The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-17

/ Culu CGIeu LHe llLlle one.
"Oh, how do you do, Mrs. Thorn 2" said
! Het.
Come here, Alice" said the woman
and grasped the child and bore her away.
Het laughed.
There were women. outside, women
she knew and who used to seem miser-
able to her. Now she went up to them
and spoke to them, and when some of
them held back she laughed again. All
this was experimental. There was no
room for her, surely.
Her face was very cheerful as she
walked away, followed by the glances of
the women. Her face was very cheerful
as she went along steadily, without
haste, no evidence of confusion about
her. She went past all the holiday haste
and confusion as far as the park and sat
down on bench there, looking straight
before her. Snowfakes dropped around
her, upon her; sparrows came close and
hoped to her feet, and she did not pay
any attention. The hours passed, 6
o'clock came and the whistles of fac
tories dischaFging- their hands for the
day. Morgan's hands were also dis
charged, she thought. She was miles
away from Morgan's, but she could see
one of the hands, thinner than he used
to be" going to his room, where he
Cooked for himself"
She flung up her head. She would not
think. A furrow came between her brows.
Six O'Clock! Labor had also stopped in
that picturesque" place from which she
had come in the morning, and-who had
called the place "picturesque| All, the
fy;,l IN, rsrI ,,DIro
of willing sacrifices!
She started to her feet She could not
rest. She had rested for two years. The
electric lights flashed out as she went
down the handsome avenue, her feet sore
from the unusual strain put upon them,
but tireless. She wondered if the pretty
girl lived in one of them. She walked
and walked, anywhere, anywhere, and all
round her were happy faced people, some
/ bearing huge trees of evergreen to be
trimmed tonight amid jollity and pleas
ure. Every body seemed to have bundles.
Wagons ratified past loaded down with
mysterious packages, and everything was
haste-happy haste. Lights glowed in the
windows of the houses brighter than on
any other night in the year. Delicious
scents of extravagant cookery assailed
her nostrils from areas. The sky had
cleared. Myriads of stars shone above
her. One in the east glowed like bea-
con. The star,in the east! All this hap
by preparation came from the first rising
of the star in the east! And tomorrow
would be Christmas day. Even the pic
turesque" place from which she had
come would have it's share in the re-
joieing.
Seven O'clock! Eight! Then she made
for one point, exhilarated, glad. Walking
and walking, she came to it. She was on
q bridge, where people paced in couples,
in groups-lovers, quarrelers and worse
Strangely enough, she thought again Of
the pretty girl in the car and wondered
II che" had called and met papa" She
looked over at the water. 1t was like the
crinkly hide of a creeping beast, oily,
thick.
Was there nothing else for her to do De-
fore that? Harry She faded away into
the gloom. A clock struck 81 How her
mother and Lizzie must be worrying!
She got into the region of Morgan's
and found a shop open and inquired
where Ludlow lived She found the
house The windows were all dark.
Harry must have back room, where he
sat and read after working hours. She
would like to have seen his window, just
for a moment to have singled out his
window.
She was still looking up at the front of
the house when the door opened. She
jumped aside. She thought it might be
Ludlow coming out and she could not
face him. But woman had come to the
doorway and stood there. Once more
Het looked up at the front Of the house.
Then she turned away. At the corner
she looked back The woman still stood
in the doorway, and the windows were
all black She rounded corner, and the
house was gone.
Now for the long cool rest, away
from thought and the dire effort to sup
press it, Her mother should have peace
Lizzie should not have living shame.
She was in the glare of an electric
light, and she sped across the street and
got into a hyway.
Then to the river-the river! Walk
ing, stumbling along she heard its plash,
its unrest, so monotonous that it was
like rest. She was under the bridge now,
creeping along by Shiny stones.
Hush! Was that some one following
No; it must have been her own feet over
the fints. She reached the corner of a
pier and looked down at the tide so near
her feet. Suppose that pretty girl in the
car should
A eclock struck 10! The train she
should have taken FOR the west was gone!
She looked up to the sky. Her eyes on
that eastern star she suddenly said
oil nth
companionship in the hour of her great
loneliness otherr'
Then, her arms outstretched, her body
swaying over the black river, one other
name rang out upon the night, Harry,
Harry, Harryp' and she let herself drop.
/ But there was an arresting force. She
| felt herself drawn back.
! "Hetty," a voice said, Il saw you.
! followed you knew this was the day
! when you would come from that place,
and was restless and walked the streets
| till now. My girl, you shall not keep me
| from you any longer. | love you more
today than | ever did before. Look at
rne, look at me, Hetty, my poor girl. my
dear wife. You shall keep Christmas
| with me-Christmas, the time of love
and-forgiveness"
Her head went back on his shoulder
| from sheer weakness, and his eyes look
ed down into hers 81 never did it." she
murmured family. II will tell you now,
when it is all over and only you and God
are near. 1t was poor father. You know
how he always wanted money. He came
to the Office one day when | was there
alone. and he took the money. Could |
tell mother, anybody 1t was better l
] !, I I. 1
| blessing me- but agreeing with me that
| ,,,t