New Ulm review., 1913-12-31

l-as the girl hesitated.
when, you sit In cell for thre
months waiting for your trial, as ! dit
you think lot. And 30 ] got the ide
that IL could talk to you might b
able to make you understand what
really wrong. And II ! could do tha
.and SO help out the. other girls, wha
has happened to me would not afte
all, be quite 30 awful-sO useless. som,
how. Her voice lowered to quic
pleading. and she bent toward the ma
at. the desk. Mr.. Glider she ques
toned. do you really want to sto
the girls from stealingy 4
''aIost certainly do came the fol
cible reply.
The girl spoke with a great earnest
ness deliberately I. & 3!s.s;
..Fhen give Them a fair chance, z s
The ma gnate stared id sincere aston
lshlnent over this absurd, this fulfil
suggestion for his guidance. sa5
- what do you meany ne voclrerar
ed. with rising indignation.
''Why," she said very gently. 81
mean just this: Give them a living
chance to be honest"
"A living CHANGER The two words
were. exploded with dynamic violence
Glider found himself unable to. ex.
press the rage that famed within him
{ The girl showed herself nndismayed
by his anger.
"Yes.''. she went; on quietly i that's
all there is. to it.. Give them a. living
tb get enough fobH. toseat and
"a decent room TO- sleep IL and. shoes
that win Keep their feet or the pave,
ment winter MORNINGS. Do you think
that aths sifks wants sto steal? Do you
think that any girl wants to risk I
By this time. however. Glider had
regained MS Power Sof speech. and hd
lnterrupteds sstormily.:: "A :: !:
s..And is this what tXso6I Z have, taken
up. my time tors: YQn, want to make Z,
maudl:n plea for guilty: dishonest
girls. when I Thought you: really meant
to bring neesfacts!l . 81 ~,
I'VE work nine: hoprssa day. the
girls quiet voice went On. a. curious
pathos in the rich timbre Of it. mine
hours a day for six days in the week.
That's fact. isn't it? And the .trou-
bic is an honest girl can't live on Sc a
week. She can't do 1t and buy food
and clothes and pay room rent and
carfare. That's another fact. isn't it,"
: Mary regarded the owner of the store
with grave questioning In her violet
eyes.
"ldOn't care to discuss these things"
he declared peremptorily as the girl
remained silent for a moment.
"And have no wish to discuss any
thing Mary returned evenly. II only
want to give you what you asked for
facts. When they first locked me up
| used to sit and hate you.'
'Oh. of course!"
"And then l thought that perhaps
you did not understand-that. if ! were
t. tell yea-hosE~ things really are. II,
might be you would change them
somehow"
4 ~" he cried incredulOusly. II
change my business policy because
you ask me to!'
! There was something $imperturbable
In the quality Of the voice as the girl
went resolutely forward with her ex-
PLANTATION
"Do you know how we girls live?
But. Of course. you don't. Three of us
in one room. doing our own cooking
over the two burner gas stove and our
own washing and ironing evenings.
after being on our feet for nine hours"
~ have provided chairs behind the
counters he stated. .
"But have you ever seen a girl sit
ting in one Of them?" she questioned
coldly. "Please answer me-. Have
you? OF course not" she said. after
a little pause during. which the owner
had remained silent. She shook her
head in emphatic negation. "And
do you understand why?' It's simply
because every girl knows that the,
of her department would
think he could get along without her
II he were to see her sitting down.:
loafing, you know. So she would be
All it amounts to is that
after being on her feet for nirr' hours
The girl usually walks home in rider to
save car fare. Yes. she walks wheth-
er sick or we'll Anyhow. you are gen
orally so tired. it don't mn much
Inference which you are"
"What has all this to dc with the
question Of theft in the sire? That
was the excuse for your coming here
And instead Of telling me something
sou rant about gas stoves and car
'are:" ..