The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-08-25
THE JUNGLE
CHAPTER vi.


was now well into the second year,
and Jurgis judged everything by the
criterion of It's helping or hinderiny
their union. ALI his thoughts were
there; he accepted the family because
1t was part of Ona, and he was inter-
ested In the house because It was to
be Ona's home. Even the tricks and
Cruelties he saw at Dunham's had H..
tie meaning for him Just then, save az
they might happen to affect his future
with Ona.
The marriage would have beon at
once, II they had had their way; but
this would mean that they would
have to do without any wedding-feast.
and when they suggested this they
came into conflict with the old people.
To Teta Elzbieta especially the very
suggestion was an affiiction., What
she would cry. To be married on the
roadside like a parcel Of beggars
No! No !-Elzbieta had some tradi.
tions behind her; she had been a per.
son of Importance In her girlhood-
had lived on big estate and had sey-
wants, and might have married well
and been lady, but for the fact that
there had been nine daughters and no
sons In the family. Even so, however,
she knew what was decent and chung
to her traditions with desperation.
They were not going to lose all caste,
laborers In Packingtown; and that
Ona had even talked of emitting u
veselija was enough to keep her step
mother lying awake all night. It YVES
In vain for them to say that they hal
so few friends; they were bound to
have friends in time, and then the
friends would talk about It.
They must not give up what was
right for little money--if they did.
the money would never do them any
good, they could depend upon that.
And Elzbieta would call upon Dedc
Antanas to support her; there was
fear In the souls of these two lest this
journey to a lew country might somH-
how undermine the old home virtues
of their children. The very first Sun
day they had all been taken to mass;
and poor as they were, Elzbieta hal
felt 1t advisable to invest little OF
her resources In a representation Ut
the babe of Bethlehem, made In pla5-
ter, and painted In brilliant cOlors.
Though 1t was only foot high, there
was q shrine with four snOw-white
steeples, and the Virgin standing with
her child in her arms, and the kings
and shepherds and wise men bowling
down before him. It had cost nifty
cents; but Elzbieta had feeling that
money spent for such things was not
to be counted too closely, 1t would
come back in hidden ways. The piece
was beautiful OH the parlor mante'.
and one could not have home with.
out some sort of ornament.
The cost of the wedding feast
would, of course be returned to them;
but the problem was to raise 1t even
temporarily. They had been In tho
neighhorhood so short time that
they could not get much credit, and
there was no one except Szedvilas
from whom they could borrow even a
little. Evening after evening Jurgis
and Oua would sit and figure the ex-
penses, calculating the term OF their
separation. They could not possibly
manage It decently for less than two
hundred dollars, and even though they
were welcome to count In the whole
of the earnings of Maria and Jonas,
as a loan, they could not hope to raise
this sum In less than four or fivc
months. So Ona began thinking Of
seeking employment herself, saying
that II she had even ordinarily good
luck, she might be able to take twc
months of the time. They were just
beginning to adjust themselves to this
necessity, when out of the clear sky
Their fell a thunderbolt upon them-a
calamity that scattered al! their hopes
to the four winds.
About a block away from them
there lived another Lithuanian family,
x.slLa 90