The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-18
About "Beinq Ready"

.M LITTLE boy asked his mother not A\ so very long ago if all Fairy sto-
 ries" begin with 'Once upon a tine," and the doting mother replied:
 No. dear; many of them being: Oar ling, was detained at the office.'"
 Now. this little story of mine does not begin in either of these ways, but 1t really does sound like a Fairy Story" for when you've heard about the heroine. the girl who "got ready for something beautiful to happen to her when there was yet no possible prospect of anything under the sun really happening except long, steady work facing her until the bit ter end-why, you'll wonder why I didn't begin 1t "Once upon time"
 However, that's neither here nor there. What happened was this:
 She was Just a little working girl. as the world terms the bread winners who practically had no home, no friends, np anybody or anything, and to the cas- ual onlooker she had no justified hope of anything ever being any brighter or bet ter or coming her way
 But inside of the hoping against hope, and planning her sweet little life away. she started straightaway to change what is known In "mediumistic cfrcles' as 'conditions."
 She might have afforded occasionally a piece of cheap finery; she might have gone with her associates now and then on their outings and "frolics," but she came from refined parentage and the cheap amusement halls" and "parks'' and dance halls didn't appeal to her.
 There was one thing, however, that she dearly loved to do, and that was to watch the shop windows"
 She was woman to the very tips of her fingers and loved all the pretty ''gew- gaws' and ribbons and laces and dainty little articles labeled keep your husband at home" (namely, pretty lingerie), which every woman adores.
 Finally. an inspiration dawned upon her one fine morning.
 Why shouldn't she start and save some- thing out of her wages to buy some of these pretty things?
 She could save a few dollars each month and while the thought was still in her brain she conjured up visions of herself arrayed in silken petticoats and siiken hose with pretty little slippers and high-heeled shoes on her dainty feet.
 True. she had no ''boudoir' in which to wear them, but as she didn't mean to wear them fmerely to own thern) that didn't trouble her a bit
 The first thing that she bought was lovely pale blue silk and lace kimona then next. silk stockings and then a pair of pale blue satin mules to cover her pretty feet.
 She walked home to save car fare: she did without lunch; she economized In every possible way, and at last the little. weary-eyed shop girl that she was, &C., quired very pretty little trousseau and waited
 Then the story says that one night she came home with the good news ringing in her ears that her salary had been raised and in her transport she cele- hrated by arraying herself in all the love- ly things she had bought and she got out the pale pink lamp shade that had been laid away for just such an oc- casion and she sat by the table read ing in the dinly lighted hall bedroom the daughter of luxury and ease
 There was sudden alarm of fire and Mrs. Shropshire will be remembered as Mrs. Lucille Stevaus Cohh riaon