144 TROTTYS WEDDING TOUR.

was discouraged, and tried again and thought again and
planned again, and said, “If a girl of eighteen can’t earn one
hundred and four dollars, she ought to be ashamed of her-
self!” and was so very much ashamed of herself that one
day she shamed herself into a bright idea:

She kept it quite to herself, as people always should do
with bright ideas till the gloss is worn off, and they can see
how bright they really are; but she wrote a letter on the
strength of it, and that she did n’t keep to herself. She put it
into the post-office with her own hands that very night. It
ran like this : —

“ELEGANT ELECTROTYPER, Esq.

“Dear Sir, —I should like to see a specimen of your silver-
plating for domestic use, as advertised in the Every Evening of this
week. I enclose postage. Please send also one of your circulars

for agents.
“ Respectfully,

“ (Miss) Bers Burpey,
“ Northampton,
“ Mass.”

Four days after that Mr. Burden brought home from the
office a very plump letter for Beeb. She opened it, and a
little bottle fell out. It was her specimen bottle of silver-
plating.

“ Homeeopathy ?”’ asked her father. But Beeb went away
with red cheeks, and locked herself and her bottle and her
letter into her own room.