The Citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1903-1912, 1908-06-27


subjected TO all sorts of sights and Ill
treatment from other women In au
thority, particularly If she is a widow.
! am a widow know"
By.and.by: And of all the women
In authority she continued, barring
the landlady of a boarding house, the
janitress is the most brutal to m
Unless you have a husband, 1t is al
most impossible to live in a fiat with
a j~anitress."
They walked on and on in the
drenching rain to the next fiat on
their list. There, the janitress was
occupied in polishing the door knobs.
Ascending the steps. they furled
their umbrellas. and stood looking at
her in a frightened way.
They might have been stone lions
on a stoop, for all the notice she took
Of them.
There's a fiat for rent here asked
the widow, presently, isn't there?'
NO"
But" objected the widow, 1T was
advertised"
It's rented"
How much was it,"
IT'S rented"
81 understand that" explained the
widow, suavely; but | should like to
know at about what prices the fats
! inquire further"
The janitress had finished polishing
the door knob. Silently she opened
the door and closed 1t with herself on
the inside.
Somewhat disconsolately the pair
once more walked into the straight
and steady rain.
MY shoes are wet" complained
Elizabeth.
And so are mine" returned the
widow.
They arrived eventually at the next
fiat on their list.
II seemed to be a day for polishing
door knobs. The janitress there pol
ished imperturbably. As they APP
preached she added renewed vigor.
bending over her work in an alb.
sorbed and chilling manner which had
the effect of leaving them out in the
cold.
rs there a fiat for rent here?"
asked the widow, with even more tim.
idity than formerly.
IT'S rented" came the answer.
Il WISH" remarked Elizabeth. audi.
bly,, that we'd known before we came
they were all rented"
The janitress turned a granite face
upon her.
Did anybody ask you to Gomez
queried she. to which question, there
being practically no answer, they went
out again in the rain. 1t showed no
sign of decreasing. 1t rather in
creased. The rows upon rows OF fiat
buildings, gray and pink new ones,
brown and red old ones, swan In a
mist. The streets shone grayly. The
skies showed hardly at all. so blurred
were they.
Sometimes" began the widow, Il
think these mattresses are soured by
their life underground end out of the
sunshine; and sometimes | think they
are born that way
Elizabeth stopped short at the cor
ner of a street.
Lets go home now" she implored.
and get some tea to cheer us. My
skirts are wet my shoes are wet-Im
drenched all over"
On the way: Did you say" she
questioned, wistfully, that the JAM.
tress was not so kind to women with.
out husbands
That" reiterated the widow, grim,
ly, was what | said. They are brutal
To them
There are worse things than hus,
bands" reflected Elizabeth, softly.
AS long as there's a janitress in the
world decided the widow, you can
depend upon that"
BESIDES she ruminated, "a widow,
after all, is a lonely sort of creature,
| know. Apparently she is the gayest
of the gay; but in reality there are
many dark and lonely hours that she
must live through, Sometimes "A
widow is the loneliest creature in the
world"
At home, the hall-boy smilingly
bowed them in. Al the door OF her
apartments a joyous yelp greeted Eliz-
abeth. She stopped and clasped Fdo
in her arms,
Darling she murmured, Il hope
you'l never know how near you have
come to living with a janitress,"
Making themselves comfortable,
they had cups OF tea, sitting cozily in
opposite chairs, slipping II.
I'm glad repeated Elizabeth,
that we never see the janitress in
this fiat
" should think you would be-"
nodded the widow. There's nobody
to make your life a burden but the
hall.boy, and YOU husband is here to
wrestle with him"
Elizabeth set her cup down, and
went to the window, She drew aside
the curtain, and calmly observed the
downpour, which, being outside, no
longer depressed her.
There are worse things than his
bands smiled she, and added, her
eyes on the corner where the car
stopped and people were alighting; Il
think it's just about time for Jack 10
come home