A Good Girl.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 428, 14 December 1889, Page 6

A Good Girl.

Somkuody asks a question about an ideal girl, and there seem* bo be no answer. 'An imaginary model of perfection ' and a gay, helptul, hopeful, often mistaken but progieseing young creatme, just this side of womanhood, seem to have but little 1 elation to one another at first thought. Yet, which of us has not known a girl to ptaise and love and sel as copy tor other girls — a young, thoughtful Mary, or busy AJattha, who tilled her place in life well and charmingly ? I can think ot one just now, whom I should like to have a great many other girls see as she goes to and fio about her work in her father's and mother's house Her name is Dolly Franklin, and bho lives in Boston, but not in the city itself. Her home is in one of the new streets which have been made through an old estate in Roxbuiy where only two or three years ago there were fields and even pasture ground, and wild thickets, and flowers that one would never think ol looking for so near a great town. Now, there are ten wooden houses on one side of the street, and ten onJj the other, built by the same plan, and, as thOT real estate agent's notice said, 'commodious, modern, ana elegant, and for rent at>e.\cessivoly moderate rates.' The trouble was that of the three adjectives only the second was true of the little houses, and as for the rent it was as high as tho real estate agent and the owner dared to make it. Mr Franklin, Dolly's lather, knew that it would not be easy to pay so many dollars a quarter, but he was tempted by two things : there was a lovely view of tho lower country and the salt water from the windows, of the front* bedroom upstairs, and in the front yard there was a beautiful young, linden tree which had grown on the lawn, through w-hich this new street had laeen made, Some of the other houses had tiees too, but not many of them, and Mr ; Franklin had always thought that if he had I a place of hi? own he would plant a linden 1 tree in front of it. There was a bit of ground behind each house where one might have a very small garden, and thero was a narrow strip for flowers at tho side next the driveway to the shed. The little home looked much pleasanter than any other in the double row For some reason it seemed the only one with any individuality to it. Whether tlm was on account of the linden tree nobody could tell ; but when Mr Franklin went upstairs and looked out of the windows in the June sunset, and thought what a high, dry, sunshiny place it would bo for his sick wife, he determined to risk paying the extra rent and to save the money for it some way or other. Dolly, who had come out with him in the open hor.se car, was sure that they could not do better. Tney had to leave their house in town because a large apartment house was going to be built on the land, I and indeed nobody was very sorry. The street was dark already, because a high block of buildings had lately been put on the other side. Dolly ran up to her mother's room as soon as they came back, and told about the new house with great enthusiasm. It seemed as if it were already theirs, and Mrs Franklin listened, and tried hard to make it clear just which room had the great closet with shelves and drawers, and which opened o f i the back entry, and had two windows to the west, and pretty paper with the blue and pink morning glories. 'It is so nice to have you here to see about it all, Dolly,' said Mrs Franklin, when ft 6 last the chapters of description seemed to be coming to an end. • I am thankful,' insisted young Dolly. ' I knew that father ought to have one of us to go with him and see about it ; he would get a house that was either too big or too litf/le, and truly, all he cared about to-day was the tree in tho front yaid and the view out of your window.' ' How old are you, Dolly ?' inquired her father unexpectedly, while everybody laughed at him. Bob was thero too, a blustering brother of twelve. ' I'm sixteen,' said Dolly. ' I suppose you'll be in school these three years yet ?' said Mr Franklin soberly. 'I begin to grudge the time. It seems to me me that we ought to have you right here.' •Oh no !' said Dolly's mother quickly, but Dolly's face shone with a new light ; she began to speak and then checked herself in a steady grown-up way, and skipped on downstairs, to see that her mother's supper was ready in season. There was no fire yet in the kitchen, the house girl had not come in though she had faithfully promised to return from an errand within a few minutes of three o'clock, when Dolly had set forth with her father. She was not reliable, this girl, and she was very incompetent, but nobody had known how to get a better person in her place. Housework is a business which is seldom learned as other businesses are. One wonders, when so much well-being depends upon it, why so

few people bake real pride in their honourable employment. Dolly Franklin folt very cross for a minute. She had helped Lizzie Gregg a long time that morning bo that sho could go out early; but there was no use faultfinding, and she whisked a big apron out of a drawer, and Bob Rindley went down collar for kindlings, and made a crackling lire with ever so many matches and at least three newspapers, so that tea was ready in good season, and Dolly was just goinpr up- | stairs with her mother's 1 ttle tray when the dallying Lizzio came in. That night Dolly went to bed early, and for once did not go to sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. This young head was full of plans, and yofc sho thought that the bright June moon was making her wakeful because it shone into her little room. She had been away from home at school for two years, and she did not think that it would be right to stay away any longer. To be sure, the school was free, but Hiero wero many little expenses, and it cost much more than if she stayed at home. The question was, whether she were really gaining enough in every way to make it worth while. She had been living with her father's* sister whilo sho went to pchool, and this had been vory pleasant, but her aunt had often said that sho meant to take soruo other young girl to live with her in school days when Dolly's school days were over, &o that she would not be too much missod. Dolly likod her lessons and liked her schoolmates still better ; she had always supposed until that night that she should graduate with her class.