Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-01

saved. In two years they had saved
not quite fifty dollars-a brief illness
having wiped out $11.4O. They were
saving to live in regular home"
The scheme for home grew out of
the girls club they belonged to. 1t
met one night a week. In this club
they had joined with six other girls in
plan to save up and rent two small
tenement fiats-flats adjoining so
make "a regular home Forty-eight
dollars saved. They needed f1fty-six.
The Christmas season had come on.
For the last six weeks they had work
ed overtime-with supper money"
At first only two nights a week till 10
o'clock. Then three nights-and in
the last stretch six nights till II
o'clock. One girl sold toys, the other
wrapped 'em up. The pace was fast
and never let up.
rs that package of mine never COM
ing? Can't you hurry it up?"
The girl who wrapped 'em up grew
sick. mot really sick" but enough to
make both sisters nervous. Three
nights ago it grew bad enough so that
on the way home at IL p. m "she
couldn't walk quite straight" Her sis
ter had to help her.
They had faced the thing that night
faced the thing till a. m. The OBJ
lection to her quitting work was this:
Last winter New York had 100000 out
of work. If she threw up her job she
might not get it back If she didn't
goodbye to that regular home" They
found a way out. The name of the
way l needn't give. 1t was one of the
worst of the patent nerve tonics. And
the thing worked at first like a charm.
She hardly needed meals, eyen-and
simply sailed along" until the day be-
fore Christmas.
Something began to happen inside"
that afternoon. 1t happened more each
hour. By O'Clock at night it was bad
enough for her to lean down from her
wrappers perch and tell her sister to
keep an eye on her-in case anything
queer should take place.
The queer thing took place about 10
o'clock. An ambulance had been sum
moned. And that was about all that
the older girl could tell me-except
that her sister had been like this as
soon as they reached the room. It
had scared her and she had come to
me. BY now, it was near II o'clock.
A writer like Dickens, l suppose, at
this stage in the game would have
gone to the window, stared silently out
at the city with eyes that saw into
million homes, into mistletoe scenes,
and the like. Would have felt the
great hush that lay over the town"
For in a few minutes the hour would
strike the Christmas day. with its mes
sage of peace and good will to men"
would begin. But l was only a doctor
with a damnably bitter message to
give. And. standing by the window,
only racked my brains for some other
way out of the trouble
'Well?" she asked from behind me.
It's nervous prostration, and a bad
case. She'll have to quit work; go to
the country and stay there; get a good
rest. Two months. at least"
Howl" she asked.
This, of course. was the trouble.
went over it all in my mind again.
Hospitals won't take such cases
! they're overcrowded at this time of
year. Charitable organizations won't
send a girl to the country for two
months free when the girl has $4S
saved. At least not last winter. There
were too many sick girls who hadn't a
cent. And what money 1 had / had
already used.
Have you no relatives?"
None"
There was one of those long mean
silences.
You mean that forty-eight dollars
she said.
I'm sorry. Yes"
Another tense silence. She was
quiet enough.
We'll" she said, then it can't be
helped. Anyhow. thanks for coming
so late at night. Perhaps you can come
again tomorrow and tell me where to
send her. What ought I to give her
tonight"
AS was giving few brief direc-
tons the midnight bells began to
strike.
Some fool across the courtyard threw
open wide his window and shouted
]
ing down below.
Yes, the girl pulled through. It WHIP
ed out the money, of course They're
living still in the same furnished room.
The younger one got back her job in
May. g.
In August she came to me "for a
tonic"-and said they had already nine
dollars saved. I've tried to make her
change her job. but times are still
hard and jobs are few. So she'll prob
ably stay where she is-and I'll do what
can to pull her through this coming
Merry Christmas. AS to what you want
to write, there's no need of adding
many facts. Ask your readers to look
for themselves-while they shop-at
| the faces behind the countars