The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-12-08
THE
BOLTON GIRLS
PROPOSITION
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE
iIiIlIIIIIIIIIIlilIllIIlIlIlIIIIIIIIIIIIlIII
Copyright, 1919, by the Macmillan Co.

wv to accept a position" with oul
paper, 1t was all over between
us. After that we knew that she was
at least highly improbable If not en-
tirely impossible. But then we might
have expected as much from a girl who
called herself Maybelle. There Is
how ever, this much to be said In May.
bellies favor: she was persistent. She
did not let go till 1t Numbered We
could have stood 1t well enough If she
had limited her campaign for job on
the paper to an occasional call at the
office. But she had a f1endish instinct
which told her who were the friends
we liked most to oblige: the banker,
for instance, who carried our over
drafts, the leading advertiser, the
chairman of the printing committee Of
the town council-and she found ways
to make them ask If we couldn't do
something for Miss Bolton. She could
teach school; indeed, she had a place
In the academy. But she loathed
school-teaching. She had always felt
that, If she could once get a start, she
could make name for herself.
She had written something that she
called "a Critique on Hamlet" which
she submitted to us, and was deeply
panied when we told her that we didn't
care for editorial matter; that what
our paper needed was the names of
the people in our own country town
and county, printed as many times
day or week or q month as they
could be put into type. We tried to
tell her that more important to us than
the influence of the Celtic element on
our national life and literature was
the fact that John Jones of Lebo-
that Is to say, red John, as distin-
guished from black John-or Jones the
timer, or Jones of the Postum Holler
settlement was in town with a load of
hay. "Other papers," we explained
carefully, while she looked as sympa-
thetic and intelligent as a collie, "othAr
papers might be interested in the
radio-activity of uranium X; they
might care to print articles on the
to which she snapped eager agreement
with her eyes-"others, with entire
propriety, might be interested in inor-
ganic evolution"-and she cheeped
yes, yes" with feverish intensity
"but in our little local paper we cared
only for the person who could tell our
readers with the most delicacy and
precision how many spoons Mrs.
Worthington had to borrow for her
party, who had the largest number Of
fnger-bowls in town, what Mrs. Conk-
lin paid for the broilers she served at
her party last February, and the name
of the country woman who raised
them, and why 1t was that all the
women failed to make Jennie's recipe
for sunshine cake work when they
tried it," Such are the things that
interest our people, and he, she or 1t
who can turn in two or three columns
a day of items setting forth these
things In g0od-natured way, so that
the persons mentioned will only grin
and wonder who told 1t, is good for ten
dollars Of our money every Saturday
night.
Maybelle thought 1t was snch inter-
esting work, and her eyes fioated in
tears Of happiness at the thought of
such Joy. If she could only have a
chancel It would be just lovely
simply grand, and she knew she could
do it Something In her innermost
soul thrilled with a naturalization
that made her culver with anticipation. |
she went out and came
back in three days with FIVE sheets of |
foolscap on which she had written an |
article beginning: "When Memory |
draws aside the curtains Of her magic |
chamber, revealing the pictures medi-
tation paints, and we see through the
of our dreams the sweet vale
Of yesterday, lying outside and be-
yond when stern Ambition, with re-
entless hand, turns us away from all
this to ride in the sOmber chariot of
Duty-then II Is that enhancing
Memory's fire and sip our tea with
Maiden meditation" What it was all
about no one ever found out but the
Young Prince at the local desk who
'ead it clear through said that some
lines he thought that it was a report
If fire and at other times it seemed
Ike a dress-goods catalogue. 1t would
lave made four columns. AS he put
he roll back in the drawer the Young
Prince rose and paced grandly out.
At the front door he stopped and said;
You'll never make anything out of her
she's a hapdholderi When a girl
,egins to get corns on her hands, 1
notice she has mush on the brain !"
But Maybelle returned, and we went
Ill over the same ground again. We
explained that what we wanted was
hort items-two or three lines each
little references to home doings; some
hing telling who has company, who is
lick, who is putting shingles on the
'arn or an 81" on the house. And she
aid "Oh, yesl" so passionately that
seemed as though she would bark or
tut her front feet on the table. One
cit like taking her jaws In his hands
nd pulling her ears.