Judsonia weekly advance., 1915-05-26
Suppressed by Her Uncle and Cousins, She Had Hard
 GirIhood.
WORKED IN FLORISTS SHOP
Being Compelled to Learn the Busl- ness, When the Time Came She Opened Her Own Establish
 ment and Succeeded.
By OSBORN MARSHALL.


 The main difference between the story of Clara Carrick and the fairy story of Cinderella" lies in the fact that while the old-time Ella of the juvenile was a neglected stepdaugh- ter, the real fesh-and-blood Clara of the story was much-abused niece. The story-book heroine sat in the cin- ders and scrubbed the pots and pans for her naughty stepsisters, but Clara Carrick spent most of her youthful days behind the counter in her uncle's florist shop while her much-indulged cousins attended school, took music lessons, went to parties and other wise passed their days as young girls are expected to do
 Old MT. Carrick, the uncle of Clara Carrick, had monopoly of the flower selling business in certain small college town in New England more than decade ago. The name Carrick was synonymous in that town to all things Horticultural. Whether you wanted to buy a wreath to lay on a soldiers grave on Memorial day or whether, as a student in the small college, you wanted to send an offer ing of American Beauties or Killarnies to one of the pretty town girls, you would have been waited on by Clara, who seemed to live behind the dingy old counter in an atmosphere of flow CT pots. Usually when you went into the store her nimble young fingers were working on some "set piece" for particularly proficient.
 All the students knew Clara Car rick, for at some time during their four years course they had sought the flower market, and without an exception they all liked her bright eyes and happy smile. But though they sometimes asked the Carrick girls-the florists two pretty daugh- ters-to go to college dances, no one ever thought of asking Clara.
 Had to Teach Herself.
 Clara had been left fatherless and
 
 years old, and she had been taken into the household of her uncle on the un- derstanding that sine should not make a burden of herself and that she should help In the store. When the school inspector came around, as he questions as to whether Clara was being sent to school And no one in the town felt sufficiently interested to report him for so doing.
 But Clara used to get hold of her cousins school books after they got very difficult matter for her to teach herself many of the lessons that her cousins had trouble in mastering. And all the time she was learning more and more about the florists business First she simply waited on customers. Then she became so prof. cient at making bouquets and set pieces that MT Carrick intrusted her with all of this work, and this some times kept her busy far into the night, wiring and arranging the many blos- sons that were needed in the de- signs. Then when her uncle made the discovery that she had been study ing arithmetic by herself, after allow ing a suitable time for his assumed anger to wear off, he suggested to her that she take charge of the accounts and the sending out of the bills.
 I1 can waste your time reading books that aren't meant for you, you might get busy and do something to pay us back little for all the money we have had to spend on you," was his way of indicating that he would like her to undertake this new work.
 The next task which was given to Clara was that of going to the flower market. This she was expected to do first when she had arrived at the age of seventeen. It involved going to the nearby city and choosing and purchasing the various cut flowers and plants that were needed in the busi- ness.
 It was an opportunity to get away from the tedious bondage of the shop and to see little of the world, but the girl was not eager to do it. In fact, for the first time in her rather @~,r'ng experience with her uncle, she rebelled.
 Was Ashamed of Her Clothes.
 The reason for her rebellion her cousins were not long in discovering. Poor little Clara was ashamed of the ,lothes she wore-the heavy, stuffy
 erge dresses that were given to her )y her inconsiderate relatives. She oAged to wear trim shirtwaists, rib oon ows and leather belts, even if they were the old ones discarded by her cousins. As mark of great in iulgence, Clara was allowed to do this or a while and then the uncle de- cided that he could not afford the ex- pense, for although the shirtwaists were old and although Clara sat up after her days work was done to wash and iron them herself, her uncle