Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III BLEAKDALE ECONOMICS Mrs. Simkins returned from the city rather late, hungry and altogether worn out, but bringing with her, besides a few table supplies, the dress pattern of plain white lawn which had been the chief object of her visit down town. She had started bravely on her search for something suitable yet cheap, going from store to store without finding just what she wanted until she became so tired she had almost to drag herself along. She had seen two or three pieces she might possibly decide upon could she find nothing better, but she would wait and go back after she had tried a few other places. It must have been the fifth (or was it the sixth or seventh?) store where she had inquired, with a hesitancy more of weariness than of timidity, although she was not just at her ease on the city streets, for " some lawn, some nice plain white lawn for a graduatin' dress — not too dear, about five cents"— that the clerk to whom she addressed this set query, a woman of about her own age, instead of immediately leading ner to a pile of loosely woven material, inquired with real interest: " You have a daughter in this year's class ? " " Yes, Emma Simkins, my oldest child." " I think I have just what you want. I, too, have a daughter being graduated this year. I bought her a dress off the same piece. I'm sure you'll like it. We've had the piece in the store a good while, and it's a little shopworn, so it's on the bargain counter." The kind-hearted clerk turned to see if her apparently weary customer were following as she made her way to the rear of the store. " Now, if you don't want to put very much into a dress and yet feel you must have something fine, this is just what you want," and she added with warm friendliness, " that's just why I chose off this good...