Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / May 2, 1913, edition 1 / Page 2
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of FriVolous Mr, COnfEBMT 1911 DOBB5-MEERni COMPANY CHAPTER I. Two Ladies Bereft. Jo slipped off her gloves and tossed them on the table where they lay, long, handsome and rather distin guished there's always something so personal in a woman's glove! then Bhe sat down and we stared at each other. The props had been knocked from under us, and we had landed with, a good, sound bump, surprised, astonished, astounded, dumfounded! But not despairing as yet. The blow hadn't had time to benumb us, conse quently we hadn't arrived at the de spairing stage. Jo has gorgeous eyes with long lashes that sweep her cheeks when she looks down, and she has a trick of doing that when she's thinking. But she was not looking down now; she was looking at me plainly per plexed hunted, I'd say if I were in clined to be romantic staring direct ly at my nose, which I'm rather sensi tive about, with a slight pucker be tween her gorgeous eyes. The blow was beginning to sink in. I could tell by the droop settling at each corner of her beautiful mouth. Two years ago when Jo was just bursting out of Radcliffe with all sorts of honors, and I was specializing in French, voice, expression, art, tennis, baseball and automobile with no hope of college and no wish to have and hope, my father died suddenly. It had been coming on a long time for five years, to be exact ever since my mother died. Jo waB sixteen then; I was twelve. Jo mothered him and myself, as well as the infinite wisdom of her sixteen years would permit; read the books he liked, played the music he wished to hear, followed ad vice for motherless girls so that we would never do the wrong thing and give him cause to worry. But we nev er could fill that aching heart, and we knew it. The copper muddle had done some thing to his income. It was necessary to cut down expenses, so we did away with the footman and six maids, sold the horses, which gave us no use for the groom, fired the chef, put Wilkins, the housekeeper, to cooking, and kept only one car. It also put an end to any social ambitions Jo might have had, and didn't; and placed us on a lower plane in everything except our self-respect. Jo 6et herself to studying Prac tical Economy, and housekeeping and pounded it into me did the mar keting where we paid nothing for style, and began to cut out those pages in the Sunday newspapers that tell how to use the left-overs. Then came a time when something hap pened that we could fully understand. A customer, old,, reliable, absolutely safe, ordered, stock and failed to pay for it when it slumped, and poor old Dad went down in the ruins. He saved his reputation, but it was the end. He was too old and heart-broken to recover; even his faith in friendship was gone. He came home, went to his room and died. After we laid him beside our mother Jo took an inventory. We found we had a home, elegant and imposing in the most exclusive section of Boston, packed to the garret with mahogany, most of which had come down to us from the wonderful supply on the Mayflower, and all of it mortgaged up to the hilt. Everything else was swept away. It had been going grad ually for five years while poor old. Dad simply drifted. Also we had some stock in a western mine that gave us three thousand a year. Our personal assets consisted of our name, some family portraits and jewelry, old fashioned and elegant enough, but worth little to any one but ourselves; Jo had a good education, I had a smattering of everything, and both of us bad' the advantage of two years abroad, and good, sound, robust, healthy bodies. I am not counting Jo's beauty or those gorgeous eyes of hers, because Jo never would use those eyes except to see with. I don't know how she managed, ex cept that she was a born manager, to pull out so much from the wreck. She exchanged our equity in the house for the mortgagee's equity in the fur niture, rented a modest apartment in the best neighborhood we could afford, put in as much of the mahogany as we could crowd into it, and sent the remainder to a storage warehouse guaranteed fire-proof, and locked it in with care and affection. She wouldn't part with a stick of it. Then she be gan to fray the edges of Practical Economy, bought a pair of shears, some tissue paper patterns, and set to work to make her own clothes and mine. She allowed ub one luxury we kept the car. Now the final blow had fallen. Mr. Partridge telephoned us to come to the office. In itself it was not unus ual. We always had to go down to look over the report and sign a re ceipt when a dividend was declared. But Jo ran her forefinger down the calendar, consulted a little red note book, then shook her head. To my 5 i,M .MS Illustrations by V.L.EARNE5 questions she answered: "Oh, noth ing." Mr. Partridge was a little old law yer, bald and a bachelor. He re ceived us with ceremony, bowed us into his inner office, where he raised his eyebrows to his stenographer and she . disappeared. Then he fussed an unusual time over the papers on his desk, cleared his throat until I began to feel like coming forward with a suggestion about drafts on his poor little bald head, and fell to rubbing his glasses abstractedly as if making up his mind how to say whatever it was he had to say. Jo began to get sus picious. I could see it in the way she sat quite, quite still and held in. Then it came! The mine our mine was up to its neck In water with every prospect of staying that way, and we no longer had three thousand a year. Jo didn't wince when the blow fell. She's like a wonderful piece of steel, anyway. It took me some little while fully to comprehend, so I didn't faint or do anything foolish. After all, Jo and I had the same father and mother; It's the only van ity I allow myself. Mr. Partridge threatened to -cry, instead of ourselves, as he patiently explained the details. There was no hope he didn't tell us until there was no hope the mine was now aban doned. An effort had been made to pump it dry, but it was like trying to pump out the Atlantic ocean. "We have the stock?" Jo asked quietly. "It's not worth the paper it's print ed on," Mr. Partridge replied with a groan. "Lock it up just as if it were," di rected Jo, and rose to go. "Have you thought." Mr. Partridge blew his nose rather inelegantly to give vent to his feelings "what you are going to do to replace that three thousand a year? Two young, attrac tive women left to make a living?" "I'm going home, sit down and think what we're going to do," re plied Jo. I began to examine some Japanese prints on the wall which I knew noth ing about, just to get command of my self. I was shaking as you do when you go to your window in the middle of the night to see the fire-engines pass. "I don't mind for myself" . Jo paused and raised her eyebrows toward my back. I saw It quite, plain ly in a mirror set at just the proper angle. I turned around. "I've been studying Practical Econo my, too, Jo." I said bravely. "Don't you think I'm going to be game too?" Jo swept me into her arms as if some one were trying to steal me which, of course, nobody was and patted my cheek. " "You're game enough, my dear little sister, but it isn't only Practical Econ omy we've got to look out for now it's bringing In something to econo mize on." She turned to Mr. Part ridge. "Here's a girl," her voice broke a little "a young, attractive, well-bred girl, who has to get out into the world and earn , her living. We And Set to Work to Make Her Own Clothes and Mine. have to decide the best way she can do that to reflect credit upon herself and her family." "And yourself? What are you go ing to do?" he asked after a minute. He rubbed his eyelglasses so hard one snapped and the broken piece fell to the floor where it lay unnoticed. "There are a thousand things I can do," Jo smiled. "Don't try to be too "brave, my dear," Mr. Partridge replied. "The reaction will only come harder." He could see right through anybody just as if they were a' newly-scrubbed pane of glass. "Now, I'm not rich, but I want you always to look upon me as your protector and come to me. I will help, heart, head and money bag." Jo put out her hand suddenly, and the handclasp was like that of two pals. "And remember, too, my dear girls, 1 1 mm that the better looking a woman is when she's battling with the world, the harder it is for her to keep her footing. Remember!" This very solemnly. "Now let me kiss you each on the forehead just as if I were your father, and don't fail to send for me morning, noon or night if you need me." He jokingly climbed upon a has sock to deliver the kiss and even then Jo had to stoop, but it left us feeling that after all we were not so terribly alone in the world. I've often-wondered why he never married. So, Jo and I sat staring at each . oth er across the room and tried to pre tend that losing three thousand a year income wasn't anything at all; only so much as a broken vase, to be mended when we could get our breath. Jo's eyelashes syept her cheeks and I knew she was beginning to think. "It's like so many keys on the piano," I said finally, breaking a si lence that threatened to be tragic. "You try to pick out the ones that will give you the prettiest melody. And it's awfully hard," I ended, suddenly aware of It. "I suppose I'll teach." Jo said, and then she gave way just a little. "I never wanted to think I'd have to teach." I went down on my knees, took her hands and made her look at me. "You're not going to do anything you don't want to do," I said firmly. "You're not going to do all the sac rificing in this family. You're good, and firm, and strong, Jo, and I want to obey you, but away back in my get-up there's a good, strong will of my own, and I'm going to have some say about this. Wait! There are many more keys on the piano; that tune jangled a bit, didn't it, dear?" "Let's play a game," she suggested. "Let's prospect. We will begin with the things we would like to do and see how practical they are, then" "Or," I interrupted, breathlessly, "write a lot of things on a piece of paper and stick pins in to see how they come out." "Perhaps that's as good a way as any," she answered much to my amazement. Jo has a dear sense of humor. i She got up and put aside her hat, then she picked up the gloves and pulled them through her fingers while the long lashes swept her cheeks again. "The car will have to go," she said firmly. That Practical Economy cer tainly had' seeped into Jo. "It's not so much the money the car will bring, but the saving of its keep," I said. Just to prove that I knew something of Practical Econo my myself. Jo nodded like a teacher does when you've answered the question proper ly; then a smile parted her beautiful lips. "Loulie, you're a dear," she said. "I was afraid to say so for fear you'd bd terribly disappointed." I don't know why she paused unless she wasn't quite sure just what she was afraid of, although she's al ways so sure of everything. But, goodness! There are street cars to the Country club. "Perhaps I am," I replied, "but Jo, I'm not one, two, three beside you." CHAPTER II. The Utility or Uselessness. Before the morning was over Jo was sure on what she'd economize, al though she wasn't sure what she'd economize on. There's a difference there if you'll Just notice it. We had no way of fixing cur prospective in come. We tried to aim high and didn't know if we could afford the apartment or not. We might be able to afford a better one even the car! Again: here we were practically pen niless, for we had no income and no profession; yet we stood the chance of landing something in our ambitious mood that would make the three thousand a year look foolish. We had never worked; we didn't know what we could do. It was a problem that had the Servant Question tied in a double knot. Jo, for all her cheerfulness, had a hard time to put into words even the things she wanted to do. I knew what she wanted to do. She was just about to do it when the blow fell. She wanted to take a course in botany at the Harvard gardens end specialize in orchids, for she had hope of one day owning a country place where she could experiment, though how she was going to get the country place the Lord knows, unless she married it, and she hadn't counted that far. She finally swung back and around to teaching. It seemed the only thing. "You might." I suggested, "demon strate automobiles. It's outdoors and the hours are not long. No new man just learning to drive can stand the strain on his back-bone very long. Sometimes the place is in the country where the roads are beautiful. I don't think it would be wearing, Jo, be cause you always know without half thinking when a person Is going to change gear without throwing out. the clutch. You could make him fix punctures as a lesson." "Perhaps, instead of a man," Jo smiled, "it would be a woman, a frail little creature whom the Lord never intended to drive a car; and she couldn't let off the emergency, much less jam it on If necessary I'd whack her and lose my job." "You may be cut out for teaching, after all," I mused. "Or," she went on, "he might be a fat man with short pudgy fingers, wearing diamond rings, and on one of those beautiful country roads we might reach a secluded spot and h might try to kiss me." "Whack him!" I suggested. She Is quite capable of doing it, too. "Anyhow It's the same thing the oth er way 'round. It you were learning to drive, and he were teaching you? The position is just the same." Jo shook her head. "A man with diamond rings wouldn't be teaching me to drive," she remind ed me. "I won't argue it. I'd be ex posing myself, for I never heard of a female demonstrator In the auto mobile business. I wouldn't be ex posed teaching." "You certainly wouldn't," I remark ed, thinking of the frumpy professors who "But then they sometimes do, Jo the professors kiss, I mean. I've seen it in the papers." She had to agree with me, too. "I'd back you in any capacity," I told her admiringly, "and the novelty of a female demon strator might get you the Job." "A female chauffeur!" she laughed. "How does it sound?" And from the way she looked at me I knew she never had considered the idea for a single minute. I'm sure I went red, for I'd been In earnest, and the whole Idea seemed so novel and possible. She leaned forward finally and clasped her hands. I knew from the attitude that she was resigned for something. "The trouble Is," she mused, "it's the wrong time of year to begin to teach. Another month and all the schools will be over." "Good!" I said heartily. "So that's out." I just wouldn't think of Jo as a teacher! She'd grow old and gray, and have to put spectacles over the gorgeous eyes, and fall into the habit of talking theorems and such stuff. I hate theorems! "But then I may need time for prep aration," she went on, not hearing me, I guess at least not paying the "I Shall Do Something!" Is Burst Out. slightest attention if she did. "You see I don't know a thing about it, and then, too, I'll have to get the posi tion." "Well, where do I come in in this scheme of things?" I asked. "What am I to be doing all this time?" Jo drew in her breath sharply as if something hurt, then put out her hands as if I had tried to strike her. "I shall do something!" I burst out. "Surely, Jo, you don't think I'm a lit tle ninny and can't?" - "You're too young," she began. "Young! Bosh!" I wouldn't let her go on with that. "Why, I'm nineteen!" I said it as if I'd been a thousand. "My mother was married when 6he was nineteen. Why, Jo, when she was as old as you, you were three years old." I was getting rather mixed, I was so anxious to Impress her. "Poor old me," Jo sighed, then she laughed so heartily I know I grew red again. "And I've been thinking all this time that I was just getting a look-in on life. Why, I'm an old maid! And here I've never even had a thought of getting married." And, sure enough, she never had. She never had had as close as a fourth cousin connection with a ro mance. I looked at her suddenly and wondered how in the world she had managed to escape; how she had kept some one from running off with her bodily. "I suppose I've wasted my time," Jo went on. "I know I have thrown away chances. I might have married long ago. and settled the future for both of us." "You might have," I agreed, "but introspection, dear, won't take the place of our three thousand a year." Which argument must have made Practical Something or other sit up and take notice. "Now just don't you speak to me for ten minutes, and I'll tell you at the end of that time what I am going to do." I put out my hand toward the news papers Just to brush up on the things there are to bo done in this world. After consideration I selected a held over Transcript as I wanted the very best advice going. The first thing that met my eye was: "The dancer who is supposed to have caused the, downfall " I turned over hastily. After all I was looking for the want column. Two minutes had not passed before I landed on the very thing: Wanted Companion. Wealthy wom an recovering from nervous pros tration, wants young, good-looking, well-bred, well-educated, well-read, tactful girl for' companion. Must speak French, bridge, foot-ball, base ball, automobile and golf. Prefer a musician who sings. Name your own salary. "Well, I'm it!" I exclaimed with conviction, and passed the paper on to jo. "You would think that woman had known my qualifications when she put that in the paper." Jo read it, and I do believe she would have whistled If she had known how. From her expression I thought she thought It was the very thing. "How much salary shall I name? I asked excitedly. "She doesn't want much!" 'Jo said with hauteur just that, truly not hearing my question, anyhow not an swering it. "Well, I should say she would let any one name the salary. Where does she expect to get ?" I was jabbing my chest with my two forefingers and distorting my face to make Jo see I was it, because she didn't seem to listen to what I said "My goodness!" she exclaimed: "Do you qualify for all that?" She looked at the paper helplessly the only time I ever saw Jo helpless about any thing. "You've always told me that good looks are t matter of opinion," I re plied, "so bp.rrlng looks and skimming in on golf I know my A-B-abs of golf; I drive fairly, but l'ni too wig gly to putt "why I think I might venture to say I do qualify for the rest. You see she doesn't say I've got to do all those thing; I've just got to speak "em." "Don't bite off your words, Loulie," she said in that calm, cool way of hers that's lots more effective than a slap. "Breath i3 cheap." "I'll remember, dear," I promised. I'd have promised her anything right at that minute. "You're not tactful," she contra dicted flatly, although she always tells me never to contradict anything flat ly. "I could be if I tried," I returned. "I know the rules." "I wonder if she would consider you a musician, and if she would think you could sing? You've slapped at everything generally, but " "I'm sure I could squeeze in," I told her. "She only prefers a musician who can sing." Now Jo knows my throat Is a regu lar Trilby throat. The bridge of my nose is good and my diaphragm from tennis and swimming is almost as good as Tetrazzini's. "Nervous prostration!" she mused finally, gazing at the lines she didn't see. "A vampire who'll take the best of you and will leave you high ftn i dry In the same condition as herself. I guess not." "Why I have the constitution of an ox," I argued. "I haven't a nerve In my body. I " "Not now," she interrupted. "Please, may I try? May I at least answer it?" I pleaded. "It won't do any harm to answer it," she agreed, and I pounced upon her fo suddenly with a kiss that It landed on her nose, "but!" She held up a forefinger. Oh! "Why not write an advertisement yourself, dictate your own terms, and let somebody come to you?" "Oh, I say, Jo, but that's two birds in the bush." I was thinking of the salary part. "No harm trying," she smiled, "and I would call It another iron in the fire. You haven't the bird in the hand yet, and anyhow It may not be at all the kind of bird that I am going to like." You will notice that she said "I" instead of "you." I suppose she knew the salary part made me blind as to which kind of a bird it was. "True," I said, trying to look as wise as she did. I went to the desk to' write one ad vertisement and answer the other. Of course I answered first. I chewed the end of the pen-staff reflectively, which I know Is awfully bad form. Then I looked at. Jo. "Do you think?" I asked, "I dar name three thousand a year?" (TO BE CONTINUED.) Gnat's Bite Causes Loss of Leg. How dangerous the bite of an of dlnary gnat may be under special cir cumstances even when the best med ical assistance is at hand is shown by the case of the wife of one of the lead ing surgeons of Vienna. This lady was bitten on the ankle while taking tea on the terrace of her suburban villa a few days ago. Inflammation began on the next day, and despite local treatment increased o rapidly that one day later a surgical incision was made. This had to be repeated cn the next day under ; chloroform. General blood poisoning had, however, set in, and a consultation of doctors finally decided that the only chance of saving the lady's life was to amputate the leg above the knee. The opera tlon was performed six days after the bite, but the lady is still in consider able danger. It is supposed that the gnat must have been infected with some putrid matter. Difference Between Them. An actor at the Players' club in New York said the other day: "I heard in London a good one on Joe Coyne, the American idol of tb British stage. Coyne, you know, can't sing a note. "It seems that Mme. Pavlova, the Russian dancer, wrote in the visitors' book at the Peacock Inn in Rowsley: 'I dance because I must. Anna Pavlova.' "Coyne, on a week-end trip to Had don hall, put up at the Peacock Inn himself. In looking over the visitors' book he saw Pavlova's pretty auto graph, and took up a pen and wrote: " 'I sing because I can't. J. Coyne'." Washington Star. New Life-Saving Jacket. A public test was recently carried out in the Thames, at London. Eng land, of a new life-saving jacket. Dur ing the demonstration this apparatus was used by a woman and three men. The garment consists of a loose sack, about the length of an ordinary lounge jacket, having a ribbing fitted with a substance of greater buoyancy than cork. It Is so constructed that the heads of the users are completely out of water, thus permitting them to tak food while In the water. IMEMTIONAL SUMTSOIOOI LESSOU (By E. O. SELLERS, Director of Even ing Department, The Moody Bible In stitute of Chicago.) LESSON FOR MAY 4 JOSEPH INTERPRETS DREAMS. LESSON TEXT Gen. 40:9-23. GOLDEN TEXT "Thai breath of th Almighty glveth then understanding." Job. 32:8, R. V. In teaching this lesson we must not overlook the intervening events which are other illustrations of the truthful ness of the biblical narrative In that the sinful failures as well as the suc cesses of families and ot chosen in dividuals are presented. Joseph began life in Egypt as a serf. Potiphar, who bought him, was the chief marshal of the empire, the lord high executioner. What Joseph's feelings must have been we are left to infer, but we believe he accepted his humiliating position with resig nation and resolved to adjust himself to his new environment. Thus It was that Potiphar found in Joseph an hon est servant. Joseph served ten years, years of constant promotion, when he encountered the ordeal related in chapter 39. Crime and Sin. The breaking point had to com when; he exclaimed: "How can I do this wickedness and sin against God?" Gen. 39:9. A crime is committed against a man or against society; the same act against God is a sin. Jo seph's only safety was in flight (v. 12), to parley would have meant de feat. Between the ages of seventeen and thirty, Joseph lived a life of slav ery and imprisonment. But God was with him and his faithfulness was re warded by being promoted to the po sition of warden. "Our religion should recommend us, therefore itself, to those who have to do with us." (Mac laren). Joseph has been referred to as "the optimist," not as one who be lieves that all will come right, but that all is right now. So much by way of introduction. The lesson proper divides itself nat urally Into two divisions: I. The Chief Butler's Dream, w. 8-15. As we have seen Joseph's pur ity of life and loyalty to God .had brought upon him the bitter hatred of an unprincipled woman (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12), but as we shall see, the sequel was his exaltation. (See Matt. 5:11, 12.) By inference we are led to be lieve that Potiphar had not alto gether believed the story of his wife, else he would have exercised his right as an official, also as a slave owner, and summarily executed Jo seph. But Joseph had one friend from whom he could not be separat ed. (Jehovah, 39:21.) In the providence of God two men "who stood nearer the King in the discharge of their duties than did Potiphar are brought into close con tact with Joseph. It was through one of these men Jacob was after wards given his opportunity which led to the salvation of many, includ ing those of his own families. (Esther 6:1, Rom. 8:28. Ps. 76:10.) An Enlightened Age. We cannot of course lay the same emphasis upon dreams today as at the time of Joseph, nor is there need of such revelations from. God, for we live in the enlightened age of the Holy Spirit and ever have easy ac cess to the word. But trivial as these dreams may have seemed, God' was . using them to change the course of history. Verse seven gives us an in timation of this, also a hint of Jo seph's heart of compassion and .sym pathy. Had Joseph been a ' selfish man, slow to notice the sorrows of others and still slower to make any endeavor to relieve their suffering, he would have missed the very opportu nity God intended to use in the ef fecting of his escape from prison. II. The Chief Baker's Dream, w. 16-23. This dream also was connect ed with the dreamer's avocation in life and hence along the most natural lines. Again Joseph's cherished con viction produced by his own dreams Induces him to offer an interpretation of the baker's dream. Had he lost this conviction due to the circum stances of the hour or questioned the validity of God's revelation or that he was a called man in God's plan, he would not have attempted any in terpretation. Again we emphasize the fact that dreams are of a negligible value in this present age. They usually come from poor digestion or else a sinful tendency to worry. They have nothing of the divine about them. (See Eccl. 5:3, Jer. 23:28.) We have a better revelation from God. his word; are we familiar with it? It is foolish for us to put any depeudence upon dreams today. Joseph's in terpretations which came from God were fulfilled, yet the butler forgets. The Lessons of the Lesson. For the younger pupils the story tells itself and will hold enthralled attention. For old and young there is the lesson of Joseph's serviceable ness, he was a "helpful man." Jo seph bought up his opportunities and later reaped his reward. Here is the lesson of the forgetfulness of the chief butler. Must we censure him entirely for his ingratitude? Joseph's gift of leadership, 'twas not the occa sion that made the man, but the man made the occasion. The lesson of Joseph's faithfulness in the obscur lt7.
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
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May 2, 1913, edition 1
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