Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 February 1910 — THE “FUN.” [ARTICLE]

THE “FUN.”

New Girl Conldn’t Rear to Be Ashamed of Herself. Sadie Morrison’s fingers were darting back and forth over the trays of chocolates before her, but her elbow gave Katie Rocos a sharp nudge. Katie was “new.” She had been a candy packer only three days—new, and as yet despairingly slow and clumsy. Sadie nodded and pushed an empty box over to her. "Look Inside,” she whispered. Katie looked curiously. On the bottom of the box was scrawlerf: Sadie Morrison, 341 Cherry Street, Philadelphia. Please write. Katie stared at Sadie in perplexity. “I got six written while old Tompkins was down at the other end of the rqom,” Sadie declared, gleefully. "I’ll lend you my pencil if you want, but you’ll have |o be awful quick. You’d get fired if you were caught? I’ll do it for you if you want.” “But I don’t understand,” Katie said. Sadie snatched back the box and dexterously covered the bottom with the candies. “You are green, ain’t you?" she retorted, with amusement. “I’ll tell you at noon. My, but you’re slow this morning. Here, put these on your pile—l can make them up.” She pushed across three full boxes, and the two worked on till noon. At the sound of the whistle Sadie slipped from her stool, put her arm around Katie and whirled her off. "You putjsour name and address in the bottom of the box,” she explained, “and then sometimes fellows write. That’s the way Mae Brown got acquainted with Charley Slater. You should see the things he’s given her! Of course it’s only once in a while anybody gets an answer, but it’s awfully exciting. There are some of the girls—Mary Burnett’s kind—that are too prim and stuck-up. They say it’s dangerous, but I guess a girl knows how to freeze out a fellow if he isn’t the right sort. I can’t see any' use in being such a fuss. We call all girls that won’t do it the ‘fussy Marys.’" Katie’s small, pale face looked straight ahead. It seemed to have grown smaller and paler. She knew Mary Burnett by sight, and knew how she seemed to be “out of" things, but—"l guess I’ll have to be a ‘fussy Mary,’ top,” she said. Sadie turned in astonishment. "Well, that’s one on me!” she declared. "I always said I cpuld tell a fussy as soon as I could see one. Say,” she added, curiously, “what makes you, anyway? You will miss all the fun." Katie shook her head. She did not guess how great a thing she was saying as she stumbled over the words. ‘‘l guess it’s something in me—l can’t. I’d be ashamed some way. And I can't be ashamed of myself—l’d rather do without the ‘fun.’’’. “Well!” Sadie Morrison exclaimed.