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MR. BRADBURY'S PLAN
By Hi Akers
"I think," said Mrs. Martin to her
rather wilful daughter; "you are
making a inistake not to accept Mr.
Bradbury.
"I think," anbwered Jean, "1 should
be making a bigger mistake to mar
ry a man 1 didn't love."
"Well, you certainly can't help re
specting him. The love will come in
time, lie is steady, energetic, a hard
worker, and is getting along finely
in the Harkness firm."
"Yes, I know all that," said Jean.
"And just because you do know all
that you'll throw him over for some
showy spendthrift who isn't half the
man he is."
"Don't you thing all this is rather
premature, inasmuch as Mr. Brad
bury has not yet proposed?"
"Well, you know he will. It's a
foregone conclusion."
"Yes, he seems to look at it that
way," said the girl- "That's a part
of his "colossal conceit"
"I have never noticed any conceit,"
said Mrs. Martin, with considerable
irritation.
i She .was silent for a minute or two,
then she added: "Jean, Ihaveiever
said much to you about our circum
stances. For a girl of 19 you have
seemed rather indifferent, I might
say, almost oblivious to the condi
tions of things."
"Why, mother!" exclaimed the girl
in a sudden alarm, "what has hap
pened?" "Oh, nothing especial. Only you
know the rates of interest have de
creased so that our income has gone
down one-third, the cost of living'has
gone up about one-half. If things
get any worse "
"I see," said the girl thoughtfully.
"I wonder I didn't think before. I
must find something to do. What can
I earn money at, do you suppose?"
"I don't know, I'm sure," was the
extremely discouraging reply.
"You remember," said Jean, "be
fore father died I used to type things
for him. Now there's the typewriter
in the storeroom. It is a good ma
chine and I can start in and practice
so as to get up speed. Perhaps I can
get a place in an office."
Here Mrs. Martin put up a wail,
even lapsing into tears at the
thought of her daughter becoming,
as she called it, "a shopgirl." But
Jean was determined, and the clicking-
of the typewriter keys began to
be heard for several hours each day.
Mr. Bradbury one evening found
Miss Jean at the machine, and Mrs.
Mr. Harkness' Face Expressed
Amazement.
Martin confided to him her wilful
daughter's determination to help
with the family income. Mr. Brad
bury seemed a trifle surprised that
such a course was necessary. Mrs.
Martin explained very -much as she
had to her daughter.
"I should hate to put a mortgage
on the property," she said. "It was
my husband's wish that the home
should always remain unincumbered."
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