The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-22

VI ldCtS 6uOl luc ar DeIOie ueT,
loud seanoise of voices swept her
brain, and she felt deatily sick Ev.
cry bone In her body ached. II seem
Cd as II her feet had brooken and
were bleeding. She was horribly naus
Gated and dizzy She felt as II she
were going to faint, BY sheer force
Of grit she clung TO the counter, she
kept upright. she moved talked, work
ed. ON and on II went, minute by min
ute, and still the faces crowded, the
voices rang out, the packages had to
be delivered, the change made Ahe
cnecks written out.
Afterwards 1t seemed TO her, that
her whole year had been rushing to-
ward this Christmas climax, Most
OF that year, she had worked In d
cheaper store-worked i-2 hours
day for $2.62 l-2 a week. AS this
was not enough TO live on. she had
boarded with an aunt In tIoboken,
paying her s1,15 week. But Ii took
an hour and a quarter to get to work
and she rose early before dawn To get
TO her counter at sharp. Carfare
cost her SIPS, which, with the board
left her twenty cents week No
recreation, no fresh air. And every
few nights she was up till midnight
Laundering her clothes that she might
be neat In appearance. This work.
she felt was killing her-so she lelt
II and took q position In the larger
store for $4.00 week, NN
But she had to figure close, She
slept nearby In charity dormltory
for six cents a night. She went with.
out breakfast lunch and supper con-
sisted OF coffee and rolls for ten
cents each laundry was twenty one
cents week. Clothes and extra
came close to $500. In this way she
spent all her wages-toiled from a.
m. to 6:l5 p. m, and on Saturdays
till $780, Strength does not come on
coffee and rolls. nor on nine and a
half hours OF standing indoors, nor
on lack OF pleasure aud mental growth
Mamie grew sickly, wrlnkled, weaker
day by day; she was afflicted with
xiolent headaches. aud at seventeen
she was already a sapped and aged
woman, unfit for marriage and child
bearing and honsework, with no tu-
ture but lncessant toll, and no savings
against sickness or old age.
This was bad enough. hut then the
| holiday rush began The store Was
kept open until 1880 at might, Ma
mle grew feverish, had dizzy spells,
was too sick TO eat. Her condition
grew worse each day and now on this
last day she had come TO work at d
in the morning feeling that she could
not endure half hour OF standing
mp nor the crowds, nor The noise nor
the bad air That day was Wild
slow torture. measured by minutes
endless an dpitiless. On and on II
went, on up to noon, on from izio
to six, on from $3.50 to this very min
ute.
This snow2 How much. Soc h1re,
] where's my change? DO you think
can wait all night? Say, ri tell the
floorwalker. Yes, wrap me up six, IN
two packages please. Isn't there any
one else waiting at tnis cvanter'
Sunburst after sunburst Of faces
searoar OF talking, dazzling llghes, con.
fusion, hustle, noise hands flying. lips
moglng-and this would 20 for an0th'
er hour and half
A man pushed his way through the
| crowd See here, Kid" he crled
J You do nut up ten of these quick.
Mamie leaned forwa'd on the couE
ter and smiled dimly.
Ten? Ten?"
Cant you hear? Eight Mae. ten!
She leaned further forward, she
sighed, she slipped and her arms and
face and hdir and thin bosom all
punched among the packages on the
counter.
Cries went up. She's tainted
Something's the matterl Get water!
Help hcr up!"
The crowd iammed; the floorwalk'
er broke his way through muttering:
Mamie down? Thunderl and Just
when we can't replace herl Why the
devil couldn't the girl stick II out.
Next morning the nurse nthe hos
pital wished her a marry Christmas.
She looked up yacantly aud went
off In delirIum. crying shrilIy.
ITS five cents package, ma'aml
Just mlnute Yes, snow-sDow foI
| Christmas trees"
At the same moment over the Wide
spread city. the little children hop
pei out OF bed and ran In their night
les TO the parlor. There famed out
the candles OF the pines. there hume
the bulgy stockings. there lay the
mysterious packages. Little eye'
glIstened with awe and wonder. wo
men and men we're blinded with hap
py tears, and the Christmas bells peal
ed love and brotherhood through the
tingling dawn.
And one woman said TO anothefi
"The jam was awful last night.
thought III never get home. And The
service in the stores was jngnffer
able"
Asked the other. Why didn't got
shop earlier In the month";"
"Why? oh, you know how Il ls,'.