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

mentS. Fifty cents week had been
saved. In two years they had saved
not quite fifty dollars-a brief illness
having wiped out S11.4O. They were
saving to live in regular home"
The scheme for a 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
a plan to save up and rent two small
tenement fiats-fats adjoining-and so
make "a regular home" Forty-eight
dollars saved. They needed fifty-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 EN- 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 EN- up grew
sick. Not really sick" but enough TO
make both sisters nervous. Three
nights ago it grew bad enough so that
on the way home at II 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 I'D 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. overland
simply sailed along until the day be-
fore Christmas.
Something began to happen inside"
that afternoon. 1t happened more eacn
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. il was near u o'clock.
A writer like Dickens. I suppose. at
this stage in the game would have
gone TO the window, stared silently out
at he city with eyes that saw into a
million homes, into mistIetoe scenes.
%
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 win to men"
would begin. But | was only doctor
with a damnably bitter message to
give. And. standing by the window, I
only racked my brains for some other
way out of the trouble.
We'll? ?" 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
"How?" she asked
This. of course. was the trouble. I
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 s4s
saved. At least not last winter. There
were TOO many sick girls who hadn't
cent And what money l had I 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
Well 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 I was giving a few brief direc-
tons the midnight bells began to
strike
Some fool across the courtyard threw
open wide his window and shouted
Merry Christmasi" to somebody room
ing down below.
Yes, the girl pulled through. It wip-
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 III do what
can to pun 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
1 the faces hohfnd the no,r+a-.