Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16
PART Ill.
MONEY.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Gods Forest. Then Mans

/ The pencil and pad fell from Mr. Ran
SONS hands. He stared at the girl who
had made this astonishing statement, anG
| his brain whirled.
AS for her, she simply stopped and picked
| up the pad
You feel badly about that" said she
| You want me to read. I'll learn. Thai
will make me more like sister. But
know some things now. 1 know what you
are thinking about. You are curious about
my life. what it has been and what kind OF
a girl I am. I'll tell you. 1 can talk II
l cannot hear. l heard up to two years
| ago. Shall 1 talk now? Shall l tell you
| what l told Georgian when she found me
| crying in the street and took me home to
her house?"
| He nodded blindly.
| With smile as beautiful as Georgian's-
for moment he thought more beautiful
! she drew him to seat. She was all fire
and purpose now. The spark of intelli-
| gence which was not always visible in her
eye burned brightly She would have
| looked lovely even to a stranger, but he
was not thinking of her looks only OF
the hopelessness of the situation, its diff
| culties and possibly its perls
Il don't remember all that has happened
| to me-, she began, speaking very fast II
| never tried to remember when L was little;
just lived. and ran wild in the roads and
woods like the WeaSelS and the chpmunks
The gypses were good to me. l had not a
cross word in years The wife of the king
was my friend. and all L knew L learned
from her. 1t was not much but it helped
me to live in the forest and be happy as
long asI was a little girl. When | grew
up it was different 1t was the king who
was kind then. and the woman who was
fierce l didn't like his kindness, but she
didn't know this, for after one day. when
she caught him staring at me across the
fire, she sent me off after something
she wanted in a small town we were camp
ing near, and when / came back with
tit the band was gone. ! tried to follow
but it was dark and 1 didn't know the
way: besides l was afraid-afraid of him.
So l crept back to the town and slept in
the straw of barn 1 found open. Next
day l sold my earrings and got bread. 1t
didn't last long and / tried to work. but
that meant sleeping under a roof, and
houses smothered me. SO 1 did my work
badly and was turned out Then l sold
my ring. 1t was my last trinket, and when
the few cents I got for it were gone l wan
dered about hungry. This / was used to
and didn't mind at first. but at last
went to work again. and 1 did better now
for a little while. till one evening l saw
through the stable window of the inn
where I was working, two black eyes star
ing just as they stared across the dying
embers Of the gypsy camp. l did not
scream, but I hid myself. and when they
were gone away stole out and got on the
cars and gave the man my last dollar
all the money had earned-for a ride to
New YORK. l dld not know any better. l
knew he never went to New York, and 1
thought I would be safe from him there.
But OF the difference between the woods
and forest of brick and stone I never
thought: of night with no shelter but the
wall of some blind alley; of hunger in the
sight Of food. and wild beasts In the
shape Of men. I didn't know where to
go or who to speak to- II any one stared
at me long, / turned and ran away. 4 ran
away once from e policeman. He thought
me thief and started to run after me.
But people slipped In between us and I got
away. What happened next don't know.