The Detroit times., 1916-07-04


not been sleeping well and when on
that Monday morning she arose al I
o'clock 10 begin the washing her
head ached cruelty and she felt a. u
every breath must be her last But
Mamie Hacker was not a woman 10
lay aside duty because ~ any physi.
cal discomfort Moreover she knew
that II would be just A. hard 10 do
the washing or the morrow as TO
day. She left her husband sleeping
and moved softly behind closed
doors. while she built he Are, put
the water on 70 heat. and GOT he
clothes into the f-s' suds TIE wash
ing was heavy that morning, for the
extreme heat had made IL necessary
for Bert to-chanse his work clothes
several times.
BY the time Re-- appeared Mamie
bad the coffee made and the potatoes
warmed Bert had a Foodly appe-
tite. He was a biz heavy. hearty
man, intrinsicallv selfish. after Ais
Kind. He did not notice that Ma
ME ate nothing. Tie did not ofeT
TO help washing dishes but stood
about smoking unconcarcediy and
waiting for the : o'clock whistle 10
blow.
Joe simmons said they had
carload OF peaches come in last
night" he remarked, and the mer.
chants refused 10 take EN- for some
reason or other. Joe said they'd I've
giving them away today. II ! ca
pick up a couple OF baskets cheap
III send EN- over I'm awtully tonl
Of peach sauce myself
Il don't believe | can do "
peaches today, with ali the rest OF
nv work" Mamie said Il don't feel
well some way I: has been so hot
But. great Scott. you can; arord
not to do en- up II ! ca get en-
for you as cheap as Joe said cried
Bert in amazement,
A moment later the whistle blew
and he hurried away. Half an hour
later Dust as she had got the cloth
es into the first rinsing water Ma
ME had what she would have cali
ed bad turn" Her heart sudden
ly baked. and she sank into chair.
paliid. hreathless and with a deadly
faintness. For a few moments she sat
still. wondering whether she would
live or die. and not caring which
she did. II wouldn't turn over my
hand TO live another minute" she
thought. and tears started down her
thin. pale cheeks.
In these few minutes her life fash
I'd before her. First her childhood,
pitiful and poor, with her father al
way out OF work. and her mother
crying: then her girlhood, wherein !
,he had fought for education and !
rot enough to teach school and sup |
port the family until an accident
ook her father and heart disease
Ter mother: then her early woman
hood, when things had Frightened
and she had taken that trip west |
with Olive Price. who was Olive
Taylor now. rich mans wife and t
forever out Of her reach. She had /
become engaged TO Bert Hacker By |
letter upon that trip. Distance lent
she learned when again
she stood face 10 face with him. But
she had given her xord-a sacred
ordinance with her And even
though II meant losing Olives
friendship. for Olive was Disguised
with the match. she married him No
one but God and herself knew what
her life had been. She had borne
four children and watched them die
She always had been poor. alone, un-
with. And yet, some
how. she had clung 10 her ideals
with the desperation OF one TO whom
nothing else is left. She had kept /
her soul afloat while her body sank |
beneath the soiled currents OF her |
life.
AS she sat thinking and waiting |
Tor her strength 10 return the door
opened and a boy looked In.
"Lo. Mis- Hacker" he cried. |
'Bert's sent some peaches"
She did not answer She sat look
ing at him as he put basket after
basket down.
Nice hot morning for a canning
Job" he grinned as he vanished.
Mamie got up and<pried the lid
on one basket. II was easy 10 sec
Why the merchant had rejected
hem They were over.ripe, fast rot.
ting. There were seven baskets,
and they could not bear an hours
delay She stood staring az them,
At the washing half done and the
kitchen She felt crush.
ed beneath the burden She sank
back into the Chair and covered her
face with her hands.
Out ir the street a siren shrilled
The front DOOR bell rang. She heard
nothing No: until The outer door
Of the kitchen opened again did she
look mp. For a moment she stared
AZ the silk.coated
yelled woman who stood there smil-
ing at her
"Olive Taylor" she gasped and
collapsed gratefully into a fragran,
embrace ITO be kissed like that