Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-09

things to be picture actress ~ she
sobbed. cit was my last chance to
get away from pots and pans, and |
don't care what you do to me! l just
couldn't stand it."
"Tell me about it," Paul urged SYM
pathetically, with a Cautioning glance
at Mr.. Glaub's excited face. 'Did
you take the money all at the same
time or separately|
Little by little" responded Sadie.
'T-I put it back once, but then /
went and got it again she had so much
and l didn't have any it wasn't fair
l never had anything, no pretty clothes
nor outings, nor a feller, like other
girls; only dish water and cook 5 scold-
ms and my uncle's layin' down the
law Everybody in the movies seemed
to be having a perfectly elegant time,
and / knew / could do as good if ]
only had the clothes to get me q job
Mrs. Hartshorne, she gave Matilde some
grand things every once in a while that
she was through with, but Matilde
wouldn't let me have them. She didn't
want them herself-she was always mad
when Mrs. Hartshorne gave them to
her-and burned them in the stove.
wouldn't have touched the money if
I'd known poor Mrs. Hartshorne was
goin' to die so soon, 1t seemed awful
mean, like I'd hurt her myself, and |
was so ashamed l could have died, too.
But then l thought she couldn't care,
now, and / was bound TO have my
chance w
"When did you first learn about the
money being hidden about the house!
Paul asked.
''Oh, long time ago; a couple of
months, maybe" Sadie dried her eyes
and shifted. Jenny comes down from
the parlor one day scared to death and
said she'd found a 500 bill in n little
box on the mantel, and that Mrs. Hart
shorne had said it was all right, that
she had meant to leave it there. After
that Jenny found n lot more, scattered
like, and her talk about how easy 1t
would be for some burglar or somebody
to walk off with it kind of put an idea
into my head. If Mrs. Hartshorne had
so much money she didn't know where
she put it all, why, she wouldn't miss
some of it if it was taken. So thought
it wouldn't be any very great harm.
At first I tried not to think about it
at all, but every time / went to the
movies it come back TO me till l was
nearly crazy. At last one day about
a month ago Jenny was cleaning at the
top of the house, cook was down with
a toothache and Mrs. Hartshorne and
Matilde was both oHt. / sncaked up to
the parlor and, sure enough, | found
two 800 bills in a vase / took out
one of them and left the other, and
hid what I'd taken under the rug in
our basement sitting room. l waited
two or three days, but nothin' happened,
so one afternoon when everybody was
out again / came up and took $500
| more from between the covers of some
books in the bookcase
'Is that all?' Paul eyed her sternly.
IN no." she faltered. 81 got scared
and put the $500 back, but it didn't
seem to make any difference to any
body except me, and l made up my
mind to take it again as quick as l
could. 1t seemed as if there never
would come a time when / could get
into that parlor once more without
somebody snoopin' round, but last
Wednesday when l saw that face at
the window"
"What face?' Paul interrupted.
"Oh, ] didn't tell you about that -
she paused. 81 was goin' to when you
talked to me before, but that fat man
who was with you yelled at me so,
didn't care. 1t was after dark, but the
gentleman that was having tea with
Mrs. Hartshorne hadn't gone yet when
/ got through preparin' what l had to
for dinner and went into the basement
sitting room.
81 was starin' out the window watch
in the lights spring up in the houses
across the street and wonderin' if |
could get out that night to the movies