The San Francisco call., 1895-12-22

and then, there was child's necklace
put up-a string of coral beds with tiny
enameled clasp. / glanced at myneigh-
Dor, thinking it was that it was that in
| which she was interested. but no; she
evidently cared nothing for it. In few
minutes l felt her touch me on the arm.
l looked around and smiled. She said:
| Lady, would you be afraid to bid on
anything?" I told her I wouldn't, and
| then she asked: 'sIf start. and don't get
| right, will you straighten me?" I prom
ised. Then 1 heard her say: 81 had
| enough to pay for the ticket, but a hand
SOM thing like that, well-there's no tellin'
| W at some of these fashionable folks will
! do"
Suddenly the auctioneer said: 81 am not
| in the habit of selling dry goods, but"
There was hush. and for once the brokers
were silent. And I knew, in some queer
way. some inexplicable way. that what my
| neighbor had come for was put up. 1t
was not diamond ring, it was not a beau
tlful watch, 1t was not long gold chain,
| 1t was only-a mourning veil. For sec
ond, and it seemed like an hour, nobody
bid. Then the auctioneer said, Wont
| somebody start this?' Somebody did for
30 cents. In second my neighDor was on
her feet, and it was raised to IS cents. Her
opponent called out 81. She raised it a
| quarter. He made it 81 so. She raised it
down, the tears streaming down her face.
l heard her say, II amt got penny more,
an l can't get it."
lifted my muff way up in the air. The
auctioneer saw it and the veil was knocked
down to me for So so. She looked at me
| quickly. She saw the smile on my face,
| the smile that struggled with tears for
Grasping my gloved hand in her rough,
bard one she said, "I'll work it out. :"
But whispered good-by, gave my card to
| her and was glad that mad been of use to
some body in the world.
The next morning | went in to pay my
| bill, and the cashier said to me: There is
a woman here; a woman who was here
when we opened the door. and she is wait
ing for you." It was my friend of the day
before. felt that she was unusual in her
desire to say "thank you," for experience
has taught me that thanks are the scarcest
thing in this world, and yet they cost the
least. But here she stood. stiff and starved
looking, and with the precious veil in her
hand. After the ordinary thank you she
said to me, "You must let me pay you tie
money I've got, lady, and, as l told you
yesterday, I'll work out the rest" | told
her it was not necessary, that was glad to
think had been able to make her happy.
And then she began to cry.
She said: "It mayn't seem much to you,
but it's great deal to me. Times has
been hard with me, else this'd never gone
into the pawnshop. I'm common, lady
but had girl and you'd never thought
she was my girl. And she was like you
and the other ladies and wore soft furs,
and dresses that rustled, and always had a
nice perfume all around her. She was
pretty when she was baby, and when her
father died some kind people got the Sis
ters interested in her and they took her in
the school for nothin An she was so
bright and pretty that they taught her to
play on the piano, an she could sing and
talk to the laundress that lives in the
same house with US, and who comes from
way off across the sea, just as well as she
could to me, though the langwidges was
different. l always thought she was goin'
to be q teacher, an when she come home
to my poor place, just one room, used to
think how comfortable we'd be when she
got situation an we could take cheap
little fiat and enjoy ourselves. But no,
she said she was goin' to be an actress. l
don't know how she managed it. No, /
never went to see her act. Somehow it
didn't seem right to me. But she sent for
me once, an 1 went to big hotel an
there she was lookin' like queen, an she
told me she was married an showed me
the picture of a handsome young man. An
she wanted to give me some money, but
said: No, my dear, know jess how fussy
some son-in-laws are. an this one shan't
say that your mothers interferin' with
YOU
81 could always keep myself decent, but
just made up my mind I'd have to give