Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-09-20

! GfaVely Lett1e refected upon this
/ huge block of solid finance, as yet I'M
negotiated. IF We'll raise dollar"
she stipulated slowly, "honest-to-good~
ness earn it, will you show US how to
have big blowout Christmas-lots of
presents and fxings-and strings OF
things all over the trees-and candles
and big party?"
I'll do that very thing, Lettie,"
promised Mrs. Penield. But"
cts as good as done" shouted Let
tie. "Oh, Penzie, love you harder all
the time" She flew at Mrs. Penfeld,
strangled her for a moment with a
thoroughness that was fortunately
brief, and dashed through the big door
into the driveway, to ventilate her ex
uberance in the open air.
Crink followed. "Say, Lettie," he in
quired anxiously, "how you going to
do it?"
She turned on him disdainfully.
'Iandy patience, Crink, how do you
s'pose known"
well" he returned, in deep disap-
pointment, "you told her sure just as
/ if"
"Golly, won't you never grow up,
Crink? Don't you know you have to
be sure of thing first and then you
go ahead and do it afterward? I'm
doing the sure part now, and pretty
soon I'll think of way Of pulling it
off, Trust mel"
Lettie's enterprise was complicated
by the fact that she was still in the
shadow of debt She owed twenty
cents on the replacing Of Mr.. Wopple's
window. It had been q slow matter
to accumulate the money to pay for
her moment Of impulsive violence, and
never again would she be lacking in re-
spect for pane Of glass. But now to
raise a dollar-no, a dollar and twen-
ty cents-in a week In less timei
There would be endless preparations to
make, and the money would have to be
In hand before the plans could begin.
She could not allow herself more than
three days. 1t was appalling. The
window money had been raised by
long, weary hours of solid labor !:
picking up wood, washing steps, rum
ming errands. The rewards had been
in reverse ratio to the intensity of eff
forts and had ranged from one cent
up to dime per job. The latter had
been the insurmountabIe limit.
It was painfully evident that these
slow methods must be abandoned in
favor of a gigantic financial coup. Let
| 0so&xy go yy.s7
Thad, and withdrew to her favorite va
cant lot for purposes of meditation.
Throwing herself down in the shade
Of a weeping willow, she proceeded to
translate her outburst Of assurance In
to plans for concrete wherewithal.
"By jingoesl'' she said to herself "I
gotta get that money in lump. This
amt no dime-bank stunt It's a race
tween me and Christmas, and I'm
going to get there first" Miss Penleld
leaned over and pummeled the ground
with her fist. "I'm gonta D'you hear?
I'm gonta!"
Having registered her determination
both verbally and physically, she felt
considerably relieved. Lifting her
eyes, she shook off her tenseness and
surveyed the world in a wholly recep-
/ tive mood. A bog was whistling
around the corner. He came in sight,
distributing handbills. Lettie watched
him climb steps, slip a dodger under
the door, run down again, climb other
steps.
Her gaze ceased to follow the boy.
became fixed, dreamy. Her body was
motionless "By George!" she MUIR
INJURED. SIN getting an idea. can
most see it"
! It developed that this particular idea
was not to be captured in the space Of
ten seconds, but Lettie stayed by with
incredible patience. Finally the mental
visioning was clarified. She sprang to
her feet, wild with excitement and
hope and dashed off"several blocks, to
one Of her hunting-grounds, the free
edge of lumber yard Here she rum
mayed until she had collected a num-
Der Of long, light pieces Of wood,
which, she bound together with an old
wire and dragged home.
The afternoon and all of the follow
ing day were spent by Lettie in the
most secluded corner Of the Penf1eld
back yard, and no king in his castle
was ever more unapproachable Crink
and Thad were left in no doubt re-
garding her desire for isolation. The
beloved FIJI Caesar was Tended off
with an active GOODNESS that wounded
his affectionate nature. Bonnie Ger
aldine limped about the yard without
exciting even the fleeing compassion
of her mistress
Mrs. Penfeld, glancing from the
window occasionally at the small fig
ure busily working with Ratchet and
nails, sticks and old wire, was moved
to pity over the disappointment which
tshe feared was in store. It was evil
3 dent that the child's whole being was
set on success and that she was risk
ing everything on one venture. And
yet how could she make anything out
of her little old scraps that anybody
would buy? The tears gathered In
i Mrs. Penfeld's eyes as she imaged the
probable crumbling of Lettie's hopes.
(To BE CONTINUED
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES:
DT ~ NT A- ~-~~