A Good Girl.

Evening Star, Issue 8084, 7 December 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Good Girl.

[By Sabaii Okne Jewett.] CHAPIER I. Somebody aska a question about an ideal girl, and there seems to be no answer. "An imaginary model of perfection," and a gay, helpful, hopeful, often mistaken but progressing young creature, just this side of womanhood, seem to have but little relation to one another at first thought. Yet, which of us has not known a girl to praise and love and set as copy for other girls—a young, thoughtful Mary, or busy Martha, who filled her plaee in life well and charmingly ? I can think of one just now, whom I should like to have a great many other girls see as the goe3 to and fro about her work in her father's and mother's house.

Her namo is Dolly Franklin, and she lives in Boston, but not in the city itself. Her home is in one of the new streets which have been made through an old estate in Roxbury where only two or threo years ago there were fields and even pasture ground and wild thickets and flowers that one would never think of looking for so near a great town. Now there are ten wooden houses on one side of the street and ten on the other, built by the same plan, and, as the real estate agent's notice said, " commodious, modern, and elegant, and for rent at excessively moderato rate 3." The trouble was that of the three adjectives only the second was true of the little houses, and as for the rent it was as high as the real estate agent and the owner dared to make it. Mr Franklin, Dolly's father, knew that it would not be easy to pay sd many dollars a quarter, but he was tempted by two things : there was a lovely view of the lower country and the salt water from the windows of the front bedroom upstairs, and in the front yard there was a beautiful young linden tree which had grown on the lawn, through which this new street had beeu made. Some of the other houses had tires too, but not manv of them, and Mr Franklin had always thought that if he had a place of his own he would plant a linden tree in front of it. There was a bit of g-.-ound behind each house whore one might have a very small gorden, and there was'a narrow strip for flowers at the side next the diiveway to the shed. The little home looked much pleasanter than any other in the double row. For some reason it seemed the only one with any individuality to it. Whether this was on account of the linden tree nobody could tell: but when Mr Franklin went upstairs and looked out of the windows in the June ;>uusct, and thought what a high, dry, sunshiny place it would be for his sick wife, he determined to risk paying the extra rent and to save the money for it some way or other. Dolly, who had come out with him in the open horse car, was sure that they could not do better. They had to leave their house in town because a large apartment house ivas going to be built on the land, and indeed nobody was very sorry. The street w»s dark already, because a high block of buildings had lately been put on the other side. Dolly ran up to her mother's room as soon as they came back, and told about the new house with great enthusiasm. It seemed as if it were already theirs, and Mrs Franklin listened, and tried hord to make it clear just which room had the great closet with shelves and drawers, and which opened on the back entry, and had two windows to the west, and pretty paper with the blue and pink morning glories. "It is so nice to have you hero to see about it all, Dolly," said Mrs Franklin, when at last the chapters of description seemed to be coming to an end. " I am thankful," insisted young Dolly. " I knew that father ought to have one of us to go with him and see about it; he would get a house that was either too big or too little, and truly, all he cared about today was the tree in the front yard and the view out of your window." "How old are you, Dolly?" inquired her father unexpectedly, while everybody laughed at him. Bob was there too, a blustering brother of twelve. " I'm sixteen," said Dolly.

" I suppose you'll bo in school these three years yet ?'.' said Mr Franklin soberly. " I begin to grudge the time. It seems to me that we ought to have you right here." "Oh no!" said Dolly's mother quickly, but Dolly's face shone with a now light; she began to speak and then herself in a steady grown-up way, and skipped on downstairs, to see that her mother's supper was ready in season. There was no fire yet in the kitchen, tho house girl had not come in though she had faithfully promised to roturn from an errand within a few minutes of three o'clock, when Dolly had Hot forth with her father. She was not reliable, this girl, and she was very incompetent, but nobody had known how to get a better person in her place. Housework is a business which is seldom learned as other businesses are. One wonders, when so much well-being depends upon it, why so few people take real pride in their honorable employment. Dolly Franklin felt very cross for a minute. She had helped Lizzie Gregg a long time that morning, so that she could go out early; but there was no use faultfinding, and she whisked a big apron out of a drawer, and Bob Rindlcy went down cellar for kindlings, and made a crackling fire with ever so many matches and at least three newspapers, so that tea_ was ready in good season, and Dolly was just going upstairs with her mother's little tray when the dallying Lizzie came in. That night Dolly went to bed early, and for once did not go to sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. This young head was full of plans, and yet she thought that tho bright June moon was making her wakeful because it shone into her little room. She had been away from home at school for two years, and she did not think that it would be right to stay away any longer. To be sure, tho school was free, but there were many little expenses, and it cost much more than if she stayed at home. The question was—whether she were really gaining enough in every way to make it worth while. She had been living with her father's sister while she went to school, and this had been very pleasant, but her aunt had often said that she meant to take some other young girl to live with her in school dayß, when Dolly's school days were over, so that she would not be too muoh missed. Dolly liked her lessonß, and liked her schoolmates still better. She had always supposed until that niaht that she would graduate with her class. CHAPTER 11. The moving was ower early in July, and

the Franklins wore settled in the new house behind the linden tree, and Mrs Franklin I had been so much better that she often could come down to dinner and supper and "behave," as Bob said, "like everybody alee." The view out of her window was even a greater pleasure than could be expected. Bob waß faat turning into a landscape gardener, and so far had not flagged in keeping the yard and garden patch looking clean and tidy. He had requested a pear tree for his birthday, and though transplanted so late in tho'scason it seemed to be doiug well. Dolly was as busy as a bee inside the house ; the heedless Lizzie left the week before they moved into what she was pleased to call the country, and at first Mrs Franklin had been made very miserable. Dolly proposed advertising, but her mother gave a disconsolate shake of the head. " Where's old Nora," asked Mr Franklin suddenly. "Have you seen her lately? Doesn't she live somewhere near the new hoilßfi?*'

"Of course," said hi 3 wife, brightening. "I think that it can't be more than half a mile. Perhaps she'll come and help us with tho moving, and then we'll see what can bo dono afterwards."

Nobody knows to what good end any little lane of decision may lead. Old Nora had indeed helped with the moving; the children are grown now, and she has much spare time on her hands, and was glad to earn something and to help her old mistress. She had indeed helped Dolly amazingly, and they had many a comfortable talk together as they worked in tho clean new kitchen. At last Dolly ventured to say a word .at the end of the first ten day 3 when she and her father were sitting in Mrs Franklin's room, and there was a pause and tho breeze rustled in the cool tree outside. " Don't you think we have been getting on well with the housekeeping?" she asked timidly, and the mother and father eagerly said " Yes." "Then why can't we keep on in just the samo way all this summer?" Dolly asked again. " Oh, but you can't, dear child," said the mother.

"Why- not?" asked Dolly, and she thought that her father had never looked so pleased. " I «an try for a while at any rate," the girl went on. "Itis so easy to do the work here in this nice house and Nora can work on Mondays ; sho says she will; and then she can come again in the week to help with any heavy work, or if we have company. I wish that I could try ; it would save us so much money, and you know wc had to spend more than wc expected in coming here ; it would be a way that I could help father along- until Bob can do something." "Why, don't you mean to "

But Dolly was not ready to say anything else, and just then somebody rang the front door bell and she ran clown with her heart beating very fast. It ww only a woman with dressmaking patterns to sell, who talked a long time about them. Dolly tried to listen patiently after she had said that uobocly wished for any, but at any rate she had time to get over the excitement she felt about her plans. She could not tell yet whether she must give up going to school any more.

The housekeeping, with some hindrances, went on delightfully that summer. It was perhaps a commonplace thing enough that a girl of sixteen, we'll grown, and strong and capable, as Dolly Franklin was, should cook and sweep and plan and sew for her little household, but to the anxious girl herself and the applauding members of the family it seemed most wonderful. Dolly was a very good cook, and was always learning new things, and she kept the honso looking fresh and pleasant. Sho was very careful not to waste, for she knew how hard her father worked for what they had, and what a difference it made because her mother was not well and strong. There was always a doctor's bill to reckon on, but this half-year it promised to be much less than usual. Nobody knew how many of the. lightest things in the housework found tbe!r v/ny to -Mrs Frarkliu'w willing thin hands, and somehow thera was a plcasant- )!<.'.'"•', ia the household thai; warmed everybody's heart. It made such a difference when one really wished to do the work—so many hate to do it and arc even a:;!iamcd of it in tiicir own dear homes ; but more arct more Dolly found her ambition and her power growing, and the morning work could soon be done in so much loss time than at first. She had plenty of time to go into town whenever it was necessary, and sho saw as much of her friends as ever sho had, and somehow enjoyed life a gro::t deal hotter than ever before. Sometimes phe did not need old Nora for anything but the washing ; sometimes she came two or three times in a week to help with hard work, but Dolly looked round and well and prettier than ever, her mother thought, whon she and her father and Bob started for church on Suuday morning all in their Sunday clothes. CHAPTER 111. It was not very long before the Franklins began to know their neighbors in the new street. The houses were being taken one by one until few were left empty, and Bob knew all the boys by sight and name, and was desperately intimate with one or two. In one house there were some cousins of Mr Franklin's fellow-bookkeeper, which led to a pleasant acquaintance and neighborliness, and in the next house to theirs was an old gentleman and his daughter who gave music lessons. Dolly wished to make friends of these people more than of anyone else. There was something so tasteful and pretty about their house, and tkey had such charming faces. The old father looked like a soldier and held hia head proudly as he walked by, the daughter looked kind and smiling as she hurried out with her music roll. Dolly was sure that she never was impatient with her little music scholars. She sometimes heard these neighbors speaking a foreign language, and they were so polite to one another. The old soldier took off his hat with a fine air when he bade anyone good morning. Dolly wished more aud more that she know them, but she could not see how to begin ; the young lady was a good many years older than sho. It was perfectly wonderful how interesting they and their bouse became; theirs was tho most charming house of the double row, whilo some looked so cheap and tawdry and unclean that our friend could never believe that they were really all built from the same measurements and painted the same color.

Dolly never had cared much for many of her school lessons, but learned them because she must. She did care for her French lessons, however, and she liked tho stories that she was just beginning to read. She could not help a little sigh when she thought that if she stopped going to school she must give them all up. As for the geometry and the next year's chemistry course, she was glad to escape those. She had never said a word about going back to school, but soon it was past tho middle of August and she must let her aunt know if she did not mean to come back. What would her father and mother say ? They had always said so much about Dolly having a good education, but to Dolly it appeared more and more as if she had shut her desk cover for the last time. When the evenings grew longer she would get out her book and study a little. She eould help Bob, too, when his school began, for out of door Bob suffered many things in the quest for book learning. She could look across from the kitchen window where she oftenest stood to the house of the interesting neighbors, but she did not know them yet, though the old gentleman had once taken off his hot as he opened her gate most politely. She was just remembering one day that it was a good while since she had seen either the father or daughter when her mother said that the daughter must be Bick ; she had not gono by for several days and there had been a doctor coming at the door. " Your father says they are French people," said Mrs Franklin, and Dolly was more interested than ever. She had come up to confer with her mother about something uncommon that was to be mado for supper. Two of Dolly's own acquaintances were coming out to tea from town. It was such fun to have what one liked and take pride and pleasure in it, instead of being at the mercy of somebody else who resented a visitor and felt herself aggrieved if there were anything extra to do. " What comfort we have had this summer! How I shall miss you, Dolly," said the mother, and she spoke so plaintively that Dolly came very near telling her then and there about her plans. It was not that Bob

always had his favorite buns and molasses cookies, and that Dolly knew exactly how to bake tho Sunday beans dry and sweet and brown as her father liked them, but there was a delightful sense of comfort and friendliness all about the hoii3e ; there was no unwilling and protesting member of the family. For the wages they were able to pay they oonld not have a well-trained able housegirl; they had been made wretched enough by the untrained, unwilling girls who knew so little about their business and would not take the tronblo to learn any more. It had been different when Mrs Franklin was weir and about tho house, for even the most provoking person could not help feeling the influsuco of her careful friendly ways as they worked together. But the pale little mistress always said that it was a hard place for a youug girl now. Not hard for Dolly! she was surprised to find how easy it was to do the work, and that very day had some new interesting thing about it; she wondered why there was no drudgery. One morning as she walked across toward the French neighbors she was tempted to go over herself to ask for the young lady. The doctor had not been thero now for a day or two. To be sure they wore strangers, but Dolly's warm young heart was touched when she thought that there seemed to be nobody to show a frietfdly interest. Late in the morning Dolly put a cup of her mother's broth and some thin oatmeal biscuits and a piece of light cake on a littlo waiter aad started out, feeling as if it were a great adventure, On her way down the yard sho picked a bright pink geranium flower and two of it 3 fresh green leaves to make the tray look pretty, and the next minute she was riueing at the neighbor's door. l'ho old gentleman came to open it, looking very old and troubled.

" Will you enter ?" he asked most politely, and Dolly stepped in blushing a good deal. " We have much of trouble," said the old man sadly. " You are kind, my dear. Will you ascend the stairway ?" and Dolly went up and entered ttie room. There was the poor lady who had been very ill and was better now, so that she had managed to sit up in bed, and was trying to write some letters to her pupils. She was so glad to see Dolly's pleasant face, and proved herself moot grateful for the little luncheon on tho tray. It is needless to say that they became fast friends, and that Dolly went over to spend an hour or two that very afternoon, and sent word beside to iNora, whoso strong hands were needed in the neglected kitchen. It seemed when our friend told her father about the French people that night as if t-.he had known them for weeks.

"No, mother," said Dolly Franklin a week later, " I am not jtoing back to school, but I am going to study a- great deal harder than I used to there." Somehow the old idea of graduating with the class had faded out, for she needed to know things now that she could not learn in school.

" I love so to be here, and you need me," said Dolly. "It isn't as if I were going to be a teacher. lam going to be a home girl always, and I mean to be learning home things. You don't know how ambitious I am.' This year, anyway, you will have to keep me, and we will have such good times this winter. Mademoiselle Trevy is going to give me French lessons ; that is, she says' that I may read to her, and she will help mc learn to speak all she can. I shouldn't have half so good a oiianec at the seminary. They are so pleased because father got that translating for them to do for his establishment. Truly, I shall learn more, being with such lovely people. The old gentleman is so nice, he never grumbles or frets, but I know that it is very hard for them having to be so poor and uncertain. Oh, mother, you will like them so much. There are ever so many nice people in this street " "If I were only well!" sighed poor Mrs Franklin.

"But perhaps you will be noon," said Dolly, in a most heartening way ; " think how much better you arc than when you came here."

"Your father says that he is going to pay you just the same that he paid Lizzie Crregg," said Mm FranUlyn, smiling again. "He thinks it is only fair, and so you will ii;iV3 some money that is really your own. The first of the year he will have his increase of salary and then he can give you more : but he was pleased this morning, telling me that you had saved so much from what it used to cost him for housekeeping that he hasn't minded the high rent a bit. You ought to have heard father praise you. He said two or three tiniC3 that he wished every father and mother had such a good girl • you take more care of ua now than we do of you." "Oh, no,"eaid Dolly; " I work just heciur.ie I love to, and you tlo everything for mc." Then she went down to her neat little kitchen with great happiness in her heart. She was sure that none of the girls elic knew had such a happy home, but after all, Dolly herself did as much as anyone to make it so, and it was Dolly herself who deserved praise that day. She was lucky to have learned so soon that having plenty of good work, and liking it, is the best thing in the world.