Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-06-06
Earning Her
$37.83
~
BY JANE OSBORN


When Stanley Ashton agreed to give
thirty thousand dollars for the work
Of the ambulance corps by the student
body of the college from which he
some dozen years before had taken his
degree, on the condition that the stu
dent body would raise a like amount,
he little knew what medley of unus-
ual activities he was starting within
the dormitories of that college.
II know it's going to be hard for the
students" he told the dean of the col
lege when he made the proposal, but
the ambulance corps needs sixty thou
sand dollars If their work is to be
worth while. I'm not a millionaire.
and | guess 1t is as hard for me to
get that thirty thousand dollars to-
gether as 1t will be for each of the stu
dents TO do his or her share toward
raising the difference"
The dean was figuring on the back
of an envelope as Stanley Ashton was
talking to him.
Yes" he said. having finished his
little sum in division. There are 1893
students enrolled this year-about 400
girls and the rest men. That will mean
about $37.S3 q student, as | reckon it,.
In my announcement | shall suggest
that each student try to raise that
sum. 1t will give zest to their endeav-
ors if each student knows just what is
expected of him."
SO the announcement was made. and
for the weeks that followed each stu
dent of the college went around more
bent on extracting the sum of $37.83
most Of the students Of this co-educa-
tional institution We're not possessed
of an overadequate allowance-than
on securing passing grades in their
classroom work. Dances, athletics,
theatricalS-all the usual side interests
of the college-were subservient to
this desperate struggle on the part of
the students, each to earn the allotted
quota. The trouble was they were all
doing it at once. Little efforts to ex-
tract the money from each other by
backing shoes, pressing clothes, darn
ing socks, etc, We're rather useless,
since no student had the amount TO
pay for such services while each was
saving his funds for the quota. Fudge
was drug on the market, for who
had money to buy fudge?
Margaret Benton achieved quite an
honor for herself among her friends
by announcing that she would give up
her Christmas holiday vacation. She
had received check for $50 from
home to cover the expenses of her trip
and, with her parents sanction, she
renounced this pleasure so that she
might thereby save the larger part of
her quota. There was $17.S3 to be
earned. BY going without fudge sup
plies herself for three weeks she eeked
out her funds till she had but S16.75
to be earned. Then she earned 70 cents
by selling one pair of old rubbers, two
old textbooks. the gold tips from two
outworn fountain pens and last win
ter's hat. Thirty cents she saved by
walking downtown and back on three
occasions. There then remained $3.50
to be earned, and there her fund re-
manned.
Her allowance was exhausted and
there was nothing to save, and every
means of earning money seemed to be
in use already by some of the 1913.
On certain gray day, when she had
INDUCED herself to the extent of
using cents carfare to go to collect
the pittance that the old-clothes dealer
was to allow her for her old hat and
rubbers, she sat crowded in the sur
face car-so crowded, in fact, that she
could not help but hear the conversa-
ton of two well-overcoated men be-
side her.
"But what are you going to do about
itF' the younger of the two asked.
1--WE done all l could to comply with
the request of the department of
agriculture. had all my fields cult
waited on our summer place, and then
couldn't get men to harvest them.
have had to pay So day for a man
to repair the hotbed frames, and now
I've had the beds planted to green
vegetables in an effort to do my bit
towards keeping the local market sup
piled with green goods. / can't get
anyone to transplant the seedlings.
Did get man for 30 cents an hour,
but unless some one watched him
every minute he soldiered."
Margaret heard the man sitting with
him suggest that ii was more salts
factory to contract the work. Then IL
didn't matter if the men did soldier.
But if there aren't any men to do
the work. what am to dor
Margaret had only a vague idea of
what hotbed looked liketbut some
how the task sounded easy. She sat
quietly beside the young man in the
warm overcoat and allowed herself To
be carried beyond the street where she
would have got of to return TO the
dormitory. For several miles more she
rode, until in dreary country lane on
the outskirts of the city the man sig.
nailed for the car 10 stop. He alighted.
and Margaret aiighted, too He turned
TO walk up the lane, and Margaret
with face ayerted, followed him at a
distance. He went into the front door
of rambling, spacious and well-kept-