Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-03-16
HER BANkB00k.
BY J. %Josephson.

Copyright, 1905, by w. r. Hearst.)
They worked together in the same
factory, but did not know each other
except by sight. One day. however. her
sleeve was caught in a belt and he sue
ceeded In saving her from being
crushed in the machinery. Thus they
first met each other.
They soon became fast friends. Both
had lost their parents early and had
earned Ia fight their own battles, and
both were strong physically as we'll as
morally.
When they had known a other for
six months he asked her to marry him.
She asked time to think it over, but
finally agreed. and they were married.
They rented Il small. a very small, cot
tage in a row of many others near the
factory. but the rooms were light and
airy and clean. They were perfectly
happy, the work seemed like play to
them. They bought furniture, one
piece at q time, or installments, and
were as glad as children every time the
last instal:ment had been paid and they
felt that the table or chair OF bureau
really belonged to them.
One day the wife felt that she was to
become a mother. The discovery did
not make her feel happy; on the con
trary. h felt 1t as a punishment, which
was to destroy the whole plan of their
life.
In the evening she told her husband.
He did not say anything, but began t.
walk up and down the floor. 1t was
evident that he thought just as she did.
"A child" ne said to himself, "a child
costs much money and is only in the
way; the mother must stop working
to take care ~of the little one-and that
means loss of wages and increased ex-
penses.'
His head became quite dizzy when
he thought of all this.
He went to the bureau. In the top
drawer was a savings bank book in
his wife's name, in which they had put
every cent they could spare, quite a
snug little sum he had always thought.
He tore off a sheet of paper and be-
gar to figure out. His wife sat at the
other end of h table and looked at
him in silence
In the evening both cursed the UNI
born baby.
When the baby finally came she was
a pale, sickly looking creature. always
quiet and smiling, looking into the
strange world with great blue y
AS soon as the mother was strong
again the baby was given to the wife
start in working in the factory again.
But the woman put the money in her
own pocket M the strange child grew
paler and thinner every day. The
mother could not help noticing 1t and
n day h decided that she must stay
home and take carr Of her child.
Slowly the mother love developed in
her heart. and she loved to look into
the beautiful blue eyes Of little Mary,
who was always playful and smiling.
Often she could not help taking her
into her arms and covering the little
band was at home she did not dare to
show that h loved her little girl. He
was not a bad father, he never slapped
or hurt the child, but he never touched
1t or v e looked at It.
In the evening the bank book was
taken out oftener than ever. and his
brow darkened when he raw how the
amount grew steadily smaller, and
then there was an expression of hatred
in his eyes when he looked towards the
little crib.
In this way little Mary grew up, ana
when she was three a old she wal
sent out into the street to play with
the other children. Now that the mother
could once more go to work the father
seemed q little more satisfed-possibly
the deficit in the handbook could ba
covered again.
One evening when the mother came
home from work she found the child
unconscious iE a neighbours house. She
had been run down by an AUTOMOBILES
and her beautiful little head with its
beautiful curls was covered with blood.
We'll. I suppose we'd better send
for q doctor-that cost too much
money
when the father came home he looked
at the child In silence for some time
then he said:
well. I suppose wed. better send fol
g doctor: he will nave to make out the
certificate Of death anyway" !,
The doctor came. said something
about q fracture Of the skull, ordered
ice and did not give any hope. Two
DAYS later little Nary died.
She was buried the next Sunday. that
the parents might not lose q days
wares.
The next day they walked in silence
stde BY side towards the big factory.
When they had almost reached the
gate the man said:
well, she % dead now-better %. !
suppose Il had 70 be that way. Now
We must work harder than ever to
earn back the money the child cost
us.s
The mother said nothing. but tried
70 hide the tears which Game into her
eyes.