Evening star., 1919-02-23

or be happy and satisfied with it as
her life, now and for all.
The sight of herself in the glass
filled her with rebellion. She saw
herself woman stiil her very prime
for what God created such women
as she--beautiful, strong. full bosom
ed and with blood tingling now even
at the instants daring thought of
giving life! 1t was entirely wrong
impossible. that life could be granted
or forbidden by the gaining or los
ing of an order for a lot of furniture
catalogues. 1t was utterly beyond
reason that the moving of one big
press for two extra days each week
or its remaining idle could change
the whole present and future for her
self and Ralph. and for
But she dared think of II no more,
definitely. The color-picture chromos
of chairs and tables and cabinets and
close printed pages describing them
were the very elements and basis of
life. They must have orders for them,
she and Ralph. to live at all. To get
the order she must go at once to
Fanston's office, and, while pretending
that the business would not make
much difference with them, and that
they would rather not have 1t than to
take it at the price they had made
before, she must tight--fight and
scheme and contrive, assembling and
pretending and putting up a brave
face, while all the time her heart
would be choking her and her hands
cold and her whole soul shaking in
fear of losing the order at any figure.
The combat between her and Fan
ston would start where it had always
started with him and Ralph, or with
him and her. 1t would open with her
trying to" get the business at the
price they bid--only fair price, per-
haps scarcely that, but one which
would free her from the office for
awhile, at least. Then slowly her op-
ponent would fight her down, ten dol
lars here. twenty-five there, bringing
up bids Of other printers willing to
work for only a living. And she would
see freedom slipping. slipping away
from her with every lowering of the
price until finally 1t would be brought
down to cost Of bare paper and press
work, and she would have to take it
and stink out with it, ii they We're
to keep the shop open at all. And SO
1t must be with the Marley order the
next month. the Harris order after
that and the rest around the year, as
it had always been
The sharp, querulous raSp of wom-
ans voice breaking in upon the rough
tones of mans came up through
the thin flooring from the Warmers
fiat below
AS Edith ate her breakfast at the
kitchen table, she heard the Warmers
continue their wrangling. They SEEM
ed to deserve their lot--or, at least,
the wife deserved no better. Through
out the ten years she had been mar
ried Mrs. Warner had only idled and
wasted. Edith told herself that if She
had made no effort, she would not
feel bitter, she would not complain.
The hard part was that she. as wen
as Ralph. was spending all her
strength and they were winning
nothing.
She got on the street car to go to
Fanston's. A woman who had been
a girl with her and had married only
a little earlier than she was on the
car with her two boys and the baby,
a girl The older boy, a handsome lit
tie fellow of seven. got up and greet
ed Edith bashfully: the other boy,
just four. clung to her hand with his
warm, damp fingers his mother,
meaning only to be friendly, gave
Edith the little girl to hold for
moment.
After they had left the car Edith sat
with gloved hands clenched, her lips
set, the color gone from her cheeks
except for the patch in each where
the blood burned hotly. That girl de-
served to have children no more than