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The Floating Press - Minnie Douglas Amanda

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130 pages

English

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Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, young Lilian Boyd and her mother have found themselves in desperate straits. They're teetering on the verge of bankruptcy when Lilian hatches an audacious plan to help them get back on the right track. Will this ambitious, hard-working young woman be able to pull it off?

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 décembre 2015
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776594153
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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THE GIRLS AT MOUNT MORRIS
* * *
AMANDA MINNIE DOUGLAS

*
The Girls at Mount Morris First published in 1914 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-415-3 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-416-0 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - Looking the Future in the Face Chapter II - A New Outlook Chapter III - Food for Consideration Chapter IV - The Grace of Endeavor Chapter V - Zaidee Chapter VI - An Escapade and What Came of It Chapter VII - A Supreme Moment Chapter VIII - A Strange Confession Chapter IX - Whose Child Am I? Chapter X - Unraveling Tangled Threads Chapter XI - Standing up to the Mark Chapter XII - Oh, Will I Be Welcome? Chapter XIII - A Mother's Love Chapter XIV - Going Out of the Old Life Chapter XV - Your True Home Chapter XVI - Out of Her Loyalty
Chapter I - Looking the Future in the Face
*
Lilian Boyd entered the small, rather shabby room, neat, thougheverything was well worn. Her mother sat by a little work table busywith some muslin sewing and she looked up with a weary smile. Lilianlaid a five-dollar bill on the table.
"Madame Lupton sails on Saturday," she said. "Oh how splendid it must beto go to Paris! Mrs. Cairns is to finish up; there is only a little todo, but Madame said everything you did was so neat, so well finishedthat she should be very glad to have you by the first of October."
The mother sighed. "Meanwhile there is almost two months to provide for,and I had to break in the last hundred dollars to pay the rent. OhLilian! I hardly know which way to turn. I am not strong any more, Ihave made every effort to—" and her voice broke, "but I am afraid youwill have to give up school."
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
"Oh, mother, don't! don't!" the girl implored. "I suppose it wasselfish of me to think of such a thing and you couldn't go through twoyears more. You are not as well as you were a year ago. I'll see SallyMeeks tonight and take the place in the factory. I only have to give twoweeks and then begin on five dollars a week. It will be better than thesewing."
Lilian Boyd stood up very straight and determined, though her heart sankwithin her. To give up her cherished wish, to join the great army ofshop girls with no hope of advancement in the future! She was almostsixteen; she had been two years in the High School and was a favoritescholar. Two years more and she could teach. It was in the walk of lifethat she so ardently desired. Tall for her age, vigorous, with courageand earnestness in every line of the face that was fine, now, to thecasual observer and might develop into beauty. It was spirited, eager,with a clear complexion, deep blue eyes that in some moods seemed black,while the hair was light and abundant. The brows and lashes were muchdarker. The features were regular, the chin broad and cleft, but it wasthe courage and uplift in the face that gave it character.
The mother was so different. It was not altogether a weak face butintensely commonplace; the sort of woman who has no ambitions beyond theordinary round of life. Was it the old story of the eagle in the dove'snest?
"You are very tired," she began, presently. "Lie down on the loungewhile I get supper."
Mrs. Boyd was still crying softly. Lilian kissed her, threw a lightshawl over her shoulders, then lighted the gas burner and set on thekettle. She would run out and get a chop for her mother, some forbreakfast as well. Yes, she must begin to be the care taker, she hadbeen so engrossed with her studies and giving her help with the sewingthey did for a dressmaking establishment that she had hardly noted. Sheswallowed over a great lump in her throat, it was a bitter sacrifice andyet she must make it. She could not even study during the evenings forshe must help with the sewing, and if her mother should be ill!
The little supper was tastily arranged, the tea and the chop had anunwonted fragrance.
"I'm awfully sorry," said the mother, "but Sally says it is a nice shopand the boss is particular about the kind of girls he has, and to thinkSally's earning nine dollars a week now!"
"Yes, Sally's a nice pleasant girl," that was all she could trust hervoice to say.
"And it will be company back and forth. Maybe—sometime—"
Oh, had she been right in that long ago time? It seemed ages to her, somuch had happened since, and she thought she could not live without thechild, but after all the girl was not of her kind. What if she had doneher a great wrong! She had never been an introspective woman, her lifewas mostly on the surface, with commonplace aims and desires.
The kitchen was small, the middle room not much larger, but it had twonice windows, the front was on a much neglected street with a bigcarpenter's shop across the way. They used that for a sleeping room andit had in it the remnant of better days. The sewing room was much morequiet.
Lilian cleared away the things. Mrs. Boyd went back to the lounge. Thenthe girl went down the street. She had best make her sacrifice at once,it was not a subject to ponder over and she realized it had been a bigblack cloud hanging about her the last month.
Sally's mother sat out on the small porch gossiping with a neighbor.
"Oh, Lily Boyd," she exclaimed. "Sally was coming up on Saturday butshe had to fly round like a bee in a flower garden. It want her turn togo to the Rest House, but the other girl couldn't—sickness at home. SoSally went in her place. Splendid, isn't it! And board only two dollarsa week. I tell Sally she's got the nicest boss we've ever heard about.She'll be home Sat'day night and tell you all about it."
"Yes, I want to see her. No, I can't stay. Oh, mother does not seem verywell. Good-night."
Lilian did not go straight home. This was the old part of the town therewere no real cottages and little gardens fragrant with flowers, butpeople were huddled in them. There would presently be factories andtenement houses.
She was making a sharp, desperate fight. Strong natures have to. Why wasshe born with these ambitions and aims and capabilities and the ardentdesire to do something? All girls did not have them. Some in the classlaughed and made merry without a thought of the future. Some expected toteach and 'just hated it.' She would have been so glad. Well the dreammust be given up—at least for years. It would be horrible to count onher mother's death for freedom. She shuddered.
They went to bed, but neither of them slept until after midnight. Nowand then Lilian heard a soft sob. She felt that she ought to comfort hermother, but what could she say? Since she had been growing up she hadbecome aware of a barrier between them. Mrs. Boyd had loved herfervently as a little girl, she had not taken any special pride in herentering the High School with such a fine record. She was in no sense anambitious or an intellectual woman and the girl's vigor and intentnesssometimes frightened her. She should have been in some other sphere.
Lilian sank into a sort of dull apathy, questioning everything as youthoften does under a great disappointment. What was the use of living ifone could never attain the things one desired? She was not like Sallynor dozens of other girls. Their commonplace lives would be martyrdom toher.
So they both slept late. Lilian prepared the simple breakfast.
"Perhaps it would be a good thing to get out last winter's clothes andsee what can be fixed over," said the mother. "But you have grown somuch this year, Lilian."
Oh, if clothes mattered, if anything mattered! There was the postman'swhistle.
Quite a thick letter for her mother in a neat lady's hand.
"Why that's funny," and a smile brightened the girl's face.
Mrs. Boyd glanced it over. "Why it's from Mrs. Searing. She was herelast March, you know. She has always taken such an interest in you,and—oh read it, read it aloud. My head is so bad this morning."
She began to cry again.
Helen took the letter. The first page was full of friendly interest andthen she branched off into a delightful visit she had been making at avery pretty place, one of the old fashioned aristocratic towns where arelative kept a select and high class Seminary for young ladies. She hadfound her in something of a quandary. The woman who had taken charge ofthe bed and table line and a sort of general seamstress had suddenlymarried, and it was necessary to fill her place before school opened.She wanted a middle aged person with some experience who was neat andcareful. She would have a pleasant room and the duties would not bearduous. There was a housekeeper and several maids beside the cook.
"So," wrote Mrs. Searing, "I told her about Lilian, remembering you hadsaid you were afraid you could not keep her in school to finish, and herambition to be a teacher. She was wonderfully interested and I told hersomewhat of your misfortunes and struggles. So she proposes that youshall accept this position and that Lilian shall take a sort ofsupervision of some of the younger pupils and go on with her owneducation. Mrs. Barrington has been very kind and helpful to severalyoung girls and I know Lilian will admire her extremely."
The girl sprang up with a glad cry and flung her arms around hermother's neck.
"Oh, let us go, let us go! Why it seems like a miracle," and then shewas crying, too, from an overwrought heart.
Presently she resumed the letter. They would have a pleasant roomtogether, considerable leisure, and there would be music, a fine librarybesid