San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-09-14
FORTY DOLLARS.

.aver spent 30 much Oh any oioss, anu
-, have the dress. I hate to seem
',oss nv dear, but with so many bust
ass men failing every day, one sees
.ho wisdom of economy. Explain, my
dear"
swell, papa said Emma, "its just
.h;s. Madame Farine says that 1 need
An Yards of trimming at four dollars
ID The dress is half finished, and
,sally money goes so. There were
.,ber things to get. I'm ashamed to
ost but I was obliged to do So"
4very well, my dear" replied the
,,srchant, "there is the money, but I
don't think you'll need any more be-
io,s Christmas. Times are not good,
.or know, and-dear me forty dollars
;or a trimming! Women are getting
worse than ever!"
Emma Rome slipped the roll of notes
into her purse with the feeling that it
wos dearly bought; but fate has placed
90 MANY women in the condition of
hecpars, and it is 80 customary to do as
Emma did, that she almost wondered
ottbe little pang which shot through
hor heart. Besides, her father seemed
n forget the matter soon, and she knew
.hot he was called rich; that, actually,
to,tv dollars was but small sum for
him. So, breakfast over, and MIR.
Rome off for that mysterious region
known as "down town." she dressed
berself becomingly and started on her
shopping expedition. On the way
thoughts of her new dress ran through
her mind. She intended to wear it on
an occasion which to her seemed very
important. Some one was to be pres
emit whose opinion she valued-some
one she herself admired very much. a ass
Thus absorbed, she suddenly found
berself several blocks below her desti-
nation. There was nothing for it but
TO walk back, and the way lay through
streets filed with miserable tenement
houses. The fashionable girl hurried
along until, all at once, she found
sort of barricade across the street. The
middle object of this barricade was
sewing machine, to which, on one side,
chung woman, on the other man.
The woman was crying; the tears
splashed down on her hands. An at
tendant crowd of residents contempla-
ted this scene with evident interest,
and Emma Rome became, perforce one
of their number. .r#. .,s
Scarcely ever in her life before had
Emma Rome been in close contact with
actual misery...Poor, to her, maent not
rich. Now she was among rags and
dirt and misery, forced to stand still
for moment and look upon it. At first,
the only emotion it excited was dis
gust. But as she was about to seek
passage through the sqallid crowd,
words fell upon her ear that arrested
her attention. .-
"Forty dollars I've paid on that ma
chine, and nowl you'll not give me time.
I'm an honest woman. I'll pay you.
Man, do you know it's all there. is be-
us and starvation? Let me have the
thing back. It's but ten dollars l owe
you" -
you've owed that two months, re-
piled the man. "Come, let go, Missus.
I don't want to hurt you. I've got to
obey orders. Money or the machine
was what the boss said"
But the woman did not relinquish
her hold. Still clutching the machine,
she tured h recognizing eyes upon the
by.standers.
Forty dollars" she repeated. "and
the machine but fifty, and he's taking
it. I never failed until Jim broke his
leg, and his work stopped, and his wa
ges with it, and I'd doctors bills and
ALL"
"No, that she didn't" cried a voice
from the crowd. SIN knowing to her
honesty" ...
sand he'd better be off with his cart,
cried man who had stalked out of
the entry of the house near which the
crowd had gathered, rolling up his
sleeves.
Look here, good people, explained |