipped OF her gloves and tossed
them on the table where they lay,
long. handsome and rather distin-
guished-there's always something so
personal in a woman's glove!-then
she sat down and we stared at each
other The props had been knocked
fEom under US, and We had landed
with good, sound bump, surprised,
astonished, astounded, dumfounded!
But not despairing as yet. The blow
hadn't had time to benumb us, conse-
quently we hadn't arrived at the de-
spairing stage.
Jo has gorgeous eyes with long
lashes that sweep her cheeks when
she looks down, and she has trick
of doing that when she's thinking
But she was not looking down now;
she was looking at me plainly per-
plexed-hunted, I'd say II we're In
clined to be commissioning direct
ly at my nose, which I'm rather sensi-
tive about, with a slight pucker be-
tween her gorgeous eyes. The blow
was beginning to sink in. could tell
by the droop settling at each corner
OF her beautiful mouth.
Two years ago when 10 was Just
bursting out Of Radcliffe with all sorts
Of honors, and l was specializing In
French, voice, expression, art, tennis.
baseball and automobile with no hope
of college and no wish to have and
hope, my father died suddenly II
had been coming on long time-for
i've years, to be exact-eyer since my
mother died. 10 was sixteen then;
was twelve. 10 mothered him and
myself, as we'll as the infinite wisdom
Of her sixteen years would permit;
read the books he liked, played the
music he wished to hear, followed ad
vice for motherless girls so that we
would never do the wrong thing and
give him cause to worry. But we new
er could fill that aching heart, and
we knew It.
The copper muddle had done some
thing to his income. 1t was necessary
to cut down expenses, so We did away
with the footman and six maids, SOLD
the horses, which gave us no use fol
the groom, fired the chef, put wilkins
the housekeeper, to cooking, and KEEP
only one car. It also put an end t
any social ambitions 10 might have
had, and didn't; and placed US on {
lower plane in everything except ouI
self-respect.
10 set herself to studying Prac
teal Economy, and housekeeping
and pounded 1t into me-did the mar
keting where we paid nothing 70
style, and began to cut out thos
pages In the Sunday newspapers tina
tell how to use the left-overs. The
came a time when something haI
pened that we could fully understand
A customer, old, reliable absolutel
safe, ordered stock and failed to pa
for 1t when It slumped, and poor oil
Dad went down in the ruins. He save
He was too old and heart-broken I
recover; even his faith in friendshi
was gone. He came home, went t
his room and died.
After we laid him beside our mothe
10 took an inventory. We found W
had q home, elegant and imposing |
the most exclusive section Of Boston
packed to the garnet with mahogan.
most Of which had come down 10 !
from the wonderful supply on tn
NovHomap opd oil ~ ~ r,Or+uogad !,
to the hilt. Everything else ws
swept away. 1t had been going gra
ualiy for Ave years while poor old Da
simply drifted. Also we had SON
stock In western mine that gave l
three thousand year. Our person
assets consisted of our name, son
family portraits and jewelry, oil
fashioned and elegant enough, b.
worth little to any one but ourselves
10 had a good education, | had
smattering Of everything, and both
us had the advantage of two yea
abroad, and good, sound, robu'
healthy bodies. am not countil
JOS beauty or those gorgeous eyes
hers, because 10 never would u
those eyes except to see with.
don't know how she managed, G
cept that she was a born manager,
pull out so much from the wreck. s
exchanged our equity in the house T
the mortgagee's equity in the fl
niture, rented modest apartment
the best neighborhood we could affol
put in as much of the mahogany
we could crowd into 1t, and sent t
remainder to a storage warehou
guaranteed fre-proof, and locked it
with care and affection. She would
part with a stick of 1t. Then she
gan to fray the edges of Practit
Economy, bought a pair of shea
some tissue paper patterns, and
to work to make her own clothes a
mine She allowed US one luxury
we kept the car.
Now the final blow had fallen. J
Partridge telephoned us to come
the office. In itself 1t was not un
ual. We always had to go down
look over the report and sign a
ceipt when a dividend was declar
But 10 ran her forefinger down I
calendar, consulted a little red Ms