New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-04-21

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shops and ricksN tenements. and the
fourth or fifth paWnshop which she
passed gave her q happy idea, She
looked In at the next one. It was re-
pulsive looking. She remembered a
cleaner one which she had passed and
went back to it. She hesitated mo-
ment, then went boldly in.
There she found a pudgy, bowlegged
little man.
us It anything can do, miss?' he
asked her.
"How much will you give me for
this, please?" and from her hair she
took an exquisitely. carved tortoise
shell comb studded with blue stones.
The pudgy little. man glanced at it
indifferently.
Half dollar. maybe" ss
ooh" And June picked UP, the comb
In dismay. "Why, these are real sap
phires The comb COST
Excuse me-" The pudgy little man
grabbed the comb from her hand and
trotted nimbly to the window, screw
ing jewelers. glass in his bullying eye
as he went. "Oh, So, maybe!' II
why, the comb COST sN
''Sorry, lady," and rubbing his pudgy
hands together, he smiled ingratiating-
~ at her, "but by the time: you dig
them little stones and sell them you
waste so much labor that IL I'd give
you $S.25 I'd lose money, maybe. =
June slowly picked up the comb. She
was outside the door before he called
her back -
'WaitT He smiled ingratiatingly at
her. you need the money, lady?''s.
Every much, ear,',.she confessed
'And would you give me your prom
ise that you take up the loan some
time, with the INTEREST,""
"Oh, yes"' This very eagerly. '.The
comb Is keepsake"
The pudgy little man sighed, and his
face was full Of sympathy.
Then l give you $780,"
She gathered up the money with q
sickening sense Of humiliation and took
the ticket he gave her and walked out,
feeling that she had been badly worst
ed, because she had no heart for this
sort of bartering. 1t dawned upon her
that there were worse humiliations
than accepting money from ones hus-
band, and yet She conquered the
weakness which sprang fercely up in
her, which made her heart cry in an
guish for Ned, which made her long to
desert all this hideous struggle and, fly
to his sheltering arms. No; she must
fight to the end!
But what was she to do next? A
sign at the foot Of dark, narrow stair
way caught her eye:
"Girls Wanted to Sew Pants"
Labor. Honest toll. Slight as might
be the pay, was it not better, after all,
than the occupations In W hich she had
suffered SO much? Timorously June
climbed the stairs, stopping at the first
landing for recurrence of that slight
cough which had come upon her.
An impossibly dirty man stood be-
hind long table on which were piled
huge bundles tied in rough paper.
''Well?" he said gruff1y.
80
II would like to sew some pants. If
you please" said June modestly.
"What?" The man looked at her.
astounded. you want to sew pants ~
eyes, sir" returned June.
The man shrugged his shoulders.
you go over to that woman there,
and she'll show you what's to be done
and how much deposit to pay" He in
dfcated another table
When June went down the narrow
stairs she carried as heavy a bundle
as she could conveniently lift, and her
scanty store of money was reduced to
a very small margin. Little as it was,
however, she had yet to make a pur-
chase. In the first little store she
bought an inexpensive little plain black
dress. She had less than dollar when
she stopped before building to which
she had been directed. On the door
post Of the stairway was sign,
Rooms to Let"
June here engaged mean little hall
bedroom from dumpy landlady.
Down Broadway tore the black cur
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