Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-01

To further arguments she turned a
deaf ear. and presently the committee
left her. with a parting injunction TO
nrepare herself for the change before
her.
Left alone, the defiant little figure
relaxed. the glittering eyes 1ii eav VITO to
tell her, she guessed that she mad 70
move Immediately. She had known II
since the day of her uncles death ano
had figured on what would be the pest
thing to do for "her family until the
weight Of responsibility seemed more
than she could bear. Then she had been
told about the $500, and doubts and
fears were swept away. why with all
that money she could pay rent for
ages and ages-until Tommy was re-
ceiving a mans wages and Eispeth ana
Buddy well along in school.
with her problem solved, she mad
been very happy, but now she knew op-
stacles would be put in the way OF
her renting cottage. one she mao
in view was owned by woman on
the committee, and she knew very
we'll she could not rent that now.
She was considered too young. too
ignorant to bring up the children, ana
the town would take them out OF her
hands entirely.
Elspeth would die if she didn't have
her Kitty and no one would put up
with Buddy's pranks as she did. Her
mother had told her to care for them
always and she would! The commit
tee should not take them from her!
She didn't know how she would man
age it, but she would figure it out some
way.
She put on her hat and left the
house. When she reached the street
she walked rapidly, planning. planning:
Distance was unnoticed until she found
| Io n IA
She pulled up abruptly in front of a
small cottage set in small garden.
1t was unoccupied and looked as
though it had been tenantless many a
it's sides. window panes were broken
and the steps sagged. She knew it
belonged to man named Burton. a
very rich man, who owned the big
colonial house just beyond, unoccu-
pied like the little cottage. He had
had heard that he had had trouble
the death of a wife or daughter or
something, she didn't care much just
what. As she leaned on the rickety
fence she thought bitterly that there
We're worse things than death. For
instance, there was the raising of a
family, with no place wherein to raise
sobs were beginning to choke again
when, of a sudden, dazzling idea
brain She stared with wide open
eyes at the cottage a moment. then
she skipped through the gate, Up the
sagging steps, around to the rear, and
in an instant wriggled her 1.-THE little
body through the window of the tiny
kitchen. Ten minutes later. as she
walked homeward, her eyes were
daring. her cheeks pink and she muir
INJURED again and again: "Oh, dear
me. if God will only think it's right.
and not let that committee butt I'M"
A week later. at an hour in the
morning when the committee and the
town generally was fast asleep, an
Burton cottage various pieces of sec
ond-hand furniture, and Tommy and
Elspeth and Buddy. Kitty, on the in
side, received the things radiantly
She had been sweeping and scrubbing
since daylight, and had the three tiny
the lengths of bright ingram carpet
and cheap pine furniture. and when
the factory whistles screeched out the
intelligence that o'clock had come,
she was resting in the front room
already conscious that her family had
that to her credit in the bank was
$3.50.
It may have been that her audacity
amused the committee or that there
was dearth of places for nursemaids.
At any rate. aside from severe rep
rimand. a warning that she would be
under strict surveillance and be allowed
to remain on the premises she had pre-
empted only until fall, no drastic action
was taken. She was left in possession of
the Burton cottage and was the happiest
little housewife in town; and before long
the proudest, for there was not q week
that she did not add So or 81 to Tommy's
S. From her little garden plot she