The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-04-23
Back to
the Old
Home Town
By JANE OSBORN


more on Saturday they worked with
only four or five feet Of Intervening
space between them. Yet Matilda
never had heard that a man named
Matthews was working for the ]. & T.
Co, from which she received her week
ly wage, nor had Tom Matthews ever
CHANGED upon the unimportant inforrna-
ton that the concern for which he
worked employed cataloguer named
Matilda Fain.
Matilda came just before nine and
left just after five. Tom Matthews.
being head Of ore Of the innumer-
able departments" at J. &. It's. came
never earlier than a quarter after nine
after the mere wage earners assem-
bled-and departed some half hour or
hour after they had left. SO they
never CHANGED to meet In the main
corridor or elevator.
Then something very unexpected
happened. 1t was toward the middle
of May, and rumor started about that
there was going TO be midyear bonus.
Business had been picking up ire
up had decided that it was only fair
to let the workers get some benefit OF
this turn of events right then and
there. and not to have to wait until
the usual Christmas bonus.
"Of course it isn't going to happen"
said Jane Grace TO Matilda. But if it
did happen. what would you do with
p,oporo t. -
cent of our wages since Christmas
anyway-maybe more. I tell you I'd
buy some clothes for summer What
would you do?"
81 suppose ought to save it" sug-
gested Matilda.
you're not engaged, are you?"
asked Jane. thine enough to begin
to save when you get engaged. If you
save before hand and never spend a
sou on your clothes the chances are
you never will get engaged. Take my
advice, Matilda. and get some new
Clothes"
81 might" suggested Matilda, but
there are so many things that would
give me more happiness"
81 don't believe it." said Jane Grace.
~Tell me what you have in mind"
"Well. could go back TO Bradford.
for one thing" said Matilda. mot TO
stay, but just to see the old town and
the people l used to knew. You
know that is quite a trip. and have
never been able to go before since I
came eight years ago. 1t isn't as
but I still rather like the old place"
"Well. you must like it lot if you'd |
rather go there for a week or so than |
to have some gcod-looking clothes"
1t got to be the fad during those |
days when the rumor still persisted |
that there was really going to be
June bonus for employees of J. & It's
to plan how to spend this unexpect-
ed increase. And almost always such
planning was prefaced with "Of
course we aren't going to get it" But
the fact was that they did.
So while Jane Grace was busy
spending all, or nearly all, of her twen-
ty-five per cent bonus on new clothes,
Matilda put hers in the bank, ready
to use TO defray the expense of trip
back TO Bradford when she took her
vacation in July. Only a little of it
went to buy a few additional bits of
Going back TO Bradford was
worth more than all the pretty clothes
In the world.
Matilda had especially arranged to
take her two weeks off the middle of
hot he Of I
the Bradford reunion. Every year for
one week Bradford babe her old cit
zens return. 1t was sort of Boost
Bradford" week. Sometimes the gov
arnor would come for a day. there
would be a big outdoor supper, some
fireworks. the governors speech, if he
lad come. and half dozen other
speeches from important citizens of
3radford-or some of Bradford's sons
Who had made good since their de-
,arture.
1t was a queer little town, was Brad
ord. but somehow it seemed to be
pleased with itself, and
hose who had lived there always did
eem to carry with them laundering
o return.
1t was the second day OF the Brad
ord reunion. Matilda was staying {
nth & second or third cousin whom
he had never known very well, but
Tho now appeared more than eager TO /
ave Matilda spend the time with her. '
Iatilda. had. of course, made it per- i
ectly clear that she intended TO pay
GARD. Ard the cousin had accepted i
ne arrangement. protesting that she I
-ould a hundred times rather take
err for nothing. c
Matilda had gone up street one c
forming. There she had encoun- i
cred an old friend of hers-She had c
one to school with Ruth, and Ruth Il
ad stayed there in Bradford and t
nd married one of the boys and now II
we'd sheltered, prosperous exist n
ace. Two babies, car of her own. g
garden-not to mention house S
nd a husband-gave her possible
Vantage over Matilda, who had left