Evening star., 1915-12-02

and anxious to please. but not under
standing the change in Louise, nor why
the new things were SO necessary, told
her he would get a suit before the next
| Sunday. and that she might charge the
children's clothes at a little Jewish
| store near by.
At the end of the month. when the
bills came in. Martin sat up very late
counts balance. The balance was on
the wrong side. and finally in despair
| Martin decided to pawn his watch.
| unknown to Louise. 1t was only a
| silver watch. but it would help.
| Louises new clothes had attracted
| the attention of some other women in
the block who hitherto had ignored
her. Knowing their homes had more
ashamed of her humble house and its
| meager furnishings, and the thought
came to her, as it perhaps did to the
| others, that 1t did not match the
brooch at all.
She did not mean to tell Martin what
she wanted. and she did not for sew
eral days, but she thought of how
| much she needed some new furniture
| and of how attractive she could make
her home until the allurement became
so strong that she could not stand it,
and one night, with tears and piteous
entreaties. she told him how humil-
| lated she had been. and how she must
| have some new things for the house.
Martin objected-told her that he could
not afford 1t. that he had already
pawned his watch. but she insisted and
cried so wretchedly that she could
| not stand such barren life that
| Martin told her to buy what she wanted.
| The next day in making change for
some neckties that he had sold he
| took the first $40 from the drawer.
| At the end of the month he took more,
But he meant to pay 1t back as soon
as he could. When, after some weeks.
he found that he could not, that each
week brought its stack Of bills. he
began to take more and more.
| Still Louise was not satisfied. The
| house in which they were living was
| too small, and they moved to more
aristocratic neighborhood. Later they
must have piano for the chlldren. r
and Martin could not resist her. She
must have some furs, and so on.
and on.
One day Martins employer called
i him to him and accused him of taking
| the money. In all it amounted to
nearly $600-some stolen. some forged
and Martin, poor dull Martin, was
his own accuser. He confessed.
Then a brilliant thought came to him.
II can pay it all back tomorrow. Only
give me until tomorrow" he begged.
i And his employer consented.
| That night he told Louise all about
it-about the money stolen. the checks
forged. Louise was wild. The dis
|
told her that he couldn't pay for the
things7 She could never show her
face again, 1t was awful-awful.
| But Martin comforted her. We can
sell the brooch" he said. 1T is worth
at least s6oo-more. perhaps; Then we
can pay our debts-all we owe to the
master-go back to the little house
and be happy again"
Louise was partially comforted: She
was willing to part with the. jewel;
but it was hard to be poor again, and
she hated poverty.
The next morning early Martin took
the brooch. carefully wrapped in paper,
| to the jewelry store at the corner He
was almost happy as he handed it
across the counter. The jeweler ex-
amined it, took it back to his desk.
examined 1t again, and returned to
Martin.
How much?" asked Martin, eagerly.
How much for it?"
1.-TWO dollars,'' replied the jeweler.
1.-The diamonds are paste"
(THE END)