Page:Lippincotts Monthly Magazine-94.pdf/774

 “TOOTIE” ON INCREASED EFFICIENCY BY CAROLYN WELLS Author of “Anybody But Anne,” etc.

OOD morning, Miss Bodkin. Come right on in. Excuse my having my head in a bowl of water,

but I've been shampooing my hair, and now I'm rinsing it in clear rain water. Oh, excuse me! Did I spat

Yes, you go ahead.

Of course I

can't see anything with my head in this bowl, but I have to rinse it thor

oughly or my hair stays all stiff. Can't you be selecting designs or

planning out trimmings or cutting a lining or something till I can get my ting the rain water! You know it's head out? My gracious! there goes ter you? Such a time as I had get

been so dry for weeks, and then yes terday it poured cats and dogs. So I said, “Now is my chance,” but I couldn't collect much water, after all.

The leaders leak, and we don’t

have a regular cistern. I think they ought to pipe rain water into people's houses. Or I’d like to build a water shed. I think that would be more useful than our artesian well.

No, I don't often shampoo my own

the soap-dish on the floor!

It's

awfully awkward doing one's own hair! Yes, Miss Bodkin, do help me a minute. I thought you'd offer sooner. Suppose you wrap this towel round my head, while I get the soap out of my eyes. Oh, stop, Miss Bodkin! You've let all my wet hair fall down the back of my neck! Oo oh ! It feels like a wet alligator! Take another towel ! My kimona is

hair, but I’ve been reading so much

dripping wet all down the back!

about Lost Motion and Increased

Now you go back to your cutting out, and I'll twist this Turkish towel

Efficiency, that I made up my mind I'd try to accomplish more things at

once.

So, as you were coming to

day, I decided to have you fit my frocks, and I’d do my hair at the same time, and meanwhile make notes for my paper to read at the club. Usually, one wastes so much time when a dressmaker is in the

house, and now that I’m studying the

Ethics of

Standardization,

round like a turban.

There!

Now

I'll see about the sewing, and I'll dry my hair afterward. Sometimes I stick my head out of the skylight to dry, but there's no sunshine to-day. It's fun when Tottie May shampoos the same day and sticks her head out of her skylight. We can shout across quite easily. The last time she said

I

Oh, yes, I am going to give you

want to do my part in the World's Uplift, I’m sure. Do you know, I used to be awful wobbly-minded, but

your work. Now, let me see—this peach-colored chiffon—yes, I think

I've learned to discard vain dreams

—I bought it at such a bargain. My hair has all tumbled down! And it's still dripping wet! Oogh! It feels like a dozen raw oysters had slipped down my back! Well, I'll

and achieve results. all in a book.

Oh, yes, it's

I read it as fast as I

could tear through it, and it helped me like everything.

we'll do this first.

124

It was a remnant