The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-13
EOening Story
All.


BY NJ M'CULLOCH-wILL
There must. after all. something
in a mans name. Else why should the
excellent Miss Josefa Gusset wrest a
living-room fate at the point of the
needle, shears helping of course?
This was magnanimous, If that quality
can be predicated of things inanimate.
since gussets came to the help of
garment shapings in the elder times
when shears were scarce and costly,
possessions. Neck gussets, sleeve and
tail gussets gave rises and stretches
where plain fabric would have quickly
torn, to say nothing of binding uncom-
fortably. Gussets, too, made for econ
omy-no small consideration where
every ell of woven fabric came from
the hand-loom by help of the spinning
wheel.
Miss Josefa never thought of such
things-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, de-
rived from her initials. had that genius
to an extent that was heroic. Aunt
ways of doing a 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 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 some
what 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. II instead sho had been free
to follow fancy, there might have been
another story. but hardly one with a
happier ending. This came to pass
through a strenuous ordering of
chance. Miss NJesefa, witness to an
important will, was SUMMONED to tes-
sad she couldn't leave home for any
thing short of Judgment day. A fort
night of rushing. due to the big gar
den party at Judge Leslie's, ought to
have been over, but was not, thru
delay in getting the trimming for
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 fateful garment. Nall prom
ised almost tearfully to do that. Cub
bins. the caterer, was to call for the
package around 1 o'clock. And she
was so keen to keep her promise she
hardly drew breath until she had the
splendid creation smoothed, folded,
boxed and labeled.
She had done her work almost low
ir1e - hA> trTff HA
silky crepe. periwinkle blue in color,
touched here and there with cream
white and geld. Only, she had sighed.
as shears siasned and mangled it, she
would have SO loved to drape its
softness about Madame Leslie's Juno
proportions. That was her cherished
dax-drsant--one she hid as mortal sin
one DAY to work her will on stuffs
of the softest. rich colored or faint.
and turn them not into costumes but
creations Inarticularly she felt her
gift Of finger tirs--luc11ily unsus-
peeted by kind Aunt Joe. When the
car had gone roaring on its
way All sighed deeply between regret
and reliet.
Then she ate somathing between a
things beautifully, lay down for five
minutes, she told herself, relaxing ut
terly, and went sound asleep, quite re.
gardless 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.
81 say, are you dead inside there?
I'm coming in to find out unless you
answer
She sprang to her feet, the moral
and pattern of FLUSHING confusion, to
face young Ned Leslie. who stood in
side the door wearing a puzzled frown.
1--we come for you" he said -uneere-
moniously. Don't stop to find a hat;
every second counts now. See the
time? Three o'clock past-the mater
can't get in her new gown. Won't
wear anything else; you've got to come
and fix it. No matter how it hap
pened-just come-come running"
All found herself hustled into his
runabout and sat there, her heart
had she done? What could she do?
She had certainly followed those
dreadful patterns-they said put
notches to notches-she had done
that to the best of her eyesight.y She
dared not think of Aunt Joe-At the
back of her mind there was a vision
of herself homeless, ragged, starving.
Madame Leslie was head of every
thing in Millvale. To have MORALLY
offended her was next thing to muir
der But when consciousness reached
this dreary point the runabout reached
the side entrance of the Leslie man.
sion. In another minute ALI was half
led, half carried up into a big, airy
room where madame herself sat in
a peignoir, tapping her slippered feet
furiously. and scowling at something
of periwinkled blue huddled on chair
beside her.
what aiIs you Here I've been call
ing an hour Were YOU out? But no
matter; see what can be done with
this botch, if anything!" she said icily
as the hall clock began booming the
hour-4. All snatched up the blue
thing, spread it out, gave a little
smothered cry, THE sleeves IL
must have set them in upside down"
"You can't take them out, No
time" madame flung back. All shook
her head. Desperately she seized the
shears lying handy and with two