Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-05-23
S5S1SE595191SsS1S
! A DozEN-No MORE
BY FANNY RICHARDSON
Observation-Disclosures
1873. by Mcclure NeWspaper Syndicate

winch began with cIOtneSpln.
very ordinary clothespin it was, too
just like all the other clothespins in
Mays clothespin bag. The bag con-
tanned a dozen pins Mary couldn't af-
ford more, but she did need many, be-
cause she had only a few clothes-a
very, very few.
One evening Mary had just finished
washing and she opened the window
to hang out her laundry. Looks like
rain she said. "I'll have to wear that
old brown rag again tomorrow. Oh,
how l hate it! But I don't see any
chance of getting another. Well, the
rain won't hurt these things anyway.
Do 'em good"
And rain it did. The following morn
ing, when she looked out at her wash
ing, she could hardly see 1t through
the raindrops. But she did see some
thing that made her frantically open
the window Her beloved blue serge
was hanging by one pin, dragging in
the mud.
Mary was fearful The dress was
ruined-and the clothespins had never
gone back on her before. How could
1t have happened? She poked her
head out, looking on the ground for
the missing pin 1t was not in sight,
but, as she lifted her head she saw a
line close by hers on which dangled
two blue socks.
$50 he borrowed my clothespin, did
he! The horrid, hateful thingl He
might have had the decency to ask
me, but to deliberately take 1t to hang
up his old blue socks"
She did not finish, but walked out
Of the room, the dress still on her arm.
and knocked noisily on the door Of the
room adjoining Hearing someone
moving, but no response, she knocked
again. In a moment she had opened
the door. A young man In a bathrobe
was crouched near the window. ap-
parently sewing. He looked at her
questioningly.
"What's the matter7 House aflre, or
something's
mo" she cried. almost sobbing
But II might as well be. Look what
you did to my dress I"
He seemed perplexed. "What do you
mean7 l didn't spoil your dress"
you did," she retorted. "You-your
old blue stockings Two dresses are all
have-to my name. I can't buy an
other. Now + " old brown one gives
TIL - hAAtW
The young mans face cleared. "Oh.
blue stockings--but I didn't do any
thing. However. know Just how you
feel. II anything happened to my
other suit would have to 60 to-stay
in the house, too"
~ know what Wen d." she ex-
claimed. "Give me one Of your suits.
I'll hang 1t on the line for the rest Of
the day the way you left my dress.
dragging on the side Of the house. It's
only fair!"
But you don't understand" he pro-
tested There were four clothespins
holding up your dress last night, even
after I borrowed one. Anyway, how
did I know 1t was going to rainT'
Mary was Indignant The dress is
ruined, that's the point 1t takes five
clothespins to dry serge. Otherwise 1t
hangs funny-and besides, the line
sagged on account Of the wet"
He turned toward the bed. pulled
out a suitcase and carefully took out
pearl gray suit. Mary said to herself
1t was the pearliest gray suit she had
ever SEEN "Oh," she exclaimed, catch
ing her breath little. II didn't know.
Please put 1t back" But he thrust it
into her hands and she found herself
closing his door behind her.
Mary left the boarding house that
morning without any breakfast. She
had thrown the dress In the tub to
soak and left the young mans suit
frightful of her to have been so silly,
she told herself. over an old three-dol-
lar dress, when his suit had cost-how
much she hated to think. And yet he
had said he had only one other
She did not see him again for a
week. Tluuy ne hHotheu at tue uOOT
just as she was hanging out the serge
dress, which she had cleansed by soak
ing.
IT say" he blurted out, II rather
like your new dress. Couldn't you dry
it and We'll go to the 'movies7"
Mary could feel the blood rushing to
her cheeks. "But the dress isn't new.
It's the old one. It's been soaking
week. didn't think the stains were
going to come out like this"
"By the way, where Is the suit?
You weren't supposed to keep 1t after
you'd given 1t that mud bath. You've
kept 1t week.
"But say, I've been scraplng around
since last saw you. Got raise-had
to. Knew l had only one suit and I
didn't relish staying at home all day,
even If you did happen to be on the
other side of the partition
She laughed. "Well, l wouldn't have