Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1921-02-11
DYED
BY NELLIE r. BROWN

Se~>seeeeSseeeeSSesSssSe
&c s2i. BY Mcclure Newspapsr s'nue"t
The rural delivery had inst coue.
There were no letters today; the farb
paper for dad circular FOR pick nd
vertising chick feed. the daily pepper
from the city. and two pag1z.nrS
Mrs Merritt glanced over the head
lines of the news and thea picked NJ
one Of the magazines for peep ut H.
contents 1t was charu.U-N illus
trated, hut after Il moment or two
Mrs Merritt flung it down with some
thing like snort of disgust
I'D like for once to read sumo
thing real good and homelikc" she
Cxclaimed.s y body would th,n',, from
all the magazines nowadays. that
everyone lived in New York city or
on a Western ranch. Why don't they
ever write stories about real people.
people that live in New Eusland like
Us, for instance, Or"
Because" flashed Lucille stormily,
not waiting for her mother to finish
because nothing ever happens in this
dead-and-alive town We wash on
Monday and iron Tuesday and go to
the Ladies Aid once a month WedneS-
day, and We boil sap in spring and
pick berries in summer and make
pickles in the fall---"
Mercy! What blue streak YOU
are i'm expostuluted her mother
good naturedly. And with "A party at
Rose Wider's this very night"
That's just it!' walled Lucille 81
haven't "A thing to wear, and there'H
be all the summer folks
"YOur green batiste Is pretty" said
her mother.
THAT" cried Lucille. i've had 1t
three years, and everyone knows it
was white with a pink figure once,
and that | boiled 1t out and dyed 1t
green. And those soap-dyes fade So
everyone knows when 1t has been
freshly washed and dyed again I
couldn't find any green only in a new
kind the last time l went to the city,
and this kind has to be boiled"
Pm sorry" said Mrs Merritt. "but
what can't be cured must be endured
You know we decided this summer
that we'd go without everything we
could to buy the washing machine
Go get your dress and do the best
you can with 1t. I'm sorry haven't
had time to fix your white dress, but
that's torn pretty bad"
Mrs. Merritts philosophy was al
ways to make the best of things. and
Lucille tried to make it hers as she
brought down her seersucker batiste.
ripped off the wide white collar and
cuffs, and surveyed rather scornfuly
Its faded green folds.
The mixing of the dye was rather
messy but at length 1t was ready,
and Lucille dropped the dress in.
damp from washing. The directions
said, "stlr constantly" but who ever
follows dyeing rules explicitly?
Besides, Lucille had the dishes to
wash, so cOntented herself with a poke
now and then with her wooden dye
sticks.
But alas, the dishes done, she lifted
out the dress and found it notified
with all shades Of green from light
yellow-green to deep olive
"Oh. for PHYS sake" CALCULATED the
girl. "It'S ruined now. And at least
1t was whole, and I could have got
lots more wear out of it,"
Merritt called upon to comfort. con
sole and counsel Put it in strong
soapsudS and boil it out white and
start again"
But Lucille was discouraged She
shook her head, bit her lip to hold
back the lump in her throat, and hur-
ried off toward the barn
Poor child" murmured her mother
sympathetically. And splash, went the
Kettle of green dye down the sink
spout, hiss went stream of hot wa
ter into tin tub, Slivers of strong vel
low soap followed, and pop went the
dress again, into soap bath this time.
When Lucille came back from her
HlGn
and her eyes bright but they shone
brighter yet as Mrs Merritt lifted from
the hot suds the wet, clinging folds
OF dainty blue gown-the soft dull
blue of old rugs and tapestries.
why, mother, how did You do it?"
cried Lucille, and Did you ever!"
burst from Mrs. Merritt.
why it's a real pastel shade" ex-
ulted Lucille, who had caught the
light through single thickness, which.
as everyone knows, shows the shade
the goods will be when dry.
Take it out, quick, before it turns
anything else"
1T will be lovely"
NO one would ever guess"
"With my lace fichu-"
And some flowers"
japanese honeySuckle-"
you've got blue feather Just that
shade"
"i'll retrlm my white hat-"