The Republican journal., 1922-02-09
The Wonderful
Oregon Roses
BY LAURA MONTGOMERY

hi'it. IllEu SCllOOl Is eHouSn Iof any
girl. What good will your education
do you when you are married?" de-
manded Mayme as she settled her hat
well over the right eye; "better spend
that money for some dolly clothes.
You'll never get you a sweetie going
about In that suit You might he
your own grandmother for all the
style you have"
Lofty went on soberIy with her
work. Mayme had taken advantage
of her employers absence to stop work
ten minutes before twelve; she al
ways went in and powdered well be-
fore the noon hour so that the instant
the big hands pointed to twelve she
would be ready to shrug into her tight
little coat and vanish. 81 shall be
able to earn more when I have taken
that business course" Lofty replied
"Your mother works, too. doesn't
she?" asked Mayme, who took a frank
interest in Lotty's affairs, $50 you
don't have to earn for two"
"Yes. but mother doesn't like Chi
cago very we'll You see, our friends
are all out West; we lived near Port
land in Oregon and she would be glad
to go back there. If / could earn a
good salary for year or two, we could
save enough between us to go back
and take the risk of being out of work
for a month or So What | would like
to do would be to get a small house
md toIrn ttt-o hnp
with what could earn we would have
enough so mother would not have to
go out every day"
Mayme applied her lipstick care
fully before answering: you sure
talk like an old lady. Don't you ex-
your life?'
Lofty flushed and remained silent.
She knew that she would not marry
now. She had had her dreams and
they had dissolved into the mists of
the past The man she loved lived
In Oregon and they had gone together
since childhood. She had never known
what had come between them, but
he had stopped writing. That some
one had made trouble, she guessed,
but she could do nothing to bridge
over the silence that had sickened her
world for her.
Tom had, quite evidently, tired of
the sensible plain-faced girl. who had
no spectacular accomplishments. Lofty
was just a nice. average girl, with an
immense capacity for love and for
making her loved ones comfortable,
but as for dressing to catch the row
ing eye of pampered young men, such
thought had never been entertained
by her and she turned deaf ear to
the advice Mayme lavished upon her
Mayme was big, good-natured girl
who frankly wished to marry and who
was willing to drag Lofty after hel
I'm the pursuit of compliant meal
ticket. Mayme intended. in vague
inchoate way, to be a good wife, but
her methods, in Lottys eyes, were
very crude. Lofty lived in a world OF
dreams. where the man who loved her
sought her
Lofty. | am afraid you will have
too much work if YOU take up that
course" said Mrs Skitch. as her
daughter prepared their little meal
Mrs. Sllitch was a frail. darkeyed
woman, who had had many troubles
but who had preserved a cheerful spir-
it In spite of these.
NO" Lofty smiled at her across
the tiny room. Il shall enjoy the
nv. H.
much and we are going to have just
bite downtown those nights and
then I'm going to take you over to the
public library, where you can read the
new magazines until Pm through. Then
you won't have lonely evening at
home"
The night of the first lesson chanced
to be rainy. Lofty established her
mother in the reading room and then
sloshed down through the mud and
rain to her class She had had hard
day and her wet feet did not add to
her comfort. The crowds jostled her
and the glaring street lights only
served to intensity her loneliness. II
did seem as though there ought to be
some place for her. All she craved
was tiny home with warmth and
privacy.
The crowded house where they
rented ight-housekeeping rooms was
never still. The married couple in the
rooms next them wranged far into the
night. The musical student above
practiced feverishly when she was not
cooking food with strange foreign
odors. A florists display reminded her
of the wonderful roses in Oregon
even if get through in six months, y
she reflected. reeling as hurryine
man almost knocked her off her feet
"it will be at least a year after that
before we'll have enough to pay our
expenses back home.
IF mother could putter about a
garden and see her old friends she
would get stronger. She isn't able
to hang to a strap night and morning
| wonder why Tom stopped writing sc
shortly after father died heref This
thought was always in her mind.
Rather shyly she entered the class
room. The pupils were mostly mer
and women who were trying to study
themselves into better positions. Peo
ple who came to class after day OF
hard work and who had scant strength
for mental expansion. only the CLEAN
g a,,bit;on tbot copSfantlV urppf