Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-04-16
PAGE FIVE

And as she turned inside, u moth
eaten little poodle of II man who had
been standing in nearby doorway,
recognized her and started up and
trottcd after to ovcrtake her. He
went inside also and smirked at her.
Half-apologetically, he fidgctted him.
self about until she noticed him.
Hello George! You following
me round again? Come on in and
have something, George. Come and
keep me company because l wish i
was dead"
|, 1t was just what the little poodle
of man had widely hoped for. May
be if Mibb imbibed the appropriate
number of drinks she would become
generous as she had at sundry times
in the past, and loan him five so he
could go back and get another weeks
bed and board.
"Lost yer job, Mibb?" asked the
thread-bare little man. He sat OPP
posite her, his little rounded should-
ers hunched up, his thumbs together
on the tables edge, in his buttonhole
a wilted ragged nosegay.
"No; something worse than my
job, George"
"What could be worse'n your job
to lose, Mibb?"
"My soul, George, my soul, my
SOUL"
He looked at Mibb trying to get
his cue. Was she facetious or al
ready intoxicated or was she in earn
est? He concluded she was INDUCING
in grim jest. :.
"And when did you lose this soul o
your'n, Mibb?"
"Ycars and years ago, George.
Years and years ago when I. was
young and handsome"
George smirked.
you're pretty and handsome now,
Mibb." Thus did he hope to wheedlc
the five.
"Prctty and handsome? Don't be
an ass, George. I'm not in the mood
for it tonight"
"If you amt pretty and handsome,
what are you?"
"I'm a greasy burned out, old wo-
man with heart like peanut and
a face that shows plainly enough
she's gone the pace and is paying the
price. That's what l ami"
"You'rc II woman" began George.
I'm not u woman-I'm only fc-
r,alc Maybe l showed some traces
OF being woman once. Maybe l
could have become a woman if I'd
had better bringing up and not been
so God-damned selfish. But I bung-
led the job of life and see it now
and think Pm going to get--drunk.
If you don't want to miss it, sit where
you arc George, and watch me dis
sipatc.'
"But Mabel, my dear!
"Don't, dear, me! You want some
thing out of me. Nobody ever dears
4 selfish woman unless they want
favors. There's going to be funeral
here, George. / know woman
who's goin' to bury her sorrows and
heartachc in wine. Hold coffin
handle, George 1t will be entertain
ing!"
"But Mabel; really, you mustn't,
you know. You'll lose your job" g..
close my job! And what O that?
What's tho loss of a job beside the
things I've LOST"
"What have you lost, especially,
Mabcl?"
"What have I lost-cspccially?
Listcn,-I1l tell you what I've lost
especially. I've lost my girlhood and
my future; I've lost the regard Of
respectable people and birthright
of honor I've lost the love of one
of the finest men God ever made,
sort of a silly grinning fellow but
with heart as good as gold and
out of whom could have made
man, and husband who'd be with
me now and make my last days hap
Ply. I've lost fine home and friends
and the things that money can't buy,
and I've lost fortune also. I've
lost baby arms around my neck and
damp drooly baby kisses on my lips.
I've lost the blessings Of little chill
drcn growing up around me, George!
and the joy of calessing their bumps
and softening their tragedies and
healing their bruises. I've lost-God!
what hsvcn't l lost!--Fve lost the
glory of reaching times that I've
reached now, tonight, aud not a single
man to tower over my shoulder and
call me mother, and stand
around with his brothers beside my
he'd and pray to God, if there is one,
that my life may be spared for the
sake of what mean to someone.
That's what I've lost, ee-specially.
George, and only want to forget
my troubles and be carried back in
fancy to my girlhood in a little New
England town againw
The waiter came up. Mibb order
ed wine. George raised his stubby
little hands in protest. But a bit
Historically she laughed him down.
Continued next week. =