Villanova Digital Library - The Girls' companion, v. VIII, no. 26, June 26, 1909.

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Full Title	The Girls' companion, v. VIII, no. 26, June 26, 1909.
Contributor	Woods, Bertha Gerneaux, 1873-1952.
Date Added	5 February 2016
Format	Journal
Language	English
Publish Date	1909-06-26
Publisher	Elgin, Ill. and Chicago : David C. Cook Publishing Co.
Source	Dime Novels and Popular Literature
Alternate Title	Making the best of Patience / by Bertha Gerneaux Woods.
Topic	Children's literature > Periodicals.
About	More Details Permanent Link
Disclaimers	Disclaimer of Liability Disclaimer of Endorsement

OCR TEMPERANCE NUMBER ' . +:<'?>’‘-?‘i=..f ? ‘ .1 Copyright, 1909, by David 0. Cook Publishing Company. YVJBLISEED Von. VIII. No. 26. i,,,,,,,, DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING C0., ELGIN, ILLINOIS, AND 36 Wssnrxarox S'r., CHICAGO. June 26, 1909. -teed-as-ttrss The new or Pmtolccw BY i3er-utha Gerneaux-Vvoods. her. The table had seemed to balance “ Us IN THE first place, Matie didn’t want just right before Patience came. four and no more” had perhaps been the unconscious sentiment of Matie all her happy, girlish years, with mother radiating cheer and comfort from behind the codee urn, father,‘ dear and handsome, at the other end of the table, and Leslie, her beloved Leslie, opposite her own place. Of course, occasional guests were pleasant and desirable. But that was quite diEer- ent, this second cousin, who was almost fl. stranger to all of them, coming to board for :1 whole year in the pretty cottage home. It hadn't seemed possible to re- fuse when the father and mother, mission- aries in :1 ar country, ha sent such 11 touching letter commending their “little girl” to the care of these relatives in the home land. And “hospitality without grudging” V had been promptly extended by mother and father's letters. Leslie had added a bit of a girlish postcript, but Matie had man- aged to avoid writing at all. “I don't want her, and I'm not going to pretend to be glad when I'm not," she had said, do- cisively. , “But you needn't say you are glad,” Leslie had suggested. “ 'ou could jus write in friendly little note.” ' But Matie had answer-ediwith a slight i 5 shrug of the shoulders, softened by a flying kiss on a stray curl of her sister‘: hair. Then Paticnceixhad come. “A pathetic sort of a name,"‘Leslie said, warm-heart edly. ,-1”’ “ I don't like it,” Matie responded. “She's probably just the opposite of Iwr name. Most people are! Names don't fit in real life the Wily they always do in stories." “ She's almost like a child in some ways, isn't she?" Leslie said one day to Mutie. “She came to me in the most appealing way this morning to ask me about her necktie; didn't seem to have the least idea what sort of a thing to put on with that new shirt-Waist suit. She’s' really child- like.” “More childish, isn't it?" responded Matic. “ You'd think she would have more self-reliance-the oldest child in a big family like hers. I have an idea she's been sort of selfish, perhaps.” “ don't know 2'' Leslie's voice was slightly shocked. “I suppose I haven't any real reason for thinking so." Matie added, with u be- lated conscientiousncss. “But her abs(‘nt- mindcdness does seem to make her the least little bit selfish sometimes, or it amounts to the some thing. There was the way she forgot all about her suit-case that first night, and poor papa had to make a second trip downtown. He was all tired out, too, and I don't think she was quite so apolo- getic us you or I would have been under the circumstances.” W] , I don't knoweperhaps not," said Lcslie. “At the time it just struck me she was confused and felt strange and shy." Somehow, as the days went.by, it be- (‘nme the most natural thing in the world to comment on Paticnce’s little peculiar- ities, and cvcu very small ones became glaring when there were two critical, girl- ish heads to be put together. At first Leslie had thought her cousin a decidedly attractive-looking girl. “ Her hair curls so prcttily around her ears," she had said, “ and how her face lights up when she talks!" “ Yes," Matie’s tone was unconsciously grudging, “ it does, but she isn't what you would call a pretty girl, Leslie. She's a long way from that. Her mouth is too large, and haven’t you noticed how she twists it when she laughs? You wouldn't call it exactly uncouth--oh, no, not so bad as that, but it gives her a sort of an awk- ward look." ' “I don't know but it does," said Leslie. “And you know that someone has said," added Matie, “ ‘ God makes our other fea- tures, but lets us make our own mouths.’ It seems too bad that she hasn't made a better piece of work of hers, when some of her other features are quite good, as u say." “ We'll probably have to wear ourselves out taking her sight-seeing,” Matie said, one morning. “She was so crazy over Mount Vernon. I suDP05e We Wgllt to take her to Alexandria some day. id you ever see such a hero-worshiper? I expect she'll melt into tears if we let her see George Washington’: church!" It was said with a slight sneer, ' in quest of the sexton, and Matie limped after her. Perhaps it was a slightly os- tentatious limp, exaggerated for her cous- in’: benefit. But Patience did not see. She stood with a. rapt look on her face, trying to take in all the details of the quaint old church, and already, in imag- ination, inditing a letter to go across the sea to father and mother, describing it all. “ I'm all worn out! Do hurry, Leslie! It's a perfect nuisance taking people sight- seeing. I suppose we might run our feet off and it wouldn't affect her!" Matie said, in an impatient undertone to her sister. " Do you know it's two -o'clock?’ “It's’too had," Leslie answered, sy‘m‘- pathetically. “I suppose it really hasn't occurred to Patience that you're tired. She's been so absorbed.” “ It ought to occur to her,” Matie said. So, somehow, it happened that when, a few minutes later, Patience, with a. beatitic expression, on her face, was sitting in George Washington's own pew, and trying to fancy Martha herself in fascinating ruffles and flutings beside her, her cousins stood rather stidly by. . Perhaps some lack of responsiveness in the other two struck suddenly on Pa- tience's consciousness. At any rate, the animation died out of her face when she looked up, and she rose rather hurriedly. “ Oh, I’m afraid I've been keeping you too Martha Washington, fair and stately, in snowy, putfed hair and tluted rutiles, faded quickly ‘away into the far past. Little Nellie Custis vanished, too. They were just three everyday, modern girls who went quietly out of the church in quest of a modest cafe, where they could rest and refresh the inner man. It was over their iced tea and rolls that Matie, glancing up suddenly, saw some- thing that made her wince. Patience was looking industriously into her plate, and, yes, there was no mistaking it-struggling for self-control. There was something piteously childlike in the quivering mouth that Matie ad pronounced too large for beauty. What could be the matter? Les- lie, too, had caught sight of the expression on her cousin's face, and came to the res- cue in perhaps the best way. She would spare Patience the rnortitlcation of break- ing down right there, with that round- faced, staring woman looking on from her place behind the counter. “Did you know, Patience,” she-asked, briskly, “there's one spot on the banks of the Potomac where they say George Wash- ington used to stand and throw a dollar clear across the river?" Patience looked up with quick relief at this query. Evidently the girls had not noticed her quivering lips, after all. “Why, no," she said, “I never heard of r > n “The rcason for it," said bu it was something that Matie should oEer to make the trip. An so one morning, the three girls took the electric car for Alexandria, Patience's face suffused with delighted nntlcipations, and some faint trace of her pleasure refiected in her cousin’s eyes. a It was a morning of joy to Patience, and she turned al- most pale with delight when they made a stop at the old Bra(ld0ck‘h0use. She knew all about the famous general who had made it his head- said, softly. “Oh, girls, it's so fascinating, I wish they’, co see it!" And the others smiled with unwanted sympathy upon her. Suppose it were they-in a far coun- try, away from their nearest and dearest! . But, after all, it soon began to pail upon them-this sight- seeing-as the day grew hot- ter and more oppressive. ' - ticnce would probably want to spend some time in the famous old Christ Church. They would better hurry her there and have it over, Matie managed to say in an aside to Leslie. . - Once in the old church, Pa- tience looked about her with owed interest. “I can't really believe I'm here,” she said. “ Oh, Leslie, do you suppose I could go and sit in Washing- ton's pew just for a moment?” “ We'll call the sexton. I ought to remem- nnturedly. show us the exact one. her it myself. it's slipped out of my mind." comfortable. Iler sister was already going “Why, yes," Leslie responiled, good- long," she said. IIe'll thinking how it all used to be." .&I.' .n.' . ..,..... N...’ , ngwas A MDRSISG 01-‘ JOY TO PATIENCE. “I just lost myself, “Oh, that‘s all right," I've been here before, but quickly. “Take your time." Leslie, “is that a dollar went a good dcal farther in those days than it does now. There! didn‘t I catch you nicely? Someone caught me on that a while ago, and I've been wait- ing for a chance to pass it on ever since.’ Somehow this very unre- markablc joke cleared the air. Patience finished her roll with a little smile on her face, but neither of the other girls could forget that look she had worn a few minutes before. They told mother about it in the evening, when they three were alone together. Pa- tience, up in her room, was linishing a letter to far-away India. I “Perhaps she felt home- sick," mother said, quietly. “ I suppose it overpowers her sometimes, the strangeness of it all here.” The girls were very quiet for a moment. Then Matie burst out with a vchcmcnce that had some unmistakable remorse in it. ‘ did want her, We had to have couldn't refuse, But here she lamcly, and Leslie spoke: “ I suppose we haven't done all we could to make her ands" “And I know I haven't," Matic added, promptly. “You've been better than I, slie" C. . Another silence (all. Then the mother said, “Do you know, girls, I am a little L95“? Said: afraid you haven't been drawing out the best of Patience. She's really a dear, lov- "YPS, (Rite 3'0!-ll‘ lime." I1<ld<‘d Mime. With able girl, and I've been thinking for some Matie's feet were beginning to hurt her an artilicialsmile that was intended to time we ought go mu; mg, 07“, --these warm days always made them ua- atone for her inhospitable thoughts. But, somehow, the spell was broken. Haven't you formed the habit of seeing the least attractive things in her? It is surprising broke off happy-at least I haven't-.