The Red Cloud chief. [volume] (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923, 1914-02-19
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HER WEDDING GIFT
BY B. MAYFiGlD.
Olga Anderson had q new place.


new experience to Olga. A widow
with baby Of three must be- prepared
to follow the pillar of cloud by day
and the pillor Of nre by night. in
search Of employment A concession
must be made in the wages for the
privilege OF keeping the baby. In
this event the wages were 30 low that
1t was only q question Of time till she
Selt compelled to seek another place
with better wages. and board the
baby out. After three years Olga was
disheartened. discouraged, desper.
ate.
Her husband had died two months
before the baby's birth. leaving her
penniless.
The first two weeks Of the baby's
life she had been too III to care about
the baby. The fact that It was a girl,
with possibly the same problem to
face that she herself was facing, only
added to her misery.
When the baby was two weeks old,
Olga dragged herself from her bed
In free ward Of a hospital. and placed
her baby In a baby farm while she
ment to work as general house.
maid
Olga had been one week In her new
place. when the postman brought her
two letters. one with foreign post
mark. They we're the first letters Olga
had received in years, and her curios-
ity and surprise were so great that
she stood for some time In her kitch-
en- looking them over without at.
tempting to open them.
AS her new mistress was out for
the morning, Olga had few hours to
herself She took the letters to her
room for the diflcult but delightful
task OF reading them.
She chose the one with the foreign
postmark to read first.
1t was written in Swedish to the Of
feet that an old sweetheart Of hers
was now a widower with two children.
He asked her for old sake's sake to
come back and marry him. Financially
he was we'll fixed. Write him favor
ably and he would send her the
money.
Poor. poor Olga!
She took another letter from the en-.
velope.
Mrs. Anderson pleas com rite away
to get your baby. cant keep II no
longern next monday when get mar
ried. mrs. Kimball."
And this was Monday.
Suppose she pretended to herself
that she never had received the lot.
ter. Why not borrow Helga's savings
Helga had offered them many times
when she had been 20 hard pressed
that she did not know which way to
turn. She had always refused them be-
fore. but now Peterson could return
Helga the money and she need never
know.
Her mistress was out She had
only a suit case Of clothes She could
take that. shut the door, and no one
would know what had become Of her.
Mrs. kimball must find the baby q
home. Maybe she would adopt her:
she was to be married again. Each
year the struggle had been harder.
As the baby grew older the demands
upon Olga increased. and she saw no
hope Of meeting them. She had cared
for her baby more with q duh sense
Of duty than from mother.love. She
felt no pangs at the thought Of aban.
doning her to her fate or Mrs. Kim.
ball. as the case might be.
Instinct must have been keener
than her feeble desire to free her.
self from her burdens, for she DELHI
erately put on her hat and went for
her baby.
Although a bride Of six weeks. It
was Sylvia's turn to entertain the
Peoria Avenue Reading Club"
Her flushed face and more nustered
manner were attributed by her friends
to q perfectly justified anxiety lest her
refreshments be subjected to the time
honored Jest upon brides housekeep.
ing But this was not the cause of her
excitement. Sylvia was typical TWEEN.
tieth century bride. equipped with
domestic science course, and calm
with the assurance that her sand.
witches were toothsome and her cake q
triumph Of the culinary art.
The fifth and last member of the
club had arrived.
Girls" said Mrs. Jenney, as she
, sank into deep leather chair and
patted her rolls of beautiful brown
hair with hand adorned with a we'd
ding ring almost as new as Sylvia's,
Il just can not read De Morgan aloud
or to myself. for that matter. /
will sew. Who will read for me? l
suppose you blue stockings must have
De Morgan. Anyway. ! want to peep
around at Sylvia's pretty new things"
"Oh. bother De Morgan and sewing
both" said Sylvia. Let's talk. No