Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-12

"I told you he's a masher, Aunt
| Clara" answered the girl They went
home together talking of the party.
Rosie said that Mr.. Stern was awful
elegant, but that he bit his nails.
Baum was happy. They went to the
theater that night. AS they worked
their way through the crowd some one
| exclaimed: what a beauty that girl
| Island SOS her husband!" They both
heard. Clara had neither been noticed
by nor noticed the speaker. Rosie be-
gan to laugh. Uncle Leo, did you
hear?" she began, but something in
! his face arrested her words, and she
turned away, vaguely embarrassed.
That night Baum was awakened by
his wife. Leo. my heart!" she
gasped in strange, feeble jerks; 1--WE
got it againl" He lit candle. She
was very white, with queer blush
shadow about her big, relaxed mouth.
| He opened the window, letting in a
rush of moist air, and gave her a
glass Of water.
She had had such attacks before. Her
greasy hair was wound into q ball on
the top of her head. She wore dirty
flannel jacket over her nightgown. He
unfastened the buttons at her neck
and drew the pillow away, letting her
head lie fiat.
poor Claral' he murmured gently.
you'll be better in a moment"
"Call Rosie" she gasped. Il want
Her face twisted up into confusion
of agonized lines and she caught at
his hand, pinching it tightly. He did
not move.
Presently her muscles relaxed, her
cheeks were less white and she smiled
family.
Its over" she said. Baum drew a
long breath Poor Clara!" he re-
peated.
"It seemed to be worse this time,
Leo" she went on after time, as he
came back from closing the window.
II better see a doctor, maybe"
Eyes, maybe you better"
"Poor Clara!" He kissed her and
went back to bed.
The next day Benno Stern came to
Baums shop and asked for permission
to WOO his niece. I'm rich," he said
persuasively. II got house in Frank
furt, and my family's all dead"
"Shes too young" answered Baum
roughly.
"Gott Sic ist doch klein kind-she
is no child" Stern sat down on the
counter and swung his fat legs. Il
come to London every year. I'll let
her come with me. And you can
visit us
"She is too young"
Stern had the continental idea of
parental authority, but he had seen
something of English life as well.
"She amt your daughter. She amt
your niece" he said slowly. "She amt
-nix-to YOU
Baum controlled himself with an ef-
fort. Listen, Mr. Stern. l amt got
anything against you. Wait six
months till Rosalie's little older and
then I'll give you my permission"
He hardly expected that the young
man would accept his proposal, but
Stern was satisfied.
80! That is better. I'll come back,
then. in six months. Auf wiedersehen.' -
The two men shook hands and sep
arated
Earlier in the same afternoon Clara
Baum put on her cloak and bonnet and
went out She was pale and her face
looked flabby and haggard. She took
an omnibus, and quilted it half an
hour later in a quiet street almost as
strange to her as Cairo would have
been. In her hand she had an address
cut out of a newspaper Walking
around the south side of the square,
she rang at a house on the corner. The
waiting room was half full of people,
all of a higher social class than that
to which the Jewess belonged. She
sat humbly down on straight chair
far from the table with the illustrated
pictures and waited. The bronze clock
licked quietly; there was little sound
from the street; from time to time the
door opened and shut. The people who
left the room at the bidding of the
servant made no noise as they crossed
over the thick carpet.
Clara Baum was half hypnotized by
the stiffness. She felt as though she
could never move again. She was
frightened at having come. Her hus-
band knew nothing of her intention.
And If she really had heart disease?
A dangerous one? Her eyes filled with
tears. How could she leave Leo? The
woman loved her husband with a rare
force Had they had children she
would have loved him, perhaps, none
the less, but having no children, she
certainly loved him the more.
Her heart had always been weak,
and since she had grown so fat she
had had these attacks of hideous
agony She knew that something must
be seriously wrong. And now in few
minutes she would know what'it was.
Her eyes roamed about the room
restlessy. Why did not her turn come
c,ddanIu che aaIU 81 woman i'm a plush