Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-27
THE GIRL WHO
IL. SMILED THROUGH
BY Marion Rubieam.
Copyrisht George Matthew Adams.
WORK AND SMILES.

MONh AMI SNiLrsS.
Chap er XCIV.
The hardest thing in the world is to
wait.
This was new experience to Alice
this waiting and hoping that she would
hear from David. Before she had felt
perfectly hopeless about her future. 1t
had stretched ahead, long and monoto-
nous, a routine of work, petty econom-
les, futile sacrifices. II was against this
desperate condition that she had rebelled
when she decided finally to take from the
small hoard of money that her mother
had, and go to the city to learn-ln order
To earn and pay back again what she
had taken.
Certainly things were much better
now than they had been before, she
thought. But her face did not reflect
any great cheerfulness, for when her
mother came into the room one alter.
noon, soon after Clara had returned
to her home. it was to find Alice star
ing through the window moodily.
''Bad as all that7'' Mrs. Fairbanks
asked smilingly, going up. to the girl
and putting her hand on her shoulder
Alice turned with her quick smile,
1 and put her hand over her mothers:
I'm growing quite dreadful, mother,
abe answered apologetioally. I've been
sitting here thinking how gloomy things
are, and really il | only had sense enough
to count them up, I'd find had lots more
blessings than troubles.
Its usually that way Mrs. Falr-
banks answered optimsticaily. "Only
I've noticed that the worst thing that
can he said TO 9 person that's feeling
gloomy is TO remind them OF their bless
ings.'
At,n, Ia,,olaJ little
Things are much better, she SAID.
"Just think, two years ago, or three
wears ago, VIC were poorer than we are
today, and I've been sitting here think,
ing how dreadfully poor we are now
7'You're making s15 week doing
work YOU like to do" Mrs. Fairbanks
answered. And old Mr. Marlowe in
vested my money so We get moro interest
from il than we did. Those things moro
than make up for the fact that things
cost So much more"
Three years ago you were hardly
able to walk from this room TO the kitch-
en- Alice answered. "And YOU never
could do your own hair without getting
dizzy from the effort
And YOU did all the homework, and
took care of me, and looked after the
chickens and sold eggs and did lots of
table garden in the neighborhood.
Mrs. Fairbanks recounted all Of Alice $
industries with an air of pride.
Dear me, | did work hard, Alice
sighed little, thinking of the never
ending tasks that made up her old routine.
And used to be so tired ] couldn t
read in the evenings, when ! wanted to
so much. Besides. there was mending.
and trying to make over old clothes. and
dveing faded dresses and darning stock
ings that were more darns than stock
ings-' she broke off. looking through
the window where Berenice was playing
IN the yard.
Three years ago had not even David
to think about. she said suddenly
Sometimes I've been glad loved him SO
much, even If he di d marry the other girl
You remember that line In the old poem
I've read IL somewhere. | forget where
about it bel ng better 10 have loved and
lost than 10 have never loved at all?'
Nln. Fairba nks nodded
''Of course" she said We all hoped
IL would be Lawrence that YOU would
really care for. His affection was so earnest,
and he is 5 tch a fine young man, the
old lady sighed regretfully.
Still" she went on more cheerfully,
''you can't force young love. | want
you TO be happy; you always managed
TO be so cheerful even in the old days
when we were so much worse off. Do YOU
think you'll hear from David?'
How can / tell?" Alice answered,
moody at once. I've been wondering
about that Oh, there's Berenice with
her sweater of againi' She jumped up,
all action at once. Anyway, mother,
three wears ago | never thought fate would
come along in the shape of a pair Of wander
ing gypsies and leave me an adorable baby
TO adopt. Did you ever see child blossom
like Berenicc after we took her IMP
She slipped into an old coat, and left
the house. Mrs. Fairbanks watched her,
as she gently scolded the little girl for
taking off her swea ter, and as she bundled
her up in it again. Then, hand in hand,
the two of them started back towards the
garden.
Berenice was talking about the small
est brown hen. and was insisting on having
s garden Of her own TO take care of.
Presently the woman and the child were
st work, Berenice in "a little plot of her
own, which she dug at occasionally with
a set of toy garden tools Alice was busily
hoeing trenches for seeds. After a few
minutes Mrs. Fairbanks saw her smile at
some remarks of the baby's and after
that she smiled as she worked.
Tomorrow-A Budding Romance.