The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-03-17

done up there in the basket in the
corner"
Il don't want to go" said Mary FL
len. sullenly.
Don't want to gor' cried Mary Ell
len mother. ScOrching a handkerchief
as she held her hot iron still in aston
lshment. Don't want to go? I didn' t
ASK We, miss. whether We wanted to go
or not. Ia have known We didn't want
10 go. Since we've been in the factory
It's little We want to DO anywhere else
Aere ashamed, | suppose to be takin'
nome the wash ye amt ashamed to
have yer mother dom. Don't want to
go, indade. miss
Mrs. McNulty's tongue was as tire
less as her hard and misshapen hands
ana as slarp as her keen eyes. He
Grafton might have continued muCl
longer had not Mary Ellen broken in
with sudden and unexpected flash o.
spirit
An I amt agoin', either" she said
Selling her hat. of a Satiddy too, tn,
only day / have for a little pleasure!
With Which declaration of indie
pendence she dashed through tn
door and was picking her way through
the babies in the narrow hall before
Mrs. McNulty had recovered speech
again. Then she sighed a little and
shook her head.
She might have stayed and helped
me, she said. Jim DOwd wouldn't
think less of her for it. I s'pose she
imagines don't know what's the mat
ter with her, with her airs an her
graces an her new ties an her sittin'
up till midnight to copy Miss Ruther-
fordS shirt waists an her askin' me
to stop calling her Mary Ellen"
Again Mrs. McNulty shook her neat
gray head. but this time she laughed
comfortable to herself though her
laughter ended YEARLY.
She might have helped me tonight
for I'm tired"
Meanwhile Mary Ellen, though she
found Jim waiting at the corner, anC
though he told her with fattering
promptness that she looked out e
sight" did not experience the deligh
she had anticipated. Independence, to
be enjoyed, should have no intermix-
ture Of remOrce, and Mary Ellen'S cur
of freedom was bitterly tiuctured with
the thought of a stout, tired old wo-
man journeying ceaselessly from an
ironing board to the stove and back
again. Whenever silences fell between
her and Jim-and they were in the
state when silences are many and
sWeet-a picture came before her o.
her mother. toiling, toiling, toiling. Sh'
was a little girl again waking from
sleep and seeing from her cot in the
corner in the room the ceaselesS, WORK
Of the women. She remembered guilt
~ how she had been used to say
such drowsy times: when I'm big
you shan't have 10 work So" She re
called her pride when first she had bee
allowed to carry Miss Rutherford's
clothes home, the boundless dignity she
had assumed when she presented the
scrawl of a bill, the eagerness with
which she had clutcheG--the silver pay
ment and had borne it back to her
mother. And, today
mo, I don't want to go on a boat.
she heard herself saying GROSSLY.
The boat had been the last of Jim's
suggestions. He looked at Mary Ellen
pondering deeply.
Come over to the park then" he
said, AN sit down, for I have some
thin to say to yer"
Mary Ellen walked on. Her feet kept
dragging time to n dialogue in her
mind, in which one voice said: You
might have done that for her; it wasn't
much, an think of all she's done for
you" while the other replied: Anyway,
she needn't have asked me to ug a
basket of clothes home on a Satiddy
Mary Ellen began Jim, solemnly,
when he had seated her on bench
opposite fountain that showered
pearls upon 4 pond of flating lilies,
pink and pale and languid, Mary
What are We calm me Mary Ellen
for?" inquired Miss McNulty, suddenly
ceasing to attend to her two voices and
listening TO Jim instead. Jim belonged
to the Mamie" set of her acquaint-
ances.
The old woman calls you that" re-
Piled Jim.
well. that's no reason why you
should" said Mary Ellen, smartly.
yes, it is, said Jim, sturdily, though
he was slowly growing red beneath his
tan and freckles. Yes, it is, Mary Ell
en-. For II like you like the old wom-
an does. An l want to take care err We
like she always has-and say, Mary
Ellen, l can call ye Mary Ellen, can't
In Mary Ellen's breast was a tumult
as though a flock of birds fluttered their
.iny wings. The spray from the foun-
ain was a shower Of gold; the lilies
swan in opalescent beauty.
Say, I can, can't 2" Jim persisted,
Mary Ellen-Dowd?'
And Mary Ellen shut out the dazzling
,ision of the enchanted fountain, by
covering her happy face with her
lands, and saying, tempestuously and
rrelevantly:
"Oh, Jim. you'll always be good to
mother, won't you?''
1t was dark when thew walked east |
ward again, through the glittering busy |
Saturday night streets. They held |
asst to each others hands and trusted |
he wide folds of Mary Ellen's crash |
kirt to hide the embrace. They talked !
nd planned, and dubbed with joy, or |
we're silent in swift dreams of happi- |
less. And Mary Ellen's heart yearned |
oward her mother with a dim under |
tanding of great tenderness and care |
81 wish I'd taken them clothes home"
he mourned to Jim, to whom she had |
old the story of her revolt.
"She int going to work so hard any |
nore,' Jim replied, and Mary Ellen |
hrilled to hear his masterful, kind
dice.
There was a crowd at the corner as
hey crossed Second avenue. A bicy-
list was engaged in giving voluble ex-
lanations to a policeman, who was
laking notes of his remarks. A wheel
nth spIjntered spokes leaned against
he curb. The proprietor of a drug
tore at the corner warned the mob
waY from his door.
Them bicyelists," began Jim, fierce
'. But Mary Ellen uttered a Shrek.
'fSeei See" she screamed, pointing to
scattering of white garments on the
dewalk, and to an overturned basket.
Oh. Jim, it's judgment on me. It's
lother." Il