The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-03-08
Chapter s.
4. NO CHANCE.
No chance

NO chance!
That was the thought which kept
running through Ruth's head all the
way home from the station. No
chance! She had no chance to make
good. to show the world-the world
being her family-what she could do.
1t made her silent at the dinner ia
BILE. but Mrs. O'Neil felt that Ruth was
depressed over Myra's absence, so said
nothing. And Mr.. O'Neil had his meal
served to him in his room.
The only mark of sympathy that her
mother showed directly was to insist
on carrying Mr.. O'Neil's tray UP to
him.
You look tired, and I haven't been
doing much today" she said, and went
out of the room with the laden tray.
And Ruth sat, staring into space.
Vaguely. she saw the big dining room,
filled with great pieces of dark wal
nut furniture, with sideboard cover
ed with carved designs and Boosting
three or four mirrors. Lace doilies
covered it's marble tops and the mum.
erous shelves that ran up the sides,
and on each dolly reposed a piece of
gilt-and-color china, or some fancy
piece Of silver.
The dining table was built in an
age when hospitality was more lavish
or when families were more numerous.
1t could be made to seat 80, and at
its smallest, held eight. But the table
cloths required to cover such an ex-
panse of wood were far too costly for
the O'Neils to afford-and too hard to
launder as well. So Mrs. O'Neil set
the table for the three at one end of
a-I 1.r,f Il
these were made from her big table
the worn parts cut away.
So Ruth sat and stared. Her dish
of apple sauce-the cheapest dessert
to have-was untouched. Her eyes
were centered somewhere beyond the
edge of white cloth, on the polished
dark surface of the bare wood.
What could she do? What was
there for her in Marketown?
She went over each possibility Of
work, wondered how much a week
she could make in cash, and what the
future was. None of them seemed
very attractive.
Whereas, is she were in the city
there was a business school-several,
in fact, where the secret of success
was taught Surly it could not be
much to learn. And if she won the
prize for quickness and scholarship
at school. she could have no difficulty
picking up this. If her mind COM
pretended dead Latin certainly it
would grasp the living language OF
pothooks. that stenographers made sc
easily. If she could top the class in
algebra, certainly book keeping would
offer no trouble.
Ii srf-
get nowhere
Her mother came back, the tray
laden with half-emptied dishes.
Your father hasn't much appetite
the remarked, casually, going on to
the kitchen. Ruth followed her large
figure with her eyes.
OF course there was that-to marry
raise a family and grow stout. But
to do that in poverty-and all because
she lacked few hundred dollars to
give her the needed training.
No chance!
Mechanically she got up, and gather
ed the dishes from the table. Mechan
ically she dried the cups and plates
stacking them neatly, then loading a
trap, so as to make one trip of them
to the dining room cupboard. Ruth
has been taught efficiency as far as
housekeeping went.
do you want to go and sit with
your father for awhile?" Mrs. ONeil
asked, rinsing the dish towels out in
hot water, as she finished her work
'All right, in a minute"
It was the least enthusiastic re-
Spouse she had ever given to such a
suggestion. Usually the times when
her father was too ill to leave his
room were periods of delight to Ruth
For alone with him, without the intrus-