South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-02-21

The old night Wtachman had been
discharged because OF a.
complains made By Helen
Some letter that had been given
him To mail had been found on the
desk in the Office several days after
ward. Evidently he had laid them
there and then forgotten 10 mail
them
As one or the letters was to War
rem. Helen had beer nrost Endignsnf-
There was 10 mail chute fn thfir
apartment ard since she often wr1ite
10 Warren late at night. she Ess d.
pendent upo1 the Waterman wfLo AZ
ter II ran t1e elevator. 10 take them
cut 20 the letter box on the corner
Fearing a repetftfun 81 the same
care lesEuesS- Helen had com planned
20 the superintendent She had only
wanted the F1tchnan reproved and
cautioned against laying down any
letters gwen him 70 be mailed. But
ed S 'eF distress ne hAd 'eeh oiS'n4fs
He vas a heut. wfzeued little man
az over sixty Helen had always felt
FOrry for MIN. There was something
haundngIy pathetic in the faded blue
eyes. the pinched face and the patient
drOOp OF the rounded shoulders. she
had heard THAT his wife was in the
hospital, and had given him maya
zines now AMI then TO take to her.
When she learned OF his discharge
tendent, saying she would never had
made the complaint had she known IL
would have caused his dismissal and
asking that he be taken back.
Tic is Eyasive.
The superintendent was polite but
evasive. Plainly he did not want the
man back and finally gave as an ex-
Cuse that ne didn't know his address.
Helen promptly called UP the Char
ity hospital. where the wife was ILL.,
and secured the address. And the
superintendent promised rather re-
Iuctantly to senG for him the next day.
But several days passed and still
the old Waterman was not on duty.
a gain Helen went TO the superintend
eAt He said ne had sent for the man
and that it wasn't his fault if he didn't
show up.
Intuitively Helen felt that he had
not been sent for. that the superin-
tendent was only smoothing things
over in this Vay. thinking in a day or
so she would forget about it and let
the matter drop. But the pathetic
figure IF the old nap haunted her so
that she could Rot forget
The next afternoon, leaving Nini-
fred in Delia's care she started out
for the address the hospital had given
her She would find ont II the old
man was there and If he had been
sent for. or f he now had work some
where else.
The address was in a crowded tene-
Rent district on the East Side. After
Helen left the car there were three
long blocks to walk. IT was piercing
rs cold. Last weeks snow was still
banked MP In solid masses on each
side OF the street and trOdde1 into
e hard black coating on the side walks.
In spite OF the cold. thinly clad.
Unkempt children played on the
streets and around the doOrways
Women with shawls over their heads
and men with their hands in their
pockets shuffied by
Helen had never been in this dis
trict before. and she shrank shudder-
ingly from the squalOr. the filth the
Uttered stoOps and Overlooking gar
bage cans.
There Poverty Reigns.
Dingy little grocery stores and
crowded unclean delicatessens were
everywhere Helen hurried on, avert
ing her eyes from the dangling chick
ems and purplish tainted looking meat
i'm the windows of the basement
butcher shops. How could they eat
the food from such places?
Al last she reached the number, and
paused hesitatinEly at the dark. mar
row hallway. Some children ran out
gazing at her CuTiously. An old man
shufhed down stairs. For moment
Helen thought II was the one she was
looking for-but il was not.
As he passed she caught the OdOr
OF stale beer-and he carried an
empty bucket. But her revulsiOn was
mixed with pity. After all they
could hardly ne blamed for seeking
solsce i'm the corner grog shop.
Helen Knocked heSitatingly on the
FIRST dOOl. IT was opened by an a'naZ-
ingly dirty child, who promptly put
his hnser in his mouth and kept it
there. while he stared up with eyes
big with wonder. Then q woman ap
peared n stout. gOOd-natured looking
woman I'm "A soiled blue cotton gown.
Can YOU tell me If John Mcclure
lives i'm this house, asked Helen.
John Mcclure? on. yes, ma 'sm-
the fourth floor. back Then lower
ing her voice "Ts you'se the lady
from tho hospitals his wife dead?
ooh. no-no." starmered Helen. lis
she SO fI as that
II don't know, ma'am-they said
Dying, Helen hurried mp the steep
narrow stairs. And she was the cause
eff the old mans Dismissal And bis
wife dying in charity hospital.
ON the fourth floor she paused
hreathlcss then Knocked at the door
I'm the back 1t was opened by John
Mcclure himself. little more bent
and pathetic. and the blue eyes more
faded and hopeless than she had ever
seen them. In a swift glance Helen
took i'm almost every detail of the
room-cold and dark and cherries.
but sCrupulOusly clean.
When a few moments later Helen
was again making her way down TO
the street. the tears i'm her eyes
blurred the dark stairs before her.
She had left with the old plan a two
dollar bill and the assurance that he
could go 20 work the next night.
When she reached home she again
sought the superintendent But he
told her briefly tina, 10 was too late
he had CngaeeS another man. a
younger man who would be better for
the place. He wis Ca come that
right.
- nnA Ar