The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-12-11

! drawn closely to her side, enjoying
! for the first time the warmth OF
splendid furS. a strange feeling of
exultation possessed Milady, as the
horses slipped alarmingly on the city
pavements and the storm continued to
rage-a feeling not bred Of contact
with the elements, but one born of
nobler impulse. The cab halted ab-
ruptly, and up. three flights of rick
ETY. stairs of "ze Higgins Flats, Can
al Row, East Zide,' she struggled,
finally gaining the upper landing,
painting but radiant.
Into fireless room, we'll
nigh shorn Of furniture, on
whose bare floor lay drifts Of snow,
which all day long had filtered
through broken panes, Milady found
herself. Stunned by the sight Of such
abject want, she stood uncertainly in
the middle Of the floor as if to cou,-
prehend the situation, and was at last
wakened into consciousness by the
voice Of Gustav: "Antoinette, An
toinette! Look up cen zee. prays
to ze good Saint Nicholas ze live long
day. He heers, cen zere comes wiz
ma a blessed saint!'
There on a straw mattress, thread
bare quilt for covering, lay Antoin-
cite, wan, hectic flushed and cough
ing her life away.
Trembling with emotion, Milady
knelt beside the sick g1rl, who smiled
back patiently.
"Ansoinette, why are things as
they are here tonightg" she whisper
ed, scarce knowing what she said.
"Ze cough waz bad, Ma
dame! Wan day zere was no food,
cen so cold, so cold! I faints cen
drops ze sewing, cen re Mistress, zhe
zay NO goot, Antoinette, no goot,'
cen turns me away. grows vera
i'll, but Gustav wiz ze mcnney from ze
paapers buys re braid. [ will not uze
ze monney I saves four years to pay
re mortgage that re ole vans may
keep ze 'ome, but hides eet under &c
pillo! Wan day I ees asleep cen ole
Pierre comes cen takes eet away, cen,
7 zee him cen re monney nod again.
Fen now re ole vans moost git out,
cen I letter had send to they've say
ing ze monney would be zere for
Creesmas presen'," and Antoinette's
voice broke, and great tears silently
coursed down her cheeks. Then with
wonderful self mastery and smiling
sweetly, she continued, but 81 knows
thad whatever ees eees bes', cen I.
KEEP prayin' to ze blessed virgin; cen
though eet ees so vera dark, some
where's re light weel shine. " And
looking shyly into Milady's face, she
added wistfully, "Een jules he waits
for me, when ze mortgage eet ees
paid. I promeese to 60 to him, but
now I know I can nod go-ze cough
eet ees so vera bad, cen re monney
eet ees all gone, but whatever ees ees
bes'," she whispered weakly. "Zey
tells me thad at re Meesion, cen I
believes, I believes.
Chow much is the mortgage, An
toinette?'
'"Two hunred dollahs. -
And do you mean to say,
that for four long years, Of d.
rest hardship, you have worked and
saved and starved yourself for the
paltry sum of two hrndred dollars
with which to pay this mortgage?
Why, that was the price I paid for
my last opera cloak" she laughed
half bitterly.
At last the scales had fall
len from Milady's eyes and for the
first time she was witnessing the
tragedy daily enacted, by what IS
termed in polite society, "the other
half.'
"And do YOU mean to say,
Antoinette. she continued, "that for
four long years you have cherished
this hope in your heart until it has
become a vital part Of yourself, a
very parasite feeding on that which
is best within YOU, and that now You
can renounce it and renounce
without being embittered?"
The words came slowly, huskily.
"Ah,' YES, Madame! l can nod un-