Show BESSIETHE lILKDIAID A little cirl in the milk business Who ever heard of such a thing Yet I such a business is being carried on suc I cessfuly out or school hours by a bright little girl in New Jersey aged l H And it all began so unexpectedly and in the smallest possible waylke many another successful venture I happened two summers ago that Bessies small baby sister fell ill and there was much agitation in the family circle when the doctor attributed it to the cow whose milk the baby had been drinking When Bessie heard her mother giving instructions to one of their men to scour the country and purchase a cow at any price she announced an-nounced that she was goIng with him to I pick out a cow good enough for baby The mother kindly refrained from suggesting sug-gesting that the chids opinion might not be worth anything andstarted her off on her Quest Whether it was the grooms good judgment or Bessies IntuiUon the I family has not yet decided at all events a splendid Holstein was discovered discov-ered In the neighborhood but alaS the j farmer refused to part with her though he was easily persuade to sell the milk if they cared to send after it Then it was that Bessie came forward and astonished the farmer by telling him she should come for It herself She looked like such a bonnie little lady sittngso straight on her poy that he never thought ofoppaslng herneiher did the groom who was used to her independent In-dependent ways So he made an ar r ngement with the farmer which was I to be permanent if the milk proved satisfactory sat-isfactory and Bessie bore home In trl umph to her mother a small paiful of milk The milk did prove satisfactory and for a month or mare an energetic little maiden mounted her pony and galloped down the county road at 4 oclock In C the morning But she did not gallop home agnno indeed A paIful of milk must be carried with crcumspec ion The pony never quite understood why his little mistress held him in check when the air wasso sweet and fresh and his > feet just tingled to flyover fly-over the ground again And this was not all for Bestle had learned to mik She thought I the most fascinating occupation oc-cupation she had ever experienced and a pretty picture it was in the farmyard to 1ee her firmly planted on her stool filling the shining pail with foaming milk the farmer standing by and sometimes some-times lending a hand the cow and the pony exchanging glances a much a to say What a dear clever little thing she Is to be sure But Bessie was not thinkIng of the picture she made it was her father who thought of it when he rode over with herone morning morn-ing ingHer Her mother called the cow Bessies own and that put an Idea hto the childs head So when her father returned re-turned from the city one day Bessie asked him to buy her a cow for her very own and then take milk from her so that she might earn some money She did not need money in the least of course for her father more than supplied sup-plied her wants but her evident desire to tn her small hand at business in tere ted her father who liked to see his children show originality Accord ingl he talked the mater over with her Quite seriously as if she were a I grown woman instead of a sturdy lit I tie maiden not reaching much above his I elbow I being one of his theorIes that fl I good business principles could not too i early 1mplanted in the minds of I boys ana this wise father did not 1 give a cow to Bessie but lent her the money to buy one agreeing to take milk from her at the market price I And that was how Bessie began She actually persuaded the farmer to sell her the Holstein to which he had become I be-come greatly attached and In six months she had paid for the cow ad bought another She got the neighbors to take milk from her and so rapidly has her business and her stock increased in-creased that now at the end of two year she owns ten cows and four of the prett st little calves ever seen Her sister aged 10 has been taken Into the businessnot into partnership Bessie Is not quite prepared for that yet but she pays her a salary and gives Sod wages to the man who takes carp of the stock And her crowning achievement up to date is the barn she has built on a pasture her father gave her I is not all paid for yet but it will be in anQther six months Though new a proud little property owner she is still the same little milkmaid milk-maid for she and her sister assist with the milking every morning All this has in no wise been allowed to interfere with her school worka judicous father and mother have guIded her with firm handsand it is noticed that Bessie takes Innniely more paIns over her writing lessons and arithmetic itha of yore Indeed her father thinks her very keen at bookkeeping into the mysterIes of which be is inItatng herand laughIngly laugh-Ingly says she will son have no further fur-ther use forhm for he now lets her doa do-a god bIt of it herself This keeping accounts is no small feature of her business already she has learned to make out monthly bills which are vIewed wIth admiration by those af her cusloners who recognize her childish sprawling hand Shes 1P wlth the larks and to bed with the hlclcens Bessle the milk maida sturdy rollicking practical child And when at school they ask her for a maim sh says unhesltat Irigly EarlY to bed ana early to rtee rie Makes a girl healthy vealty and wise > t S FRAN1ES WEST n A FRANCE W bN 1TT I 0 t 1 |