Part 35 (1/2)
”Suits to take exercise in, physical exercise.”
”Do they need special clothes to take exercise in? What's the matter with the clothes they got on?”
”They restrict the movements.”
”You mean they can't move their arms and legs. Fudge and fiddlesticks! Put them girls out to play and they'd move their arms and legs quick enough without fancy clothin'. If they can't move 'em with the exercises you give 'em, give 'em other kinds. It seems to me that if these people are as poor as you tell me, exercise ain't what they want. They want to learn things to help 'em pay the rent at home, or save a little money once in a while by makin' their things.”
Mrs. Harris was a little angry.
”I am sorry, Miss Doane,” she said stiffly, ”that you don't approve of our sewing-cla.s.s.”
”No, I don't approve of it. With a teacher like Daphne it's about as much use as squirtin' rose-water on a garbage tin. If the rest of your work is like this, I guess I'll go home--”
She started to leave the room, but at the door she stopped.
”What's that Daphne was tellin' me about a home for mothers in the country?”
The head worker's face brightened. Here she had something that would appeal to the old lady, who was reputed to be very fond of children.
”I am so glad you came to-day. I can show you some of the mothers we were hoping to take to the country. We want to enlarge our house, we can only accommodate twelve mothers with their children, and we should have a place for at least twenty-five, as we have so many applications.”
”How long do you keep 'em?”
”We try to give each mother a two weeks' vacation; and she brings with her the small children she cannot leave at home.”
”I like the idee. I like children and I like mothers, and from what I've seen it seems to me that it'd be heaven for these people to git away from the noise for a while. It most drives me crazy to hear it for an hour, and it must be awful to live with.”
”They get used to it; but they do need a change. Some of the poor mothers are completely worn out and break down in the hot weather. If they could get into the country, even for a short time, it would save many a life.”
”Pshaw, is it so bad as that?” said sympathetic Drusilla.
”Yes; this year is especially bad. We had hoped to have the money to build an additional wing to the house and take all our people; but we have not been able to get the money, so we have to tell a great many whom we have promised that they cannot go this year, and--I am afraid it will be a great disappointment.”
Here an inspiration came to Mrs. Harris.
”By the way, Miss Doane, I was going this afternoon to tell one of the mothers that she cannot go this year. Would you like to come with me, then you can see for yourself how very much the place is needed.”
Drusilla brightened.
”I'd like to go,” she said.
The worker hesitated.
”You are not afraid of contagion?”
”There ain't nothin' catchin' in the house, is there? I don't want to git the smallpox at my time of life, or the mumps--”
Mrs. Harris laughed.
”No, nothing as bad as that; but the tenements are not overly clean, you know.”