The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-09-16

%@@r~I about her bespoke
Of a good appetite, laziness and SLOW
e%nl1ness.
Rebecca thought she was beautiful.
II h did not, why did she stroll the
length OF the long room to fill her oil
can six times a day when the other
girls oiled their machines three times
at the most? Why did she wear the
big bows of gay ribbon across the
back of her head? Why were those
earrings in her ears and gay jewels
on her fat hands? She deemed them
desirable adjuncts to her personal
loneliness.
To Rosie Eisenstein, who was as
neat as a pin, and to Lena Olson, who
had not been brought up in the Ghet-
to, Rebecca was repulsive. But Re-
becca loved them with a mad devotion
only less real than her devotion for
the man who sewed on the double
stitch machine.
Rebecca had come over from Rus
STA three or four years before, as had
most OF the girls in the sweatshop.
She had no education save for a little
received as a child. She had worked
on overalls since she was IA, three
years before, and had advanced no
further than to earn four dollars a
week, while others who started with
her were making as much as seven
dollars a week and doing piece work.
What was Rebecca's grace? 1t
seemed to be either her generous sup
ply OF affection for experimentation
not desired by any-or her strong
sense Of humor. At lunch time her
voluble conversation in Yiddish,
which came thickly and continuously
out OF her mouth while chunks of salt
fish went In, was greeted with fire.
quent shouts Of laughter. Though
loved by no one, her society was not
Stunned, for her ever-ready fund of
Jokes amused everybody.
1t happened one evening that Sadie.
a little, frightened, dark-eyed, dark
kinned girl who had come shrinking
ly to work at the shop two weeks be-
fore, had received her first payment
of three dollars. The first weeks work
of each girl had to be gratis.
Sadie had tied up the precious dol
lar bills in a bit of coarse white cloth
which she had found by her machine
and had wrapped the whole around
with thread. Then she tucked the
package securely in her waist. She
put on her hat and coat at closing
time, quietly and silently, for Sadie
so shy and frightened was she
knew no one even after two weeks in
the shop.
She put her hand for the tenth
time inside her waist to feel the little
white bundle. Then q look of fright
convulsed her featues. It was gone
her money?
Her tongue then was loosened. A
volume of scattering Yiddish, English
and Russian, Historically bursting
forth, made every girl anxious to do
what she could to relieve Sadie's dis
tress.
Going down on their knees on the
dirty floor, they looked under papers
and rags for the little white bundle
tied around with thread. They could
not find it anywhere.
you would to steal it," Kissed
Sadie, looking a%ccusingly from n to
another, at Rebecca, Lena, Rosie and
last at Fannie.
They all denied the charge emphat-
ically in Yiddish, English and Rus
sian.
It's a lie!" said Fannie, incensed
that her honesty should be doubted by
a strange girl in the sweatshop. "Ain't
shame! Comes no robbers by here"
But the strange little girl heard not.
A small tragic figure she was as her
dark eyes ~momentarily grew bigger
and more wild.
He will to have a fierce mad on
me, she moaned. II can't to go on
my house. He may bees to hit mel"
Her voice broke %piteously. Sinking
in a little forlorn heap on the floor,
she trembled and choked and sobbed.
Rosie, Lena, Fannie and Rebecca
stood silent. Sadie %shuddered VIC.
lently and wept on.
You could to have this, the whiles
you are scairt to go on your house"
1T was Rebecca's big, warm voice that
spoke. 1t was Rebecca who impuls.
lively tucked three o%ne-dollar bills into
the coarse, dirty hand of Sadie.
Sadie clutched the money eagerly
and went out silently and hurriedly
as if in fear that it would be taken
from her.
1t means much in the sweatshop tt
give away three dollars. Though II
happened that Sadie that evenins
ripped herself open and found in one
Of the %crevices of her winter packin,
the white bundle tied with a thread
Rebecca could not have known, an,
more than did Rosie or Lena or Fan
ME, that the money was safe.
Homogeneous it seemed that Rebecca
who had not a feature indicating tn
nobler sentiments, whose very pres
ence vas repulsive, should have bee,
the one to do the big and generou
thing.
A book worm is not necessarily
bore.
When a woman IL hungry she "feel