Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-02-01


Before her hat was OF. there came =
kuock-outside was the landlady say
ing I'm going away over Christmas
If you could
She got no further-Mavis was
crowding into her hands the only bin
In her parse When she had her re-
oeipt. carefully signed. she sat down
Neakly--ioo depressed 10 think even
how tired she was
Next day. after a supperIess sleep.
she took stock of things. She had
seventy cents in hand-to last she
could not tell how long. Moreover
breakfast took the last four crackers
the bakery was a mile Of. but she
walked TO and from II for her new sup
ply BY thus saving car fare. she
dared to buy milk-once she even
thought OF venturing upon an egg. and
cents worth OF butter. Second
thought forbade. But on the way
nome she loitered in front Of bake
shops shifting hungrily their savory
smells They made her wolfish But
once home hunger left her-and she
sat down duly to darn stockings. and
mend rents. She had been so busy
making mckier folk shipshape. she had
let her own garments go
Christmas dawned murky. but a bit.
ter raw wind rove the clouds away
ike frightened sheen. Mavis dressed
herself carefully and went out facing
II Somehow she could not work. She
had gnawed her food dry. not even
drinking water with It. She had not
meant 10 go 10 church. but the wind
drove her inside The service mocked
her-there We're flowers special mu-
sic, words of hope and good will but
to empty pews for the most part
Mavis sat alone in q vast dimness
wondering duly if a God who noted
falling sparrows. had not forgotten
her.
Back in her room-her's for week
longer she fell furiously to writing
What she wrote was neither great nor
eloQuent-hardlv even coherent. not
beggar's whine. but the outpouring of
brave heart driven to the wall II
was not bitter They did not think"
vas the burden OF il She hoped II
people read IL. Il might save some
other girl in extremity She had
stamp left-that would take it to the
Comet-if they sent to inquire after
the writer she would be-gone Mavis
smiled almost dreamily. thinking Of
the cooi handy river She would not
go into II hungry.
A fancy came to her-to pretend as
she had done when a child Rummag
ing in the cracker bag brought forth
reasures-animal crackers. either
scorched or lacking a leg. sweet bis
cult half crumbled. fruit waters more
than a bit dilapidated. even cheese
waters, half disintegrated. With al
these she would serve herself course
dinner naming water. wine. and finish
ing with hot draught for the coffee
She began bravely-desperate hun
ger is a sauce for even broken crack
ers But half way through she broke
down-her throat CONSTRUCTED
could neither eat nor drink Pretend
ing brought back everything old
life which If colorless had been safe
and fulfilled If the village had beer
narrowly provincial and gosstpy. gos.
sip would save in such q strait as
this
She got up blindly put on her hat
sealed the letter already stamped and
folded. and was reaching for her eoat
when she heard an apologetic knock
outside Without waiting. the door
opened The landlady's husband
stood there, in slippers and untidy
smoking jacket. He faltered some
thing about forgetting postmans
being late-and thrust a letter upon
her Then he fed precipitately Hi,
wife had charged him specially not TO
neglect lodger who made no trouble
and always had the money waiting
For at least a minute Mavis could
not open the letter-still she did not
faint nor scream when out of it came
a checque for fifty dollars. Another
story had hit the mark Then all oc
casion for tears being past, she in
dulged in hearty cry-and ate the
last courses of her Christmas dinner
with a relish truly incredible
Copyright. 1912. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)