Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-16

Woulu look. Already. not from any
impatience to have this done. but be-
cause that was the way I'm which she
worked. she had his room in order. and
her picture OF his father was by the
mirror. the young face of his father.
Something faded had been written be-
low the picture. and this she had pains
takinCly rubbed away before she set
the picture in its place Next day
while she was working on Mis- Jane
Moran's bead basque. that was to be
cut over and turned. she laid 1t aside
and cut out jacket pattern and a
plated waist pattern just to see II she
could. These she rolled up impatient
ly and stuffed away in her pattern
book case
II knew how to do them all the
while. and 1 never knew I knew" she
thought with annoyed surprise. 81
s'pose I'll waste a lot of time pottering
over him"
1t was so that she spent the weeks
until the letter came telling her what
day the child would start On the
afternoon OF the day the letter came
she went downtown to the Abel
Ames emporium to buy a wash basin
and pitcher for the room she meant the
little boy to have She stood looking
at basin with a row of brown dogs
around the rim when over her shoulder
Mis- Abby Winslow spoke
You amt buying a Christmas pres
ent for anybody, are you?" she asked
warningly.
Mary started guiltily and denied it.
well. what in time do you want
Witt hn hoS IN ict
demanded.
Almost against her own wish Mary
told her Mis- Winslow was one of
those whose faces are invariably fore
runners of the sort of thing they are
going TO say. With eyebrows. eyes.
forehead. head and voice she took the
news.
He is! Forever and ever more.
When's he going to get here:"
Week after next" Mary said list
Iessly. Its an awful responsibility.
amt it-taking child SOL
Mis- winslow's face abruptly reject
ed its own anxious lines and let the
eyes speak for it.
Il always think children is like air"
she said: you never realize how hard
they're pressing down on you. but you
do know you can't live without them"
Mary looked at her. her own face
not lighting.
I'D rather go along like 1 am she
said: I'm used to myself the way |
am"
Mary Chavah.'' said Mis- Winslow
sharply. "a vegetable sprouts. Can't
you? Is these stocking caps made SOS
they won't ravel?" she inquired capa-
bly, of Abel Ames. These are real
good value. Mary" she added kindly.
Better surprise the little thing with
one of these. a red one"
Mary counted over her money and
bought the red stocking cap and the
basin with the puppies. Then she went
into the street. The sense of oppres
sion. of striving. that had seldom left
her since that night in the stable made
the day n thing TO be borne, to be
breasted The air was thick with
snow. and i'm the whiteness the dreary
familiarity of the drug store. the meat
market. the postoffice. the Simeon
Buck Dry Goods Exchange. smote her
with a passion To escape from them
all. TO breed new familiars, to get free
of the thing that she had said she
would do.
And l could" she thought: Il could
telegraph TO John not TO send him. But
Ienny-she can't. 1 don't see how she
stands it,
The thought may have been why.
instead OF going home. she went to see
Jenny. \ neighbor was in the sitting
room with Mrs. Wing. Jenny met
Mary at the kitchen door and stood
against background of clothes dry
ing on lines stretched indoors.
Don't you want TO come upstairs?"
Jenny said. There amt a fire up
there. but l can show You the things"
She had put them all in the bottom
drawer. as women always do. and. as
women always do. had laid them so
that all the lace and embroidery and
pink ribbons possible showed in a fiut
ter when the drawer was opened. len
ny took the things out. one at a time.
unfOlded. discussed. compared. with all
the tireless zeal of n robin with a straw
in its mouth or of a tree bloSSominS.
smell OF them" Jenny babe her
Honestly wouldn't Won know by the
smell who they are for:'' Il dunno bu,
you would" Mary admitted awkward /
~ and narveled dumbly nt the new
ness Jenny was feeling In that which /
after all. was not new.
When these things We're all ont a lit. /
tie tissue paper parcel was left lying I'm /
the drG wer.
There's one more" Mary said.
Jenny flushed. heSitated. lifted il.
That's nothing" she said: before |
! came / made some little things for |
its Christmas. thought maybe II /
would come first. and we'd have the |
Christmas In my room. and made
some thinSs-just for fun. you know.
But it won't be fair 10 do It now. with
the whole town so set against orr bnv-
ing any Christmas. Mary. il Just seems
as though I had To have II Christmas