Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-08-16

call OF life, born of her nearnesS.
Uneasily he shifted in his chair,
glanced at the dingy, sordid furnish
ings Of the little office, and peered
out thru a dusty window at vague
glimpses of warehouses, masts and
sails. all fog enshrouded. Then once
working steady at the pile of letters
on the desk.
Vinton had often enough seen girls
at work in stores and offices, but he
had never paid them any heed. They
had seemed only commonplace parts
OF the vast life machine, only incon-
siderable cogs of necessarily obscure
wheels. For him they had possessed
no real, no personal quality; but he
found this girls case very different.
The idea of her having to labor in
such a stuffy, noisy place rendered
him uncomfortable. A new thought
rose up in him, a thought which he
voiced by asking:
Cant help you, Miss Alden?
You've got such tremendous lot of
work there!"
"Oh, no, no, it's nothing" she an
swered, bit surprised. This is the
easiest part of my job. It'll all be
done in a few minutes"
Eyes, but let me help-please!
Can't we go fifty-fifty on it?"
Laughing. she pushed half the pile
over toward him.
II see you're quite persistent
sort of man." said she, "and fifty
fifty Is an argument I particularly
like"
He brought his chair close to the
desk, and for the first time in his
existence set his hand to the reali-
ties of life. The work was trivial
contact with the actuality OF bust
ness. Only yesterday he would have
denied as preposterous the thought
of anything like this, but now it
seemed both natural and pleasing
That he was helping her--just this,
him singularly glad.
Soon the last envelope was ready.
The girl stacked them all together
and thrust them into a well-worn
leather bag.
"All right now" said she. I'm
thru here for the day"
She stood up, took down her coat
from a nail, and with his help
slipped into it. Then she put on her
little hat. Both hat and coat he
noted, were the same that he had
seen at the mission. Had she, then,
no others?
Again he felt a sense of pity al
most of shame, that such a woman
should be narrowed to such poverty.
The girls whom Vinton knew all had
so very, very much!
We'll, let's be going" said Miss
Alden. looking up at him with those
steady gray eyes.
"All right" he answered. "I'm
glad you haven't anything more to
do today, for now we can
you don't understand. at ALL" she
I'm only thru here!
I've got to be at the theater at half
past one, so we haven't any time to
lose"
She picked up her bag and moved
toward the door.
ALLOW me-" said vinton, taking
the bag from her. What theater?"
"Jordan's Olympia. in East Bos-
ton." she answered, as they reached
the stairs and started down. II told
you l had four jobs, didn't I? Well,
that's one of them.
What do you do there?"
ss0h coll finEofc ord Ioolx o,,< Gov
the money! and manage the ushers,
and other things"
Him! How many times week
do you go there?'
Every day and evening. It's
movie house, you see-continuous
performance. have to be there aft
ernoons and evenings, till half-past
nine.'
Every day?" demanded vinton,
appalled,. Every day."
They had reached the shipping Of
flee. He stopped on the landing to
stare at her. She, smiling, nodded
up at him in the gloom.
did you say every day?" repeated
vinton.
why, yes" she answered. TITS
seven days a week-no way out of
that. OF course l get time off for
supper. tho"
And you mean to tell me you work
here six mornings a week, and then
do that, too?''
"Of counsel" she assented. 'Now,
please let's be going. We've got to
hurry, If We're going to have any
lunch"
Astonished into silence, vinton fol-
lowed her down stairs. Could it be
possible that women had to work
like that? And she had told him she
had still other jobs, besides. What
might those be?"
AS they reached the oozy, steam
Ing street, and started along the
sidewalk together5 Vinton put an
other query:
Tell me, Miss Alden, what-what
else do you do?"
well, eat once in a while. Where
shall we go?'
he laughed, and named an up
town hotel. She shook her head in
decisive negation.
You know can't afford that, Mr..
vinton," said she. Remember, this
is fifty-fifty, just like those en-
yelopes!"
Wont you accept my hospitality,
Just this once?" he begged, already
feeling a singular comradeship with
something more vital, some-
thing finer than he had ever sensed
In company with any other woman.
No" she bluntly denied him. you
promised should pay my own way.
l always have, and those are my
only terms. I know a dandy little
place down Atlantic avenue. Come
on!"
He let her lead him, wondering