Page:The Girl Who Earns Her Own Living (1909).djvu/296

 She wanted to make up her book and be ready to reach for her gloves and purse the instant the first bell rang.

Another instance:

"I can't understand why Jennie does not get along," murmured the mother of three girls, all wage-earners. "She was the brightest of my girls in school, always just slid from class to class without any apparent effort, while both Elizabeth and Helen had to work like Trojans, but now both of the tortoises are outstripping the hare. Jennie has been at Leyland's two years, and has had her salary raised just once, and that only a dollar a week."

This mother did not realize that the question which she propounded in one breath she answered with the next.

"She always slid from class to class without apparent effort."

That is the answer!

Jennie tried to introduce into the business world the same methods she had pursued at school. She was one of the clever girls who can skim through a lesson just before recitation hour, snatch at important points, and promptly forget all about them within an hour after school. She had a quick memory, but not a dependable, reliable one.

She never did anything thoroughly. What she did study failed to remain with her as per-