Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-01


young, dar- FANNIE HURST
lin, young
as your own daughter
And her such baby. l wanna see
her settled. She's got the gad around
streak in her like l had, Zett. You
heard the row I had with her about
going to them Brighton dances That's
all can save her, the way it saved me.
He's a nice kid with brains, and they
got a lean to each other. l want to
see 'em settled them two kids. l can, t
leave without, Zett. / can't. l cant.
"Oh, why amt it me, with nothing
! to live for !"
Suddenly Mrs. Rifkin rose, her. face
all washed now of its rouge and the
elaborate coiffure fallen, showing dark
roots.
"All my years for nothing. All his
years for nothing
"Yanci Yanci!"
"I got to get him moved up into the
Wolfeson store while the going's good.
No time to lose, Zett. Not minute.
Got to raise the money now While IN
on the job to do the engineering. Gotta
dearie." =,
1ansed into the smartest possible com =
pass, her head buried down between
her knees.
Don't talk that way, Nanci. Not
rowl What's business or anything
else as long as you re sick this way !!
Without you, what are we, anyways
Right back where me and Henry
started with a shyster business for a
shyster trade. Nothing amt nothing
without YOU, Yanci. You bet your life
the kids got the gadding streak in her.
She needs you, Yanci, all the time.
Yanci, darlir', you got to get well; We
amt nothing without you. Nothlng'
Nothing" ... .,
over Mrs. Rifkin, and she sat down
again on the bedside. go,
Don't Zett," she said you re XIII
ing me-
.It's only nightmare we're having,
Yanci. I'm dreaming bad these nlght. .,
the Wolfeson store. Two thousand in
the hand would do it-fxtures, new
machines and all
"Lillie Leginska's sickness :.
"If we only had one friend of the
family, Zett; barouche or any oank
standing"
"Yanci, Yanci, why don't you tell me
I'm dreamin' bad?'
.'Selig, he-he's such a devil! l just
wouldn't dare go to ask him again
Assets he wants. till I'm crazy. We
cot the assets, / kept trying to tell
him, only they don't show. Our secur-
ity is our future. With the right loca =
ton, we got fortune, We
"Why couldn't it be me!'
'Jt's Ike with the pieceworkers
strike eatin' into US and all, that some
devi! was keepin' us back from maxim
the move. Even my two thousand in
surance has got TO be so we cant Dor
row on it yet. Listen to me; Zettle;
amt brag2in.' but that two thousand is
worth three times more with me here
to engineer things than it will bt
after"
"Yanci, kill me and tear my heart
"Ssb h h, hon, I was kiddin -
They resumed silence. The room hat
gaudy stare, the gaslight singing
into it.
"Zettie."
"Yes, darlin,.'
"Jerry-Jerry kessler.' -
Jerry? Ssh h, dearie, you re see
ing things. Jerry Kessier cant hurt
YOU. Whered you even. get him il
your head? He cant lay q finger oil
you"
II could get it out of him like
like nothing till the year is up; just
like rolling off a log, Zett
Get what?'
whats two thousand to him? Any
ways. at the end of the year, tits
lust like he had security like the Amer
lean Insurance Co. in back of my worC
my insurance money will meet
tho
''Nanci, you gone crazy
Il know where he lives, Zett. Yol
know that picture in the paper? Tht
Apthorp up on Riverside. where ht
owns the whole apartment house.
Him that dog :, That"
Il tell you, zettie, it's only for I
"God. if Henry hears you! Woman
you gone out of your head Henry
God forbid he should even hear yol
mention that dogs name! Remember
the very night of your wedding, how
he hit Buddie in the mouth for ever
saying his name in the house. Hanci
have you gone crazy mad|,
She was crying now and rubbing
her hands in dry wash.
"No, no, Zett. 1 didn t mean it. Hon
est. was just breakin' my head tryin
to think"
Il got my four hundred and twent,
dollars building association, if it II cas-
your mind any but what's money
What's anything? You so sick Yo,
down with Lille Leginska's sickness?'
I'm scared, Zctt. Oh, so scared
IL amt ready, 4 person like M
that never in her life give such thing
thought. Always in the movie, Zett
how l cover my eyes when-when tn
sad scenes come ~
II know, darlin' know"
"He don't deserve it from me, quit
tin like this. Took me out of tn
workroom. nothing but fast kid tina
would have gone to hell in anothe
year. Helped me them first years, AM
you with him, Zett, to settle down t.
know what a decent man can max
out of fly girl. What did ! do 70
the business compared to all lie don,
for me? Why, Barney Bernard, will
that kids brains, a member of thi
firm, can do more for it in one yea
uptown than | done in all my fifteen
I'm quittin before I've made good Il
him, Zett. Quittin' Zettie; quittin' -
The past seemed to have sucked hel
in. and she was weeping back into it.
'Never hard word ont of him. Al
ways what | wanted was right, ever
when / held out so long against the
machine workers it cost US ten years
savings. Always ready 10 give th,
shirt off his back. Always-smilin' :
always such a--good-old-schn -
''Yanci, God knows you amt go
nothing to yeproach yourself with