The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-10-02

gesture which may have been either
anger or despair he opened the hand
which he had been holding behind his
back and counted three soiled bills
into the woman's hand
Dolores almost gasped her surprise.
What an odd thing to do upon public
street, and such a street! She leaned
nearer to the dusty grating at the
window. Something green remained
in the mans grimy hand. The
woman's hungry eyes were fastened
on this. Evidently she was dissatis-
fed. She shook her head until the
tight knob of faded hair at her neck
bObbed up and down. Her thin lips
moved fast as she stepped nearer.
Was she refusing to take any if she
could not have all? He turned to go
away and the money was still in his
grasp. Dolores held her breath. Oh,
if only some of those passing trucks
were a trifie less noisy she might catch
word or two. There was despera-
ton now in the drawn lines of the
woman's face Again she held out her
hand-and Dolores car began to move
slowly forward.
"How ridiculously tantalizing to go
now!" scolded the girl at the window
There, thank goodness, he has given
it to the poor thing. She looks almost
happy. But why doesn't she go into
the house quick before he changes his
mind and snatches it back would
rot trust a man with those shoulders
with bent penny" He was slouching
down the worn sidewalk toward the
corner and Dolores settled again in her
seat with sigh Of thankfulness.
Gradually the car increased it's
speed and when she looked again at
her watch Dolores found it difficult to
believe that the curious spectacle had
consumed exactly two minutes. 81
shall have plenty of time after ALL"
she realized. 81, wonder what went be.
fore and what comes next in the story
Of those two? It's like reading the
tenth chapter of serial picked up in
a waiting ROOM
There was nothing further to excite
her curiosity or arouse her tagging
interest as the car crawled along, so
the solution of the episode entirely
engrossed the girl. What was she to
him, that miserable specimen, or what
was he to herr" she unused. Ger
tainly not her father. She. was more
than middIe-aged. But perhaps it was
trouble that made her look so worn.
He was very little older, if any. What
dreadfully hungry eyes she had! That
comes of never getting the things one
Graves. I'm sure it does" decided the
philosopher who had seen score Of
years. eff her hair was loosened and
she had some decent clothes, perhaps
he would have liked her better and
given her all she wanted, at once.
Could he have been her husband? Oh,
imagine having to ask, anything of so
miserable creature!
But that's the way things go. I'm
really afraid he was her husband. He
was probably asking her what she
wanted so much for. Oh and it may
| have been to get groceries and things.
But such man thinks groceries grow
on pantry shelves. He probably never
bought even a can of tomatoes in his
life and expects her-poor thing-to
feed him and the children on nothing
week. The children? That was
what it was-shoes, I'm positive; and
now remember there were two dirty
little tots peeking around the corner
of the house with the high steps near
where they stood. Yes, she wanted to
go to that big shoe sale and get some
thing to covers the bare toes of those
two. And he thought she could get
along with three dollars. l can al
| most hear him asking her why her
children wear out their shoes so fast
| Her children! Why does that style of
man always call the unfortunate little
mortals her children'?" The girl in
| yellow and white opened her bag to
| assure herself, for the third time since
leaving home, that her bank book. two
folded papers and small green purse
were still with her. A caressing breeze
from the lake swept through the car
/ az tllC ACAC>SOI L AC CCtI ucldy GU
to let on feeble old man. He thank
fully accepted the seat offered by a
sun-burned youth, and Dolores, noting
his utter WEAKNESS of body and spirit
readjusted her views.
Perhaps that wasn't the woman's
husband, after all. It may have been
a weak, careless cousin or brother
whose money she wanted to mind.
This sounded pathetic, but rather un
likely, so after a moment she dis
carded it. Gould he have been rela
ton who had taken money from her
purse? She may have discovered the
loss just as he was leaving the house
That's why she followed him into the
street. If he was a regular thief, she
could have called policeman. There
was one, remember, in the very next
block. Oh, dear, they were both
wretchef looking. It's certainly hard
to tell which needed the money most
why did he try to hold back two
bills If it all belonged to her? No,
don't think he was stealing, after all
He didn't seem worried enough. wish
could have seen his face, but it was
Il turned toward that woman all the
/ %irrno What ho r.d tiv,ao che ,,o,,ck I,