Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-14
71heDaayNooelette
Plain Jane
Rx ROSE MEREDITH

'..,ir,. Emma Is a littls witch--but
s c""r Jane with her brilliant hair and
Iii .yes Il hopelessly. plain ~
auT lana knew it, and resented II, but
- her hurt feeling husyed to her
- ~" bosom. II no one cared enough
sSM s,.snt her to unlock the plain portals
sShsr heart and 'soul--so be Il! She
ss = The middle one Of the family Of
~, - motheriess girls, and she was the
&. Ssnsek keeper, the home maker. The
stSefs had careers. Jane couldn't be
Uared for career.
C.lia had q voice. Celia was musical
-sSe had worshipers By the dozen.
lNirail was q high school teacher, and
Tmrna was q trained nurse.
',Jane is q wonderful cook--a per.
fect housekeeper Gala would praise.
"Wonderful!' Abigail would echo. =
"Perfect!' chimed Emma.
l@ lane was happy most Of the time.
int che did long to do thinss-sreat
time1 she thought wistfully she might
h1ve been a writer, II shs had had 4
chance for development. However. she
fdid sell some recipes and carefully
prepared articles on home making to
seue OF the women's magazines, and
her prestige rose In the family.
One winter Celia became engaged to
the minister. Shortly after that Abi.
eellr attracted the attention Of Prof.
kodney, Of nearby college, and
Tmma might have married any ono Of
l6 patients any dayl
q. "Jane would make some man q
splendid wife and housekeeper-sh 10
wonderful Celia would Sigh.
m "Wonderful," Abigail and her pro.
fessor would echo. H.
"Perfect," Smma would add, thus
, placing her laurel wreath on James
Rubbish" Jane would sro.n dis.
Today Jane was in a state OF in.
ward revolt. Celia had telephoned that
lhe would bring the minister home to
dinner; Abigail had sent word that the
professor would be there and would
Jane please have a prune whip for
dessert, and last Of all, Emma called
sp - say. that she was bringing some
:, one with her. :. -.
& "Have the best dinner in the world,
darling" she had cooed. ''You know
bowl" -. -''"
, Jane looked stormy. She wondered
what her father would have said II
I hs had been alive--he would have told
her to be patient; it would come out
oil right in the end
II will cook the dinner" decided
Jane. "and 1t will be a good dinner
then Rebecca can como down and serve
/. it-Iwill run away. I can't stand the
nonotony any longer" All the after
1ocn she labored over the preparation
\ Il the dinner and the arrangement
!. Of the table. When everything was
( ready. only needing Rebecca's skilled
hand in serving the meal, Jane bathed
and dressed herself in green linen,
took 4 small, heavily laden buskct and
the latest book and left the house.
She followed q narrow path through
tne orchard where apple blossoms fell
me snow about her; where robins
were throbbing with the evening song,
DOWN the little wood road that led to
tls edge Of the sandy bluff overlooking
The sound. The wind was cool and
brought odors Of apple blossoms aud
TIE salt SAVIOR Of the sea.
Il feel wicked; but am quite con.
tsnted said Jane as she sat down on
tle edge Of the overhanging cliff, with
s6 possessions in. her lap. She closed
h0 Eyes q moment, but they popped
oo2en at once, for she was i'm motion
ins turf had broken under her weight,
ana she was gently, steadily slidins
: eovn the sand-faced cliff. Many a
time had she done it as q child, soueal.
lng with delight to land among the
and dunes on the shore.
U,mercy! she gasped, as she
salned speed. In a scurry of flying
sand, clutching her basket, book and
sweater to her breast, she toboera ned
o aSwn the slope and ran plump into a
sontsry man who was sitting on the
Anas M staring at the far horizon.
u.,, .,,tracious-child-what do you mean.
.hUs JsuS girl" He picked Jane up and
Sue o0s her little. That's q danger
~ ~ !hins to DO. Once when was a
= ~ a., ! was sliding down that bank and
- c.m. u.''SaEed a great boulder. The thing
tie plsymats.h,ralsah ama ana crushed one Of my lit
Dan Barton-oh, Dannie do ro,
remember that. and how you waited on
ne nand and foot until I was we'll
sMln! Jana was brilliantly aIire
INV her clear, pale skin was flushed
t.e sea shell i; her loosencI hair
.Imsd ..I the exquisite oval of her face.
nsr kreen eyes We're the color OF
~. JADE green dress,
zane Dare! You have grown into
...,.., lie paused breathlessly, as II
i,..cnlns her face for traces of Tho
Ky ISe playmate. HAS any one ever
,1ia YOU" Again he stopncd and
sSne blushed still deeper, Wondc, inc
W., be spoke that way when everH
H. Knew that she was just plain Jane
/. slt down and tell me all the news"
~ ~ urged, and Jane did so, hardly ob]e
h,S Icy ms intense blue gaze. No man
f"s fu sver looked at her in that way be-.
i' out she had seen the minister
Svd,at ~ at Celia, and Abigail's professor.
"f'remy n she felt sorry for them ali.
~ nus! go home and serve dinner"
esss.a'med penitently: and she told
jor.A e 70 whole story while they on.
bssIs. .'ne:innch she had brou ght In the
pisnnG l.. Dan told her how he had
motbe,s,n' 20 speni the summer with his
would hou,, .ne OLD house. and how hc
q" hi, SSvn'nute to and from the city.
hs to,S rn see you often, Jane Dare"
IA. ic nIa aer as they went slowly tn, ouch
So "a .t cld Woodland path TINT wound 81
o., 40 me clif. and the wood road STa sn% ~ ~
ill., where the blossoms dropped
rnSa! bridal veil on "plnin .JsneP.."
room' r' h'; hhair; They came into the dinin,
hat tbs bSnssfully happy and ali nnawsae
at jana ,%ey v,, were so. Everybody stared
the brivhts WIN the sparkling green ewes.
And tIsnt tIsan hair, the rose tinted cbests
Barton '' ,ss saw their old friend, Danny
about thi. "nose mos. coming had brought
muttered ,h say plain Jane again ~
ald de@ no ~. inc minister to his betrotbed