Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-24
THE LITTLE HELP By DRIED E. SWENS0N.
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synliC atv.)

Both glanced up from the fasbioh
 paper she had been peruSing to where
 her morhcr sat sewing. She was nak-
 iIl. a dress for Beth, of cOurse--but
 win all due regard 10 style that
 would last, for their dresses had to
 de them fer long tine, Beth sighed
 Mother" she said, wouldn't you
 be just rickled to pieces to wake up
 some morning and find that you could
 go out and get dress already made ill
 thc latest fashion, without regard to
 whether it would wear well or notE'
 "Y-S. dear" she said, but you know
 that would be impossible now Il
 know it. mother" said Beth. with a
 sigh. but, goodness ne. do hope that
 il won't be like this forever. There,
 mother. forget that I'm a little pig 10
 care about it at all !' But her moth
 CT didn't forget She knew how hard
 il was for her daughter to go without
 the pretty things that she had been
 accustomed To have.
 You see, Mir. Marvin had heard his cOuntry'S call short time before and
 had gone to join the colors, leaving his
 wife and sixteen-Sear-old daughter to get along on the amount he had in the. bank. after many years of saving. It was a small amount, too, but large
 enough to keep his wife and daughter in comparative comfort until he should return, but without the luXuries of life.
 No one knew when the fight for humanity would be ended, and until it was. Mr. Marvin, now Captain Mar win. would stay in France. But the little family he had left were proud of the husband and father who Was
 over the Sea. fighting that they might be free. and didn't really mind con serving a little, that he might have the necessities.
 At the lunche6n table next noon
 Beth outlined proposition. IL
 startled her mother and made her real i2e that her little girl was growing up fast. This was what Beth had sug gested: She was young and strong and they needed girls to do farm wotk for the summer; so why couldn't afe go? May Jones was going to faTf:.. in Stonevlle and she wasn't half 2
 strong as Beth was. etc.; but what , would Mrs. Marvin do with her onlN daughter away from her for the sun mer? Beth had that all thought out, too. Uncle Jim, fathers brother bad
 a farm upstate q ways and would hN sure to hire help for the summer Win. couldn't Beth be one of that "heip }. Mother could go up for a visit. --. Finally Mrs. Marvin decided to give Beth'S plan chance, and wrote the letter to Uncle Jim. Then. q few days later. came an answer. Why, 0t course. they could come. and he would be more than glad to do what he could for his brothers wife and child. So,
 week later, Mrs. Marvin and Beth
 were on their w,-y to the farm. Early i'll the fall they came back home after their long summer in the country---Beth tanned and tired but happy, and Mrs. Marvin satisfied that the summer had been spent to the best advantage: And when she looked into Bath's smiling face. she was; more than glad that she had consented to her plun t0 earn extra money, and she thought how many pretty things that same money would buy for her little girl. .....-
 ! Therefore, she was greatly sur prised, one day a short time later, when she suggested that they go down town and do some shopping. with the money Beth had earned, to have Beth say, "NO, mother, we won't do any shopping, I'm afraid" and then as her mother looked at her in engagement: |: nNo, mother, not now. I-I hope you won't mind, but, well. mother, I've sent all that money to dad! !' Sent 1t
 to dad!!'~- cried Mrs. Marvin. "why,
 how could you, Beth? { The money that meant so much--!' There it's all right, mother" said
 Beth. T just couldn't tell you, you see. I thought maybe you might ob- ject simply because little selfish me thought she wanted pretty things, and so did 1t before you could know any 
 thing about 1t, and have time to stop
 me. You remember that last letter We had from dad, where he spoke of those boys in his company who had no real homes ,or friends? And he said: tod, that they were lonesome over there,' and that if they only had something to cheer them up, a phono- graph, ;perhaps--a cheap one, of
 eotirse-=it might help lot But it seemed almost impossible to raise the lf1dney for 1t. Every one had clipped int: and was looking forward to the time when there would be enough, but
 1awell. you know how long it would take to get enough for that phono- graph. So knew that my little bit would help enough! Oh, 1 do hope 1t did! And you don't mind, do you, mother? You see how 1t wasp Mind? Of course, Mrs. Marvin didn't mind. She simply gathered her little daughter into her arms and kissed her.
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