The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-05-12
A Grub Worm and
Butterflies
By A. MARIA CRAWFORD.

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Lodge, a luxuriously furnished place
In the Chilhowee mountains. Jane
knew well enough that she would fit
into the crowd Alma would invite
about as successfully as a square peg
In a round hole, for while Alma had
been finishing her education ut a Sc
lect school for fashionable young
girls Jane had been earning a llveli-
hood for herself and her widowed
mother by the unromantic route of
stenography.
She did not give herself any airs
and call herself Mr.. Mathews private
secretary, although her duties EN-
brnced everything from office boy to
general manager Of the big marble
quarry, of which Mr.. Mathews was
president. The war had hit the mar
Bile Industry n pretty hard blow and
Jane had generously given her youth
full strength, energy and enthusiasm
to keeping down expenses until the
quarry began to pay again. Labor
was high.
A man operating a derrick demand
ed $3.50 per day. and even the water
boy, a half-wltted lad OF thirteen,
drew $3.50. Machinery, long idle, had
rusted and had to be replaced. But
the market had suddenly opened with
a barg and Jane dreamed wonderful
dreams Of helping poor old MIR. Math-
ews get back on his feet In the finan-
cial world. 1t vas a sort of debt of
| gratitude.
Mrs. Mathews had been the very
first person to go TO their aid when
James father had died suddenly,
leaving his widow and daughter only n
modest little home and no means with
which to keep 1t. II had been Mrs.
Mathews who suggested business col
lege and q place later In her husbands
office.
When the invitation to visit her
pretty. frivolous cousin in the noun
tains had come, Mrs. Mathews had
joined with James mother In urging
the girl 10 go.
She had not been In the house more
than six hours before she realized
win itdl puuS vi utull uuilStI liit
she was an outsider and that all the
cousinly tact In the world could not
make her enjoy herself. A grub worm
has nothing In common with a but
teriy. The small talk of the girls
consisted Of clothes, boredom and
gossip. The men frankly made love
to all the girls and were too free.
Jane thought. with their carefully
manicured hands.
Jane never knew how she managed
to get through those first trying days.
She was perfectly miserable and she
tried TO hide 1t. Alma insisted on
lending her exquisite dresses and jew
els, too, but Jane demurred at the
idea of borrowed finery. SO she wore
the simple, inexpensive things and re-
garded herself as a drab-colored
grub worm among brilliantly hued
butterflies.
Saturday morning came and the en-
tire party motored down to the sta
ton to meet several men who had
been lured from business by the hunt
ing Alma's game preserve offered.
When the train pulled in everybody
shrleked over everybody else. Jane
alone remained an outsider. And
then a big jolly fellow, whose brown
hair was already streaked becoming
ly with gray, came up to her, cap In
hand.
"They are too busy to notice that
we do not know each other" he said
smillngly. 81 am Phil Marsden."
He managed TO sit beside her on
the way TO the lodge and for the first
time since her arrival, Jane felt her
self one Of the party. "Alma told me
all about you" he said, "and / have
been keen ever since then TO know
you. ! do admire a girl who can
hold her W against all odds"
Jane felt real relief at that. He
knew then that she did not belong to
that crowd. She YVES not sailing I'M
der false colors. She laughed so heart
lily at one OF his stories later that
Bob Sanders raised his eyebrows and
inquired in his drawing fashion, ooh.
! say, Miss Jane, you're positively
lovely when you laugh. Why haven't
you done 1t beforeT'
Phil asked her to walk around the
lake before luncheon and II was with
a fast beating heart that Jane pre-
pared to dress for her first real en-
gagement there. She had laid out a
little blue serge so sklllfully cinbrold-
cred by her W nlmble fingers that
II looked as II It might be anybody's
expensive model. She was just get
ting into It with rather trembling
hands when the bright sun OF her
happiness was promptly obscured by
the remark Of the sophisticated little
mink who was roomlng with her.
81 knew that Phil would be nice to
you. He's engaged to Alma. you
know, and of course he wants to
make a good impression on his new