The Winslow mail., 1919-01-17

Wnen the letter that Clara had been
waiting for for days arrived she wae
SO excited she could not open iG for
fully five minutes. Eut when she did
open it and read the curt official let
ter inclosed, she almost cried with
disappointment. Her application for
overseas service had been duly re-
ceived, filed, ETC., and she would be
notified if she was appointed for over
seas service She wouldn't be ap-
pointed, she felt sure. There was
nothing for it but to settle down TO
taking cases" like the other gradU-
ates, and console her patriotic spirit
by spending all her spare time at Red
Cross work.
The rummage sale was Clara's idea,
and the other workers fell in line with
1t and sat in to make it a success.
Before the opening of the doors on
Saturday there was a lineup of pros
pective customers, and when Clara
opened up it was necessary to keep
part of the crowd outside until those
that got in were waited upon and
started on their way. One old woman
bought enough clothes to last her the
rest of her life and would have kept
on buying if there had been anything
left to fit her.
"pve wanted to be dressed up like
q wealthy woman all my life and this
is my chance" she confded to Clara,
who did most of the waiting on her,
"NoW, if you only had some high
heeled pumps that you would sell
cheap, | think | would buy them"
Here's some here" Clara rooted
them from among big pile of shoes,
"They are dancing pumps; size three"
The old lady gave grunt of disap,
pointment. 81 wear nines," she sighed.
Cant you find some nines?"
Il am afraid not" Clara said with
out trace of the laugh she was try
ing to keep back in her voice.
Business kept up all day, keeping
Clara from lunch AS evening came
on the rush subsidized little, but there
were still stacks of clothes left. BY
nine o'clock the piles had diminished
considerably, but it looked as if there
would still be some fine things left un-
sold. 9TH have an auction" Clara
declared. ''I'll be one auctioneer, but
we need two to get it done properly"
Miss TOOhey's brother, Doctor Too
hey, has just come in. He will help,
! am sure" one of the ladies suggest
ed. Doctor Toohey was secured and
introduced to clara, but she merely
gave him glance as she gave him his
instructions.
"You sell everything on that side OF
the room and I'll sell everything over
here" she told him.
"Ill do my best" he assured her, as
he slipped his overcoat off and put 1t
down on a table that had been
cleared of. clothes.
Then the auction began. Clara never
did anything by halves and the way
she sold the remaining things would
have done justice to a market crier.
Just as Clara was attempting to
alight from the table she caught sight
of mans overcoat on a table, and
she motioned to one of the people to
pass it up to her.
overcoat," she called out. Sur
lined, in wonderful orderl The gen.
tleman who donated this was too stout
to wear it. just the thing for this
cold weather! How much for this
coat? How much?"
AS she held it up for view the ex-
cellence of it did not escape the men.
than there had been for anything pre-
viously sold. When it was finally
knocked down for $12, Clara hated to
give it up. It's beauty" she re-
marked regretfully as the purchaser
claimed It,
After the customers had departed,
Clara sank down in chair, exhausted.
"We have had a record day." she
heard the ladies say, but she was too
tired to answer.
"Where is my overcoat?" Clara
looked up to see Doctor Toohey
searching aimlessly about.
"What was it like?" she asked in
panic.
"It was fur lined and had a fur
collar" he answered.
'Horrors! she shrieked, II sold It,"
"Sold it?" everyone echoed.
Eyes; l mistook it for one of the
donations. 1t was the last thing sold
and I got twelve dollars for It."
ut cost three hundred" Doctor Too
hey exclaimed. That was too much
for Clara. She promptly tainted.
When she recovered, Doctor Toohey
was leaning over her. "There, you
feel BETTER" he said. Don't feel dis
tressed about my coat. l won't need
1t anyway. l have charge of Red
Cross party that is leaving for France
next week"
I'D love to go with YOU" Clara cried
excitCdly. "I'm trained nurse and
have my application in. Could you
arrange it, doctor?"