The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1919-10-02
THE LITTLE HELP
BY MILDRED e. swENsoN.
tCopyright. 1918. by Mcclure Newspaper
syndicate)

her mother sat sewing. She was max
ing a dress for Beth, of course-but
with all due regard to a style that
would last, for their dresses had 10
do them for a long time. Beth signed.
Mother" she said, wouldn't you
be Just tickled to pieces TO wake up
some morning and find that you could
60 out and get a dress already made IN
the latest fashion, without regard TO
whether it would wear well or notr
"Yes. dear" she said, but you know
that would be impossible now" Il
know ii, mother" said Beth, with a
sigh. "but, goodness me, l do hope that
It won't be like this forever! There,
mother, forget that I'm a little pig to
care about it at all J" But her moth
err didn't forget. She knew how hard
1t was for her daughter to go without
the pretty things that she had been
accustomed to have.
You see, Mr.. Marvin had heard his
country's call a short time before and
had gone to join the colors, leaving his
wife and sixteen-year-old daughter to
get along on the amount he had in the
bank, after many years of saving. 1t
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
1t was, Mr.. Marvin. o 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 luncheon table next noon
Beth outlined a proposition. II
startled her mother and made her real
lie that her little girl vas growing up
fast. This was what Beth had sug-
gested: She was young and strong.
and they needed girls to do farm work
for the summer so why couldn't she
go? May Jones was going to a farm
In S~toneville, and she wasn't half as
strong as Beth was, etc; but what
would Mrs. Marvin do with her only
daughter way from her for the sum
mer? Beth had that all thought out.
too. Uncle Jim, fathers brother, had
a farm upstate a ways and would be
sure TO hire help for the summer Why
couldn't Beth be one of that "helpT'
Mother could go up for a visit.
Finally Mrs. Marvin decided to give
Beth's plan a chance, and wrote the
letter to Uncle Jim. Then, a few days
later, came an answer Why, OF
course, they could come, and he would
De more than glad to do what he could
for his brothers wife and child. So.
were on their way to the farm.
Early in 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 Beth's smiling face she was more
than glad that she had consented to
her plan to carr extra money, n 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, mo, mother, we won't do any
shopping, I'm afraid" and then as her
mother looked at her in amaZement:
mo, mother, not now. IL hope you
won't mind, but, well, mother, I've
sent all that money to dad !" !" Sent it
to dad" cried Mrs. Marvin, why.
how could you. Beth? The money
that e so much"
There, it's all right, mother" said
Beth. II just couldn't tell you, you
see. | thought maybe you might OBJ
ject simply because little selfish me
thought she wanted pretty things. and
so did 1t before you could know any
thing about it, 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. too, that they were lonesome
over there and that IL they only had
something to cheer them up, a phono-
graph. perhaps-a cheap one, Of
course-it might help a lot. But 1t
seemed almost impossible to raise the
money for 1t. Every one had Clipped
In and was looking forward to the
time when there would be enough, but
well. you know how long it would
take to get enough for that phonO-
graph. So | knew that my little bit
would help enough! Oh, l do hope II
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.
As for the Bows "oyer there" thay