The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-10-09

Cut out rushin' the GROWER to No
16." she commanded Tib Ragan and
Ed Root. Either drink your beer at
the saloon or move up on the third
floor. Second floors respectable now"
All this was alarming, but the very
first evening Nina invited the bindery
girls In to see her.
Il do so want to know you," she
said. You see have always lived in
the country and been friends with all
my neighbors"
Awestruck with the comfort and
beauty of the room, the girls went in
very silent and very i'll at ease. Under
the friendly chatter of the new ledger
they thawed out and remained long
time, telling the little stories Of their
narrow lives.
One by one all of the dodgers we're
invited into the transformed room and
went forth with great friendliness and
respect for the gentle girl who was
so different from them all. And one
by one the rooms of all the dodgers
began to take on a new atmosphere.
Even Mrs. Higgins swept the halls
twice week and once was seen to
actually scrub them. Nina helped all
with suggestions and with the work Of
her hands. The two bindery girls
spent much of their spare time max
ing things for their room after they
were shown how it could be done with
practically no expense for material.
In the meantime the new lodger had
gone out only two days looking for
work before she announced joyously
that she had secured position in a
newspaper clipping bureau. To be
sure the pay was very small and the
work hard and the color faded from
her cheeks. but she made enough to
pay her room rent and live frugally
and add little all the time to the
comfort of her own room and of those
about her.
And there came to be little gather
ings of the dodgers in the various
rooms, but generally in Miss Killers,
where there were famous little sup
pers cooked over the crate fire, and
to which all contributed their mite.
And there came to be talk of books
which led to the reading of books. And
the girls learned to sew and to make
clothes and hats for themselves, and
in short, Mrs. Higgins boarding
house came to be the abiding place
Of crowd of well-dressed, well-in-
formed and self-respecting people.
And all this happened without essen
tial increase in the wages Of the
Notwithstanding that aroused ambi-
ton led to better work and Ed Root
became foreman in the shop where he
worked and Rose became the fore
woman of her bindery, and there were
other ARRANGEMENTS which quite sur
prised those concerned and delighted
the little home community.
Also was there marrying and giving
in marriage when Ed Root married
Madge and set up home in little
fiat around the corner.
Then came one sad day when the
princess who wrought all this magic
was carried away. A tall, sunburned
stranger came and clasped her In his
arms before all the company and
chided her sternly for hiding herself
from her friends and from him. 1t was
quite romance as the story came out,
but the stern parent now was dead
and the prince had come into his own.
hu
rience here for anything In the world"
she said, with tears in her eyes as
she kissed Mrs. Higgins good-by.
The spirit she injected into the
Higgins lodging house still abides, and
many there are who called her blessed.
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