Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16

Perhaps / was thrown down, perhaps / fell.
had come a long way and / was tired.
When did know anything l was lying
my back In narrow street. looking up at
a tall building that seemed to go right I'D
into the sky like the great rocks | had
sometimes slept under when was with the
gypsies. Only there were windows in the
rock, out of which looked faces. and | got
looking back at one of these faces and the
face looked at me- and liked il and got
up on my knees and held up my arms. and
the face drew back out of sight. and l felt
very sorry and cried and almost laid down
again. ! seemed so alone and hurt and
hungry. But the children-there were
crowds of children-wouldnt let me. They
got in ring and pulled at me. and some
one cried: Big cheeks is coming Big
cheeks will eat her up and l was angry
and got up on my feet. But / couldn't
walk; screamed when I tried to- which
frightened the children, and they all ran
away. But didn't fall: an arm was around
me, good, kind arm, and. though 1 didn't
see the face of the woman who helped. for
she had her head wrapped up in an old
shawl, l felt that IL the same which
mad looked out OF the window at me. and.
went willingly enough when she began to
draw me toward the house and up the first
flight of stairs, though | could hardly help
screaming every time my foot touched the
ground. AT the top of the first flight 1
stopped; could go no further. The woman
heard me pant. and. pushing the covering
from her eyes she turned my face -foWar d
the light and looked at it, I thought she
wanted to see IL l was strong enough to
go on, but that wasn't II at all. for in a
minute heard her say, in a voice so sweet
thought l had never heard the like: Yes,
you're pretty; / want a pretty girl TO STAY
with me and go about selling my things /
love pretty girls; L never was pretty my
SELL VIII you stay with me If l take YOU
up TO my room and take care of you? IN
be good to you, little ducking, every body
about here will tell you that everybody but
the children, they don't like me- / moaned.
but 1t was from happiness. 1t seemed too
good to hear that cooling voice in my ear
L thought Of my mother-a dream-and my
arms went up as they had in the street be
low. will stay l said. She caught my
hands and that is all l remember I'LL l
found myself in bed, with my ankle bound
up and a gentle hand smoothing my hair
1t was a month before l walked again. All
the time this woman tended me, but always
from behind. / did not see her face-not
well-only by glimpses and then only part
~ for the shawl was always over her
head, covering everything but her eyes and
mouth. These were small the smallest [
ever saw, little pig eyes, and little screwed
up mouth; but the look of them was kindly
and that was all l cared about then; that
and her talk, which made me cry one min
ute and laugh the next. have never cried
so much or laughed so much in my life as
l did that one month. She told such sad
things and she told such funny ones She
made me glad to see her come in and
sorry to see Ler go out. She let no one
else come near me. l did not care; | liked
her too well. l was never tired of listening
10 ner praises, and she praised me n great
deal / even did not mind sleeping under
roof as much as 1 had before perhaps
because We were near it; perhaps be-
cause the room was full of all sorts of
things, l never got tired of looking at
them. Pretty things she called them. but
when l saw more things, things outside in
shop windows and the houses | aftcrward
went into, l knew they We're very cheap
things and not always pretty. But she
thought they were. and used to talk about
them by the hour and tell me stories she
had made up about the pictures she had
cut out of newspapers. And | learned
something; | could not help ii. and even
began to think a bit-somethi l had never
done before. But when | got on my feet
again, and was given the choice of staying
there all the time, l did not know at first
whether / wanted to or not. For Mother
Duda had been very honest with me. and
the minute she found that | could walk
again had told me that / would have to
have great patience If l lived with her. and
endure very disagreeable sight. Then
she pulled off her shawl, and l saw her as
she was and almost screamed, she looked
so horrid to me, but l didn't quite, for her
eyes wouldn't let me. They seemed to ask
me not to care, but to love her a little
though she was a fright to look at. and 1
tried, but l couldn't l could only keep from
screaming.
Go be continued next Saturday,