The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-30
EVENING STORY


box factory on MacDouglas street, car
rying tall piles of boxes back and forth .
as they were finished by the older |
hands, and ready for the packers.
She was fifteen when she started in, |
and the 81 a week had seemed so
much to the little family tucked away =
in three rooms on Sullivan street. With I
her mother and Danny helping. 200. |
it wasn't hard to get along at all, and
when the weather was good they all
went over into Washington square all
night to rest and dream awhile.
. But up in the factory the other girls
had never admitted her into That inner
circle of friendly intimacy that always
exists where there are fellow workers.
Perhaps it was because she wasn't
pretty. The first week she had gone
there Carl, the shipping clerk mad
sized her up jocularly and remarked
that shed be some frost at the Win
ter Garden with that face hung or
her.
Tess had heard and hated him with
all her heart, ever. while the hot tears
filled her eyes, and she bit her lip to
keep back the swift retort. She mad
taken a good look at herself in the
little crooked mirror over the wash
basin where the girls put on t. cir
hats, and it was perfectly true. She
wasn't a bit pretty. She didn't know
how to do her hair attractively ant in
style, and she had freckles, and her
mouth was too large. There was 20
one to tell her that her eyes were big
and lustrous, and her complexion
clear and pink When she smiled there
was charm that frightened her
whole face. 1t came as a birthr;ght
from a mother who had been born
| near Killarney. But Tess only saw
the red hair and freckles, and hated
them with all her heart
The next year it was much worse
the boys and girls in the factory
formed social club, and gave little
dances and picnics, and Tess was left
| out with old Julia the serubwoman
and Lizzie, the little hunckback sorter
of labels. She tried to think she didn't
! care, but when Tom Blaze came to
/ work on the freight elevator. she
knew she did. She'd have given every
thing she owned to make Tom look
at her and as he looked at some of
the other girls and especially Telka.
I Telka was one of the experienced
/ hands on bridal cake boxes. She past
ed on the satin striped pa per and the
delicate, frostlike lace Innings and al
ways sang as she worked She was
| from Northern HuRgar- with the
mystery OF the Magyars in her Curl
Gus attractive eyes md SOW smile.
Once when one of the boys had tried
to kiss her, she had slapped, him, and
! when he hurled a choice bit of good
old Bowery call down at her return,
4 Telka had promptly seized ner scissors
and chased him downstairs into a cor
ner until he begged her pa don.
| The second week, as Tess was going
down on the freight elevator at noon
| time, Tom took a bunch of flowers
from pasteboard shoe box at his feet
and gave them to Teika. They were
not city flowers, Tess could tell that.
There was whiff of rose geranium
and sweet alyssum, with heliotrope
and mignonette.
I'VE live up in Fordharn,'' Tom said.
Mother picked that bunch for me
this morning from her garden. Like
it?"
flowers. Surely she liked hem. Tess
watched them both with little heart
ache of curiosity. What was this love
that bloomed overnight like a flower
itself and brought, the lus-re to the
eyes and the color to the cheeks of
girls like Telka? When the Hungar-
/ ian girl got off at the sixth floor, Tom
turned and saw his other passenger,
her arms full of boxes as ,sual
Hello, kid he said happily. Can
| 1 light match on your hair?',
'-Snarty'' retorted Tess, holly, and
Tom looked at her twice. Dimples and
red curly hair were not such a bad
combination after ALL Telka was
drowsy and indolent in her ways I'M
less reused to anger, but here was "A
girl with bit of old Ireland in her
makeup like a dash of pepper. The
next day he brought some roses for
Tess, but she was busy in the packing
| room, and he gave them to Telka at
the last moment. Then, when the
| days grew warm, the social club ar
ranged for a Sunday outing up the
Hudson. Tess heard the girls talking
about it and planning. It seemed S
if she could feel the weight of her own
4 heart in her loneliness. If only there
was someone who wanted her most
of all, someone whom she wanted, too.
Tom called TO her she went up the
stairs Saturday morning, but she lid
not notice him. All at once she felt
a great bitterness against the whole
cruel pressure, the daily grind that
ate up youth and happiness, the pitt
full little four dollars that was due
her that night, old Levinskys face at
the time clock when she rang up,
Miss Gulitsky, the, forewoman. giving
out the work for the day-what was
it all worth in the big count up OF
life?
That morning at breakfast her
mother had been telling of her home
in the old country. of the beautiful
lakes of Killarney and the lifting
glory of the hills around them. 1t
seemed like another world to Tess
; from this narrow street filled with
| crowding italian children, and the
endless rows of factories and shops
below Blocker street.
She was thinking of this, hating her
, work. her companions. Texas sleek,
dark head, the Sound of the machin-
cry, everything in the place.
Wen be let out at twelve noon to-
day." the girl at the checking desk
said ''Boss's got soft heart. l guess.
| on account of the picnic. What you
going to wear, Tess ?''
Tess scowled. 1t was on the tip of
her tongue to say she wasn't going.
The clock over her head said ten min
utes to IL. She caught up her last
loa dof boxes and started for the in
! closed wooden stairs. And half way
down she saw a little curling feather
of smoke. 1t was ever SO slight hard
ly noticeable, only when you work in a
paper box factory you grow to see
such things very quickly. In ten min
utes or less ii would eat it's way thru
and the wood partitions would blaze
up like match wood. Tess started at
md laar daIiharea dor