Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-15
FASHIONS AND IDESPKI1E oU0
The Daily Story
Marriage or the Poorhouse

lined mug she cherished and had there
after apparently done with making gift
forever However, she did not bother he
head about her godmother. She had othei
and more serious things to occupy hei
mind. Since her mother died, six year,
before, jimmy had supported herself by
sewing. Her mother had been a skiltu
needlewoman and had 8ught jimmy al
she knew In consequence, jimmy always
had plenty OF work. and work meant shell
ter and food and clothing for her. a
little good instruction in cutting and Mt
ting would have made her a first-class
dressmaker; but this instruction was un-
obtainable, and so jimmy did the best she
| could with what she knew.
! She understood that she could not al
ways go on sewing. There must come a
time when her sight would fail and her
| hands tremble Then, unless she was mar
| rled or had saved enough TO take care
| of her, she must go to the poorhouse, or,
| at best. the Old Ladies' Home. jimmy was
j quite alone in the world having no rel
| atives and no intimate friends of her
own. unless, indeed Dan might be called
| an intimate friend
jimmy considered Dan very seriously
She knew he wanted to marry her. and
she kept evading the question with girl
| ish glec In deferring the actual moment
and thus enjoying II the longer in antici-
patton, for she believed that when Dan
spoke she would consent to marry him,
What else could she do? There we're only
the three things to look forward to-thc
poorhouse, the Old Ladies' Home and
marriage with Dan. She chose the latter.
One night, coming home from prayer
meeting, Dan startled her fairly out Of
her wits by proposing to her, and before
she had time to reason she blurted out
Nor OF course she had not meant to
say no. but he had taken her by surprise.
She cried herself to sleep that night.
But the next day she had ceased to be
jimmy SAKE who sewed for her living,
existed in two small rented rooms and
had to count each penny two ways, how
1t came and how IL must go. A long-silent
lady lacking, strangely enough, all other
kith and kin at her dying had left her
fortune to her obscure godchild
IL was, as the attorneys said, an un-
usual thing. and no one knew that better
than jimmy herself There in her room,
surrounded by her sewing the girl tried
to realize what had happened to her
Four hundred dollars a month for every
month so long as she should live! And
there lay Mrs. Cross new chambray,
all but finished; and two ginghams for
Anna Mills, just cut out; and a lot of
shirtwaist stuff which Miss Peabody had
brought I'm. She would have to do It, of
course, and then-then she would be
free.
Dazedly she went to work. It was hot
June weather, and her small sewing room
was close, almost breathless. Her hands
moistened and darkened the needle she
piled with rust. 1t was too hot TO work,
and yet she did not know how to stop.
Toll and poverty had become almost
habits with her. But her heart sang,
-Four hundred dollars month! Four
hundred dollars a MONTH" Why. that was
more than she had ever earned in n
year! When presently Mrs. Cross came
in she saw a flushed, excited girl stitching
away as for dear life.
"why, jimmy" the kind woman said,
"you look feverish. Are you ill?"
mo, only so happyEso happy! on:
crying, stumbling, stammering with JOY,
Jimmy told her good news
Mrs. Cross stared, exclaimed and col !
lapsed into chair. She was dumfounded. |
To think that her unassuming little serv-
ant of the needle should become the pos
SCISSOR of riches! 1t was well-nigh in
my dear child" she said. And then |
took the work from Jinny's hands and |
laid it aside you must not take an |
other stitch. Get up and begin to enjoy |
your wonderful good fortune, Let me tell |
you how" And then she told Jimmy. She |
was a woman OF large means and expert
listened to her the future unfolded be- (
fore her such new meanings. such de- |
lightful possibilities, that she fell to sob |
bing with Joy at the revelation. The |
thought came to her like sting Sup |
pose 1 had said yes instead Of no to |
Dan last night?"
Jimmy had found a capable friend. and |
she sewed no more from that day. She |
was going abroad companiOned by a |
cousin of Mrs. Cross-a sensible, middle
aged woman of education. whose busi-
ness in life was to steer about those who
needed steering. Jimmy very much needed
steering. and so Miss Dabney had under
taken her.
Then followed wonderful, full, breath
less days of preparation There were |
clothes to be bought, books to be read,
people to be received who came with
Jinnv's life had changed
completely. She was in Mrs. Cross nome,
and for the first time she knew what 1t
was TO be served instead OF serving. She
passed poor, pale, hardworltlng Dan with
careless nod. He looked heartbroken
The day before she went away he sor-
rowfully sought her.
"Good-by jimmy. God bless and keep
you" he faltered.
"Good-by, dear Dan" she answered
lightly.
After all. she was very young, and II |
was a quick shift from a sewing girl to |
an heiress. Her new clothes had made |
a marvellous change In jimmy. They had |
transformed her from a dowdy into a |
young woman. Miss Dabney |
was very hopeful for her.
"She Is bright and well bred and ex- |
ceedingly receptive. She will make a |
good match" she said to Mrs. Cross.
But marriage, now that she no longer |
needed 10 choose between that and the /
poOThouse, had lost its interest for Jimmy. |
Europe proved TO be a wonder TO her. |
And she herself was a constant surprise |
10 Miss Dabney. She never showed |
weariness; she never complained; she |
never became impatient or vexed. She /
what she saw. There was |
no doubt at all that Jimmy was going 10 be |
a success as an helress. A few yoBng |
men scented money and pursued her for |
the sake Of 1t. a few others admired her |
because she was fresh and sweet and |
1nspoiled. Jimmy treated them all alike. |
She was kind 10 them while they were in |
her company. but she soon moved on and |
forgot them.
Miss Dabney kept her abroad two years |
After that they tried California and Flon- |
da for two winters. and the mountains |
and the seashOFe for as many summers. |
jimmy had several chances 10 marry. |
which Miss Dabney advised her to con-
slider. but she would have none OF them. |
The girl was remarkably Indifferent. In |
spite OF the most skilful managing she
slipped through those four years appar-
emily heaTt-WhOle.
ATtaa Uta hna,r baoorn. ,traas,F r. -.