Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls

by L. Frank Baum

merits of the war. Thislasted, however, only while the United States preserved neutrality. Assoon as we cast our fortunes with the Allies, Mrs. Charleworthorganized the "Daughters of Helpfulness," an organization designed toaid our national aims, but a society cult as well. Under its auspicestwo private theatrical entertainments had been given at the Opera Houseand the proceeds turned over to the Red Cross. A grand charity ball hadbeen announced for a future date.

  It may easily be understood that when Mrs. Charleworth became apatroness of the Liberty Girls' Shop, and was known to have made sundrypurchases there, the high standing of that unique enterprise wasassured. Some folks perhaps frequented the place to obtain a glimpse ofthe great Mrs. Charleworth herself, but of course these were withoutthe pale of her aristocratic circle.

  Their social triumph, however, was but one reason for the girls'success; the youngsters were enticing in themselves, and they proved tobe clever in making sales. The first stock soon melted away and wasreplaced by new contributions, which the girls took turns insoliciting. The best residences in Dorfield were first canvassed, thenthose of people in moderate circumstances. The merchants were notoverlooked and Mary Louise took the regular stores personally incharge.

  "Anything you have that you can't sell, we will take," was her slogan,and most of the merchants found such articles and good-naturedlycontributed them to the Shop.

  "Sooner or later we shall come to the end of our resources," predictedAlora Jones. "We've ransacked about every house in town forcontributions."

  "Let's make a second canvas then," suggested Lucile. "And especially,let us make a second appeal to those who did not give us anything onour first round. Our scheme wasn't thoroughly understood at first, youknow, but now folks regard it an honor to contribute to our stock."

  "Yes," said Jane Donovan, "I had to laugh when Mrs. Charleworth askedMrs. Dyer yesterday what she had given us, and Mrs. Dyer stammered andflushed and said that when we called on her the Dyers were only rentingthe house and furniture, which belonged to the Dudley-Markhams, who arein South America; but, Mrs. Dyer added, they have now bought theplace--old furniture and all--and perhaps she would yet find some itemsshe can spare."

  "Very good," said Edna Barlow; "the Dyers are in my district and I'llcall upon them at once."

  "Have the Dyers really bought the Dudley-Markham place?" asked MaryLouise.

  "So it seems," replied Jane.

  "But--'it must have cost a lot of money."

  "Isn't the Professor rich?" inquired Josie O'Gorman, who was presentand had listened quietly to the conversation.

  "I-don't-know," answered Mary Louise, and the other girls forbore toanswer more definitely.

  That evening, however, Josie approached the subject when she and MaryLouise were sitting quietly at home and the conversation moreconfidential.

  "The Dyers," explained her friend, "were not very prosperous until theProfessor got the appointment as superintendent of schools. He was ateacher in a boys' school for years, on a small salary, and everyonewas surprised when he secured the appointment."

  "How did it happen?" asked Josie.

  Mary Louise looked across at her grandfather.

  "How did it happen, Gran'pa Jim?" she repeated.

  The old colonel lowered his book.

  "We haven't been residents of Dorfield many years," said he, "so I amnot well acquainted with the town's former history. But I remember tohave heard that the Herring political ring, which elected our Board ofEducation, proposed John Dyer for the position of schoolsuperintendent--and the Board promptly gave him the appointment."

  "Was he properly qualified?" Josie asked.

  "I think so. A superintendent is a sort of business manager. He doesn'tteach, you know. But I understand the Professor received his educationabroad--at Heidelburg--and is well versed in modern educationalmethods. Our schools seem to be conducted very well."

  Josie was thoughtful for a time, and after the colonel had resumed hisbook, she asked Mary Louise:

  "Who was Mrs. Dyer, before her marriage?"

  "That is ancient history, as far as I am concerned, but I heard thegirls talking about her, just the other day. Her family, it seems, wasrespectable but unimportant; yet Mrs. Dyer is very well liked. She'snot brilliant, but kindly. When we first came here, the Dyers lived ina little cottage on Juniper street, and it is only lately that theymoved to the big house they've just bought. Mrs. Dyer is now tryinghard for social recognition, but seems to meet with littleencouragement. Mrs. Charleworth speaks to her, you know, but doesn'tinvite Mrs. Dyer to her affairs."

  Next day Edna Barlow, after a morning's quest of contributions,returned to the Shop in triumph.

  "There's almost a truck-load of stuff outside, to be unloaded," sheannounced, "and a good half of it is from Mrs. Dyer--a lot of the oldDudley-Markham rubbish, you know. It has class to it, girls, and whenit has been freshened up, we're sure to get good prices for the lot."

  "I'm surprised that Mrs. Dyer was so liberal," said Mary Louise.

  "Well, at first she said the Professor had gone to Chicago on business,and so she couldn't do anything for us," replied Edna; "but I insistedthat we needed goods right now, so she finally said we could go up inthe attic, and rummage around, and take whatever we could find. My,what a lot of useless stuff there was! That attic has more smashed andbattered and broken-legged furniture in it than would furnish sixhouses--provided it was in shape. The accumulation of ages. But a lotof it is antique, girls, and worth fixing up. I've made the best haulof our career, I verily believe."

  Then Laura Hilton, who had accompanied Edna, added:

  "When Mrs. Dyer saw our men carrying all that stuff down, she looked asif she regretted her act and would like to stop us. But she didn't--wasashamed to, probably--so we lugged it off. Never having been used toantique furniture, the poor woman couldn't realize the value of it."

  "This seems to me almost like robbery," remarked Lucile, doubtfully."Do you think it right for us to take advantage of the woman'signorance?"

  "Remember the Cause for which we fight!" admonished Irene, from herchair. "If the things people are not using, and do not want, canprovide comforts for our soldier boys, we ought to secure them--if wehave to take them by force."

  The attic of the old house had really turned out a number ofinteresting articles. There were tables, stands, settees, chairs, and aquaint old desk, set on a square pedestal with a base of carved lions'feet. This last interested Josie as soon as it was carried into theshop. The top part was somewhat dilapidated, the cover of the deskbeing broken off and some of the "pigeonhole" compartments smashed. Butthere was an odd lot of tiny drawers, located in every conceivableplace, all pretty well preserved, and the square pedestal and the basewere in excellent condition.

  Josie open drawer after drawer and looked the old cabinet-desk overthoroughly, quite unobserved because the others in the shop wereadmiring a Chippendale chair or waiting upon their customers. PresentlyJosie approached Mary Louise and asked:

  "What will you take for the pedestal-desk--just as it stands?"

  "Why, I'll let Irene put a price on it," was the reply. "She knowsvalues better than the rest of us."

  "If it's fixed up, it will be worth twenty dollars," said Irene, afterwheeling her chair to the desk for a critical examination of it.

  "Well, what will it cost to fix it up?" demanded Josie.

  "Perhaps five dollars."

  "Then I'll give you fifteen for it, just as it stands," proposed Josie.

  "You? What could you do with the clumsy thing?"

  "Ship it home to Washington," was the prompt reply. "It would tickleDaddy immensely to own such an unusual article, so I want to make him apresent of it on his birthday."

  "Hand over the fifteen dollars, please," decided Irene.

  Josie paid the money. She caught the drayman who had unloaded thefurniture and hired him to take the desk at once to the Hathawayresidence. She even rode with the man, on the truck, and saw thebattered piece of furniture placed i
n her own room. Leaving it there,she locked her door and went back to the Shop.

  The girls were much amused when they learned they had made so importanta sale to one of themselves.

  "If we had asked Mrs. Dyer to give us fifteen dollars, cold cash,"remarked Laura, "she would have snubbed us properly; but the firstarticle from her attic which we sold has netted us that sum and Ireally believe we will get from fifty to seventy-five dollars more outof the rest of the stuff."

  Mrs. Charleworth dropped in during the afternoon and immediately becameinterested in the