The Wishing-Ring Man by Margaret Widdemer
page 33 of 283 (11%)
page 33 of 283 (11%)
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"I'm hurrying," she called superfluously back as she fled to the floor below. "Giving a dance tonight." Joy, most mousy-quiet in her chair, mentally registered another requirement toward being the kind of girl she ought to be. There were such lots of wonderful things to learn! She went to the Morrows regularly every day after that, six days in all. She told Grandmother where she was, not what she was doing. It didn't occur to her that Grandmother would mind, but she thought it would be pleasanter to surprise her, and say, "See the lovely dress I earned all myself, posing for the Morrows!" Meanwhile, Grandmother, pleased at her little girl's brightened face and general happiness of demeanor, asked no questions. "You've been one of the best models we ever had, my dear," said Mrs. Morrow in her deep, unceremonious voice, when the last day came. "And it occurred to me that you might be too hurried when the last day came to do your shopping yourself. So I just ran uptown and got your pretties for you." It was not for a long time that Joy discovered the regular pay of a model to be fifty cents an hour, and the sum total of her gray costume to have been--it was late for summer styles, so they were marked down--fifty-three dollars and ninety cents. But Mrs. Morrow had said to Mr. Morrow, who usually saw things as she did, even before she explained them: |
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