Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-09-07
THE LITTLE
LACEMAKER
D. SADIE oLcoTT

fffe uords were spoken by Mrs.
iDe'e -,ns of Baltimore to Mrs. Stet-
= providence while the two ladies
% q ,.toning to the orchestra at the
ee ot Luzerne, Switzerland.
asllO .uce." replied Mrs. Stetson.
NY ont of school within a few
VII nd shall have the matrimoni-
=, nroblem for her on my hands.
. r wish" rejoined Mrs. Main
caring tn"'
Dick ,o,n, a. tho ali.
assure you: but, from what you
,our son will not marry.
sue will fall In love with some inno-
=, country girl. unsophisticated and
~ rosnlt of this dialogue when con-
,.,"d was scheme to throw together
u.s ctatson as Swiss lacemaker
ua nick Mainwaring. When Miss
.nce returned from school the plan
rss nroposed to her not as one to make
notch for her, but as lark. She
vas by no means averse to It. DICK
-. on the way from Italy to join his
ro,hor and when he arrived he found
a0mesticated with her a very pretty
rrl dressed in the attractive costume
~ tbe country. filing an order for lace.
Alice. who took the name of Gretchen
and was supposed to speak only Ger
uan-the language of eastern SwitZer-
lond--sat in a chair before board on
which she worked the threads. A
raal lacemaker had taught her to do
tba SIMPLEST kind of work. which was
all that was needed.
Upop his arrival. seeing the little
lacemaker at work In his mothers
boudoir. he went up behind her and
watched her work Believing her to
be unconscious of his presence. he said:
"Faulein your delicate fingers are
well adapted to such fine work"
Gretchen turned and, seeing a young
! man bending over her. appeared to be
very much disconnected and made no
reply proceeding with her work.
! Mainwaring, thinking that the girl did
! not understand English, repeated what
! be had said in German.
Zach. herr" she replied, you fatter
me"
Dick heard his mother approaching
and not caring to be caught chatting
with her employee, walked away. But
Gretchen was always there-that is,
when Dick was there-and it was as
impossible for him to keep away from
her as for a bee to ignore a flower.
Alice may have just left school. but
she had woman's natural spiderly
instinct in catching a fly She waited
ill Dick began to say tender things to
her, then mildly reproved him for talk
Ing thus to one so far beneath him.
The next stage was that she listened
to him, but reminded him that If his
mother came to suspect that he was
saying them she would discharge her
employee at once. Here forbidden
frult came In to make 1t all the more
interesting for the young Lothario, and
was not long before he endeavored
to steal kiss.
Inc lacemaker put him away with
look SO reproachful that 1t made him
ieei as II he had been stealing pennies
from salvation Army children's fresh
air fund. He stammered an apology.
out she told him that If he respected
aimselr and wished her to respect him
nc must not speak to her again unless
u tne presence Of his mother. How
ever on his promise not to try to steal
any more kisses he might occasionally
say very few words.
II must be admitted that Dick was
u disadvantage. Miss Stetson was
: ady' quite a beauty, with a very
WI voice and softer eyes, and to
ao"h all she was dressed In one of
ue prett1est national costumes in the
s0ila Within three days she began
Interfere with Dicks day dreams,
anu as Tor his night dreams he was
snaoe TO sleep. He tossed about In
seu, iamenting the fact that the lace.
.AaAer was only poor Swiss girl with
"nom an alliance would be impossi.
VIC NOW and again he would resolve
~ uiro" common sense to the winds;
would bring himself up with a
.ounu turn, wondering If be had be.
come insane.
.o oue morning he entered his mothers
s expecting to find the lace
.an. et' Out instead found the room va.
tnu IL seemed as If some one had
a,.. eu on thousand candle power
int ~ iight, Mrs. Mainwaring came
~, ene room, and Dick asked:
..., mother, what's become of your
u..e lacemaker?"
n n' sne finished the work l gave her
nv w ana has gone homer
no.s said nothing further, but his
prosa,a r watched his woebegone ex.
'i T with satisfaction.
na ane next evening at the Casino Mrs.
fly u"aflng introduced her son to her
oronr, MISS Stetson. Miss Stetson in
b.n plia persona was chatting with a
D sI American gentleman. When
was Introduced she houod ora.