The Press., 1922-12-21
All Prevents a
 Tragedy By MARTHA. M. WILLIAMS
e@ by Mcclure Newspaper syndioate.1

There must, after all, be something
 in aaman's name. Else why should
 the excellent Miss Josefa Gusset wrest
 a living from fate at the point of the
 needle, shears helping, of course
 This was magnanlD0us, If that quail
 ity can be predicated of things mani
 mate, since gussets came to the help
 of garment Shapings in the older times
 when shears were scarce and costly
 possessions. Neck gussets. sleeve and
 tail gnssets gave rises and stretches
 where plain fabric would have quick
 ly torn, to say nothing of binding un-
 comfortably. Gussets, too, made for
 economy no small consideration
 where every ell of woven fabric came
 from the handloom by help of the
 spinning wheel.
 Miss Josefa never thought of such
 thlngs-she took life and living on the
 surface-her name included. Not
 strange considering that she knew
 precious little of gussets actual-in-
 stead she was in bondage to patterns
 tissue paper preferred, with holes
 and notches so plain you could hardly
 go wrong, unless you had been born
 With a genius for mistakes. Alice
 Lucy Lee, whose home name was All,
 derived from her initials, had that
 genius to an extent that was heroic.
 Aunt Josefa said often if there were
 twenty ways of doing thing wrong,
 All would try every one of them, but never blunder on the right one.
 In truth All, with her child hands, her little dancing feet, her long-lashed violet eyes and curls of true sun-gold, somehow did not fit into a wOrkaday' world. That was her shield, her sal vation-if she had looked even half way capable, yet done the things she did, even family pride, plus somewhat of affection. would have broken under the strain. The most that could be said for her hand sewing was that it would never, no never, rip, albeit the stitches were never in line, and no two of exactly the same length.
 She surely tried hard to follow pat terms. If instead she had been free to follow fancy, there might have been another story, but hardly one with happier ending. This came to pass through a strenuous ordering of chance. Miss Josefa, witness to an important will, was summoned to testify in contest over it, when she had said she couldn't leave home for anything short of Judgment day.
 A fortnight of rushing, due to the big garden party at Judge Leslle's, ought to have been over, but was not. through delay in getting the trimming came only the day before. By sitting up past midnight Miss Josefa got it on-it remained then only to set in the sleeves, pick out hastings, fold and send the Hateful garment All promised almost tearfully to do that. G4bbins, the caterer, was to call for the package around ten o'clock. And she was so keen to keep her promise she hardly drew breath until she had the splendid creation smoothed, fold ed, tissue-wrapped, boxed and labeled.
 She had done her work almost lov- ingly; she loved the stuff, the finest silky crepe, perfwinkle blue in color, touched here and there with cream, white and gold. Only, she had sighed, as shears sIashed and mangled 1t, she would have so loved to drape its soft ness about Madame Leslie's Juno pro- portions. That was her cherished day dream-one she hid as mortal sim one day to work her will on stuffs of the sOftest, rich-colored or faint, and turn them not into costumes but ere atipns. Inarticulately she felt her gift of finger tips-luczily unsuspected by kind Aunty Joe. When the cater er's car had gone roaring on it's way All sighed deeply between regret and relief.
 Then she ate something between breakfast and a luncheon, tidiede things beautifully, lay down for five minutes, she told herself, relaxing ut terly. and went sound asleep, quite regardless Of wide-open front door. The sleep of weary, healthy youth Is heavy. What wonder insistent phone calls did not arouse her? But reused she was, urgently. by a masculine voice shouting from the front porch, T say, are you dead inside there? I'm coming In to find out unless you answer"
 She sprang to her feet. the model and pattern of blushing confusion, to face young Ned Leslie. who stood inside the door wearing a puzzled frOwn. I've come for you" he said Don't stop so find a hat; every second counts now. See the time? Three o'clock past-the mater in a near faint, and all because she can't get in her new gown Won't wear anything else; you've got to come and fix 1t. No matter how it happened-just come-cnme running"
 All found herself nusried into his runabout and sat there, her heart beating like a trip hammer. What had she done? What could she do? She had certainly followed those dreadful patterns-they said put l notches to notches-she had done that ! to the best of her eyesight. She dared not think of Aunt Joe-at the back of her timid mind there was vision { of herself homeless, ragged, starving Madame Leslie was head of every. i thing in Millvale. To have mortaIIy . her was next thing to mur, i der But when consciousness reached this dreary point the runabout l reached the side entrance to the Les ] lie mansion. In another minute All was half led, half carried up into ! pig. airy room, where madame herself at in a peignoir, tapping her sIippered eet furiously and scowling at some hing of periwinkle blue huddled on
 chair beside her.
 "What ails you? Here I've been alling an hour! Were you out? But 10 matter; see what can be done with his botch, If anythlng!" she said Jelly IS the hall clock began booming the lour-four. All snatched up the blue hing, spread 1t out, gave a little methered cry, "The sleeves; H. nI1St h0vo Snf fhnno 1n f1ncido doxv,vo SS |