The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-12-22
that this old joke in the pressers' room
looked pretty good to me. So made


that this old joke in the pressers' room
looked pretty good to me. So made
| my way back"
I'm glad to see you, Ben. It is
good to have you back here in the
| shop and it doesn't matter to me If
| you are as poor as when you wen
away"
| A glad light shone in Mary's eyes as
she looked up at Ben with something
of her old tenderness. He shuffled
| his feet and seemed embarrassed and
| awkward.
Yes, an there was another reason
| why had to get to work. Say, Mary
||rm-Im married. I got my wife in
the mining district-she was a poor,
little drudge in the boarding house
| where I was taken sick, and she nurs-
ed me and took care Of me as good
as she could, and when I went to come
away cried so hard hadn't the heart
! to leave her, SO I brought her away
| and married her, poor as we was and
poor as we've been since. She's a
good little thing, an Of course I'm
| fond Of her-but she amt you, Mary
-" Mary's eyes shone tragically out
| from white face as she hurriedly
| interrupted.
flush, hush, Ben. It's all right.
I'll be her friend and yours, too.
God knows we need you, Mary. /
know amt used you right-but what
could I. do? Minnie's sickly and the
| baby is a. little puny thing
I'll go and see her. Don't think
| about me. Ben. Of course, I could not
ask you to wait for me forever. I
| must go now"
How Mary crushed back her hopes,
| for she had remembered that now
she was Free" the moment she saw
Ben, how she smoothed the sorrow
out of her face and brought. back the
| old cheerful smile, we can only hur-
riedly relate She went to see Ben's
| wife and found her a thin, timid lit
! tie thing who might have been pref
| ty under better conditions, In a pow
erty-stricken room with sickly baby
| in her arms, comfortless, disorderly
and miserable Mary made her under
stand that she meant to be her friend,
and the poor, lonely, discouraged girl
| Immediately threw herself and all her
burdens on this helpful friend who
came in such timely manner and
seemed so strong.
Mary devoted herself to the sick
woman and her baby as she had de-
voted herself to her mother as long as
she lived. But she avoided Ben as
much as possible. She never went to
the house when he was there, and
gave him no opportunity to talk to
her in the shop. She was pleasant
and friendly when they CHANGED to
meet, but there was no more of the
old charming, comradely intimacy, no
little condolences, no sentiment or at
lection. Ben believed that she scorned
him and after while accepted her at
titude toward him as just punish
ment. meekly and without protest.
Three years more of this toilsome
monotonous life passed away, and
more of the strength, youthfulness,
health and vitality Of the hands went
into the "products" of the great cloth
ing Notwithstanding firm was
growine rich, their workers poorer
and poorer. Mary was past her girl
hood now, and nothing bright or re-
lieving beamed forth for the future.
he merely did her work, helped Jen-
ME Seaver, cheered her comrades, all
with a calm, unvarying Hatience and
sweetness that nothing seemed to at
feet. One day Bens' wife took. very
sick and after a weeks illness died.
They mourned for her Of course, for
she had been a gentle, dim little wo-
man who had no bad faults. But
Mary felt as though q great burden
had rolled from her shoulders, and
after little began be more like
her old self, laughing Il and singing
quietly throughout the long. day. with
the old. happy lig ht In her eyes: She