The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-11-23
Barbara at the
Washboard
By JANE OSBORN
20. lszs. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicats)

- - - = = = -
w. WA oy Mcclure Newspaper syndicats.)
When Barbara Deems left college
Tor her tirst summer vacation as a
student she blithely remarked that she
was going to earn her next winters
expenses during the three months she
had before her. She had used most OF
a very meager legacy to defray the
expenses Of her first year, confiden,
that after she could announce to the
world that she was college student
she would have no difficulty In getting
work.
She had heard. or dreamed, of stu.
dents who amassed as much as five
or six hundred dollars In summer
vacation. The world seemed to be
waiting for students like herself to ac-
cept positions as travelling governesses
for millionaires' motherless daughters,
hostesses for popular summer hotels,
social workers for factories or hos
pitals, organizing secretaries for busi-
ness magnates, and so on as long as
the dream lasted.
She went first to the home of her
mothers cousin-which was as much
or home as she could boast-deter-
mined to spend two or three days
mending and repairing her scanty
wardrobe aad incidentally deciding on
what she would do.
From her cousins suburban cottage
she made an attack on the big city
thirty miles away, went to an agency
or two and convinced herself, not that
there were no jobs Of the sort she had
dreamed of for young undergraduates,
but that they could not be got through
the agencies.
The next day was Sunday, and be-
fore the members of her cousins
house were astir she had gone forth
and spent the better part Of dollar
on various and sundry Sunday papers.
All save the classified advertisement
sections she laid in the wastebasket.
Realization dawned gradually but
conclusively that even the want ad-
vertisements offered no openings of
the sort she wanted. Travelling gov
ernesses were not often wanted. but
when they were they must be French
or English or experienced travellers or
something else that Barbara was not,
Barbara spent the next day, Mon
day. tracing down some wild clews,
and then came definitely to the conclu-
sion that the only sort of job she
could take with the hope of earning
enough to give even small saving for
the following year at college was that
Of an agent Evidently the world
stood In dire need Of "young ladies
with pleasing personalities without ex.
perience" who were willing to present
an interesting proposition to special
list Of possible purchasers"
Barbara answered many of these
advertisements and found, that the In
teresting proposition consisted of
everything from patent potato peeler
to grand pianos and oil stock. After
due consideration Barbara decided on
soap powder that wasn't an ordinary
soap powder--but "a sort of magic
powder to take away the drudgery of
Monday.
The picture on the package consist
ed Of charming lady playing the
piano, while a line full of billowy
clothes showed in the background and
the clock pointed to ten o'clock.
Barbara started on her selling pill
grimage the following Friday, select
ing territory where she knew no one.
The special list Of purchasers was not
spoken Of save In the advertisement,
and so Barbara stopped at every
house not guarded by the growing
dog.
The first day she made enough to
pay for three meager meals and a
nights lodging at an out-of-the-way
farmhouse. Better luck came the next
day-she managed to save 35 cents,
though her meals were meager in
deed, and the soles of her shoes showed
signs Of wearing through. 1t was not
entirely encouraging. The next night
she stayed at farmhouse where any
sort of payment was stoutly refused,
and she struck across country, walk
ing half mile before coming to a
cozy little village where It seemed as
II there must be plenty of people who
wanted to buy her precious soap
powder. Barbara had made her little
speech so often that she had quite
persuaded herself that the powder was
one of the marvels, of the decade, as
the advertisement said 1t was.
She began her little speech according
to the printed suggestions with: "Dc
you do your own washing, madam 2
or II the madam looked more prosper
Gus: "Do you have your washing done
in the house7"
One bedraggled woman to whom
Barbara addressed the first question
snapped out: "Yes, do my own wasf
I'D be doing It now II loafers lik'
you didn't knock at the door to cal
me from the washtub. Go away witt
you"
Other housewives had curtly an
swered: IT'S none Of your business,
with slam of the door. Barbara wal
not quite sure II this was good meth
cd Of attack. Still. she could think o.
none better. Eventually It became me
chancial. when q man opened thu
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