Show THE GREEN JACKET By EMMA A OPPER I Gertrude Olney and Alida Coryell and Ben Stacy rapped at Miss Lub bocks door There wa to be a corn festival for the benefit of the school library and the hIgh school boys and girls were soliciting contributions for It Ordinarily Miss Lubbock would have been glad to see Gertrude she had sewed for the Oneys for Fears and she and Gertrude wen good friends But the little seamstress met them with a clouded face The reason was plain walked part Way home with her She wanted to say something Alida she saId you know that 15 that 111 Patterson dunned Miss Lubbock for thIs mornIng Well Im SO SorrY for her that II cant stand It She cant pay it poor Miss Lubbock and Ive just made up my mInd that Ill pay it for her You said Alida her eyes stretched Yes me falc1 Gertrude firmly It got to be done thats all But you see Ive only got the lO father gave me I for my jacket I Gertrude Olney sairl Alida her jaw dropped You dont meluGer trudc Oney ItS all there is to do said Gertrude I Ger-trude simply and Im going to do it But that 10 is all I have and the bill uilJ it1 Ig 1d i is 15 and I thought Alldayou were there thIs morning when it happened 1 and I thought maybe youd want to give a little towards it said Gertrude Goodness said Alida < I Not unless you want of course said Gertrude thinking how full AUd1s pocketbook always was You do think of the funniest I things saId Alida looking injured 1c just spent 3 for slmtcsand I Never mind said Gertrude turning backhen When Gertrude said to her father and mother and her brother Hugh that evening that she was going to pay a I Ji jt 4 n a > s 1 1 Lr I M I 1I I V 1 I I ff1 I all I I V I 1 j l1L j Lfl I I i I r I L 1 I 1 btwt I IT IS REALLY PERFECT GERTRUDES MOTHER SAID the throe young people saw that Mr Patterson was there IJeforc them 111 Patterson was a prosperous hardware hard-ware dealer with a name for being dose He had not finished his errand er-rand evidently Its fifteen dollars Miss Lubbock lie said There was your sitting room stove and Ute tin root 011 the itch eli I know taid lisa Lubbock her lace Hushed Its ben a onsideralllc while its ben owing said Mr Patterson I know It has worried me Mr Patterson re tried to pay you 1 Nits Lubbock gUlled and was silent Well Mr attersoll said as Jle nse I just thought Id stop in God mornin Goo morning said the poor little tCamstress Bel face kept its suffering suffer-ing redness and Gertrude could se IlCr lips tremble We cam Miss Lubbock Uida he cnn to ask you for a contribution To ask poor Miss Lubbock for a contribution con-tribution now Gertrude interrupted 4 hastily and talked with anxious cheer fuiness for several minutes and then 4 marshaled Ben and Alida out at the doorSa Sal Bell said feelingly he was rough on Miss Lubbock wasnt le Asking her right before all of us He was just terrible said Gertrude Ger-trude warmly Alida Cor ell however forgot Miss Lubbock speedily lien Ben had ift them she asked Gertrude when she Was going to Calleton to buy her new jacket Next Saturday said Gertrude Dark green you said said Alida That what I want You know Gertrude Explained I do really need a jacket Alida looked as if he agred 10 that lidas father wat welloff lnd Alida md new jackets frequently But I shouldnt care so much about n said Gertrude If Aunt llalina Haworth 1asnt coming Aunt Mal i1a Haworth was Gcrtrudes mothers aunt and < she spent a fortnight with tlwm every spring I do want to look nice when Aunt Ualina comes Gertrude Ger-trude confessed she is used to having everything lovely Yes indeed said Alida with full understanding Go to lUckers they save the nIcest coats there Gertrude had indeed taken comfort thinking about that new jacket She lens a pretty girl tall for her age and pretty clothes were becoming to her Her father had already given her the HO he thought 1m could afford to let IILI spend for her jacket Today however Gertrude thought about soniethilig besides greets jackets Nether she said when we went tot to-t Mlss Iubboks Ipr a contribution for the corn festival Mr Patterson was there trying to rolled 15 that Mts Lubbock ops Iim Oh flear said tier mother figlit I before us said Gertrude i 1nd Miss Lubbocc feit dreadful Her tte sas as red us fire The poor little woman said her notlHr She is as honest as the clay Is long and there is no harder worker but it is l1i11lcult for her to make both ends meet She used to knit hoods for me and 5cufs said Gertrude and when I had diphtheria she helped you tale care of me Shes just splendid I Yes she is said her mother All through dInner Gertrude was thoughtful Strange that she could see clearly but one thinII85 Lub lJks shamed and pitiful face Queer that she could think of nothing but heir mhMlhlP It vtes that Miss Iub leek should owp L hIlI she i as unable Is pay to so hued a mall as tIr Pat tTIon YarmlHart girl that Gertrude Was it worrIed her and she really bc Heved that there was but one way in which that worriment could he re Heed and that would be by managing somehow or ether to get that bill paid for Miss Lubbock Mother said she abruptly does my jacket look very bad Not at all said her mother r wore it all last wInter SaJd Ger e 1rude Yell She put on her hat t md went to the postoffie for the noon if mail mailthdnCoryeIl wus there and Gertrude ri > 8 7 < w ibri tlilli iS j bill for Uss Lubbock with tile money she lad Intended to spend for a jacket I and that the bill was 15 and that she would lIke to mise the other 5when Gertrude said thIs the family smiled I at each other and did not say very much Right actions and kind deeds were so fretluent and common ilL the One family that nobody gushed over them Gertrudes father silently took 3 from his pocketbook and handed It to her Ill give 1 said Hugh and his mother PromptlY subscribed the other If your jacket wears out Gerty said Hugh Ill lend you my oVercoat 01 mother will let you take her old Paisley shawl said her father And there are always horse blankets blan-kets and the buffalo robe said her mother She put her arm around Gertrude Ger-trude I lviii make your jacket seees smaller dear saId she and make a new collar and it wIll look beautiful II Gertrudeto the money bright and early on Monday morning and went down to Mr Pattersons store Ill Patterson she said I have come to pay you that bill of Miss Lub bocks that 15 rouhave said Mr Patterson blankly You What for Because said Gertrude I am so sorry for Iiss Lubbock She would hayS paid iou Mr Patterson if she < could have and I want to pay yOU for ilerMr Mr Patterson regarded her dumbly Is It your money he asked Ten dollars of it Father and I mother and Hugh gave the rest Gertrude I Ger-trude answered Mr Patterson reddened slowly He said he would give her the receipted bill and turned to his desk hI pose youll take it to her he saidYos yes said Gertrude Im going now But Mr Patterson called her back when she was almost out at the door Look here he said I kind of hate to have you pay tha1 money It seems funny for a little girl lIke you to to and Mr Patterson frowned dour ward at his feet I dOIlt really know he saId as I it behooves you and your family te do that for Miss Lubbock any more than It does for me Dont really spose youre any better able to I know shes h nest and I know shes In poor cir cuspgtanees and I didnt mean to be hara 011 her Tell you what Ill do I know her front steps want mendIng up and I liiow tier woodshed leaks Ill send a man to fix up the steps and Ill put a tin roof on tier woodshed Ill do that for heror for you said 1110 Patterson and bent a look of actual act-ual warmth upon Gertrude and you can tell her I will Gertrude looked back at him with stonlihment and joy For Ill Fatter SJII it was size mew a great a very grant thing Oh thank you sac said Ana she and Mr Patterson sholle ltl1Jd Bias tacq joined 11cr going home from cIwo c that noon I hear you are going to pay that bill for Miss Lublloclt AlIda COOcll told me so She said you were going to do that in stad of buying you a new jacket he said ltslzutly Goodness gracIous said Gertrude warmly impatient with Allda Carvell She thinks youre awfully funny but I dont said Ben I think youre l118t2ate I was awfuiiy sorry for Miss Lubbock myself Say Jet me give a little towards It Gertrude I can as wtlll as not and Id like to Thank you Bn but its all done r paid Mr Patterson this morning and took the bill to Miss Lubbock re clipted and oh Ben you ought to have seen her when I gave it to her She couldnt say anything she put her arms around me and cried and I cried too said Gertrude Yell Ben Stacey said thoughtfully thoughtful-ly and with determInation Im going to do something for Miss Lubbock anyhow any-how If you can I can and you see If I dont Are you sorry you didnt get your jacket Gertrudes mother asked her a week late No iad t2ertrude stobtly Youe i b < a fixed up my ether one splendidlY mother No Im not sorry one bIt I I was down to see Miss Lubbock thIs morning said her mother and she took me outside the first thing to show me her new front steps and the new tin roof on her woodshed That is what 111 Patterson has done for her And I there was the cord of wood that Ben I Stacey ordered for her and went down I himself and pIled up in her shed And she said what Is true that It has all come of your paying Mr Patterson that bill billI I suppose it has Gertrude admitted I admit-ted and theres one thing more Alida Coryelh told me shed been thinkIng I think-Ing it over and she asked her father I if he wouldnt take IlIss Lubbock some I of their red Spitzenbergs and hes goIng go-Ing to take her a bushel of them and i some cabbages and turnIps too I It is really remarkable One young girl said her mother does a kInd and generous thIng and ho There mother said Gertrude They were makIng ready for aunt lIalvina Haworth She came the neat day and filled the house immediately with her wholesome cheerful presence Aunt Malvina was not a very old lady though she had grandchildren SealskIn cloak and diamond earrings I ear-rings Hugh said to Gertrude Dont she look splendid If you aInt rIch ollrsef its kind of nice to know somebody that Is aint it They all sat that evenIng in a jOlly circle and visited How both you children have grown said aunt lIalvina I believe Gertrude you are as tall as Edith and Edith is 18 Edith was aunt Malvinas granddaughter I think said aunt Malvina with peculiar interest that you are quite as tall as Edith Possibly a little alan derer butwell I will go right and get it now It is in my trunk And she rustled out of the room mysteriously It is a jacket she said returning that I bought for Edith but it was a I little snug for her across the shoulders and it didnt quite suit her anyhow She wanted a black one she had seen I with fancy cuffs and collar you know Edith Is a spoIled monkey saId her Indulgent grandmother laughing And I so I gave her the money to buy it and I told her I should bring this one and see if It fitted you Gertrude I despise de-spise sending thIngs back to the stores when once youve bought them said aunt Ialina who always made presents pres-ents however valuable with the same offhand manner Try it on Yellwellcll cried Hugh Well well Gertrudes father echoed His eyes twinkled And her mother laughed softly It was a dark green jacket lined with red silk the material was the finest and it was heavily and beautifully braided It was Gertrude realized staring at it with wide bewildered eyes one of the handsomest coats she had ever seen I do believe it fits saId Aunt Iavina She buttoned it she scanned it closely and eagerly cii she pro nounccd with profound satisfaction If that isnt a beautiful fit Now Isnt it You would think it had been made for her said Gertrudes father Talk about the paper on the wall saId Hugh eyeing it It is really perfect Gertrudes mot er said Hugh pUlled Gertrude before the glass There Would yOU know yourself your-self Dont you look like a swell though Gertrude looked Oh Aunt Mnl vina she said I dont know what to say Oh what shall I say She caught her mothers smiling eyes Vii mother she pedand its green Its green Hugh echoed hurrah They were standing around her in an admiring ring and Instigated by Hugh they joined hands and circled around her in a sort of rejoicIng ardancc Aunt Ialina and all Hooray Hugh shouted Hoora Its STeen Gertrudes mother was laughing till her cheeks were red But she looked proudly at her pretty daughter and there wa a miiitlness in her eyes that did not come ot laughter If l were to tell you Aunt Malvina she said why your beautJIu present IS so singularlY welcome and why WI are all 50 glad so very glad for Ger trades sake There Dont mother Gertrude protested Go on mother Hugh shouted Ill tell if you dont And he did tell Aunt lalvlna made no remark but she stroked the welltltting shoulders of the jacket and smoothed the sleeves ann put her arms round Gertrude aaL kissed her |