The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-30
Rurn's PROPHECY COMES TRUE

RUTH's PROPHECY COMES TRUE
1t was odd what comfort Edith de-
rived from things the little dressmaker
said. Ruth Alison was only twenty
four, Edith Ferrol was ten years older.
Yet 1t was Ruth who talked. and Edith
who listened to her homely philosophy.
Its because I've always worked for
living" Ruth laughed, when Edith
one day asked her how she came to
have thought out so many satisfying
answers to things" 1.-THE girl who
marries young has her lifework
mapped out for her She takes things
for granted. But the girl who struggles
almost from her childhood with big
responsibilities finds herself perplexed.
She wonders why things happen as
they do-why she has nothing but
work and loneliness and others have
SO much that is golden BY and by
she digs out reasons. And she COM
forts herself with the belief that all
things have their compensations and
some day the light will come into her
life, too, and the struggles will be
forgotten"
I've had struggles, too,' said Edith.
Marriage doesn't mean pure golden
happiness"
"Of course not" said Edith briskly,
but it brings you more quickly to
the things in life that are worth while.
When you are married you at least
have a definite aim. You have some
one to do for, to build for, to improve
your character for. And perhaps you
have children. Children alone" and
Ruth lifted her eyes from her work,
and looked off into space, as she had
way of doing when very earnest.
"can make woman's life worth liv-
ing. They are absolutely the greatest
possibilities! They're sheer raw ma
terial, to do with as you like; aren't
they? It's only when mothers have
finished molding and educating and de-
veloping their children that they look
round for some cause to work for;
something where their experience and
understanding can be used to help the
world along" 4
After little Miss Alison had put her
scissors and work apron and all the
tools of her sewing trade away In her
satchel and taken her leave for the
day. Edith Ferrol sat long time
thinking.
She began fully to realize how much
she wanted to do for people and what
a blessed opportunity she now had to
do it. For the Heater Company was
buzzing along merrily, and every few
weeks John come home waving slip
Of lavender-tinted paper before her
eyes, which he explained was "divi
dend check"
Ned Flowerton was one of the peo-
pie Edith wanted to do something for.
Ned had been away. Edith asked no
questions beyond the fact that he was
going to ranch in Texas for few
weeks where he could live in the open
and 'let out yowl once in a while
if he felt like it," Edith knew he did
feel like it. For while Fay Summers
had been about as light" a sweetheart
as could be imagined, still Ned had
cared for her in his fashion. While his
fashion was not the deep, tempestuous
Observation-Disclosures sort (and preci-
Gus few loves are), Ned was far from
philanderer and his vanity. if not
his soberest feelings, has been badly
hurt by Fay.
He was coming back soon, and Edith
had spent many joyous days selecting
furnishings for his room, insisting that
he must live with them for a while at
least.
II shall use the plain striped chintz,"
she decided suddenly. "I'll choose
blue and cream-men always like blue.
It'll go perfectly with the fumed oak
furniture. Floral designs would be
too feminine. And I'll get two or three
substantial fat chairs. And there must
be nothing in the room that will tip
over easily I~shall leave plenty of |
space, wall space and floor space. Men !
hate clutter"
II occurred to Edith all OF sudden |
that these ideas for her brother had |
actually come from little Ruth Allison
They had talked of Ned, and Ruth had |