The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-22
What the
Mirror Told
BY ANNA WYNNE
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(Copyright)

| urely at some little distance ap
preached her at length, coming so d.
rectly and with such evident intent
that she looked up.
Then she rose at once and stood he
side her chair, for one was the cloaked
and yelled black figure Of a nun, with
beads and snowy bands and deity.
plated wlmple.
"Sister and / have been talking
about you" said her young companion
She was black-clad too, slender, pale
and grave.
"She's going to be one, too" flashed
through the mind Of the girl, poor
thingw
"And sister is so glad and happy for
you-and so am THAT your father
did such a wonderful thing We
heard all the passengers know, How
proud you must be Of him?"
Something in the sad young voice
pierced the reserve Of the girls pent-
up emotion, and though she struggled
for self-control as she met the eyes of
the speaker, the rise and fall of her
breast qulckened and she pressed her
hands over her quiyering face as she
burst into tears.
"Alnt I, thought she sobbed that
proud B-bub-but-" Her voice
failed
The young woman looked doubtful
for an instant, glancing ut the nun !;
then stepped nearer to the girl and
pushed toward her the chair she had
occupied.
There" she said gently, "you are
overwrought-cry it out; it's the best
way"
"Tain't that" protested the girl;
ITS how l always felt till now. Sup
pose he'd been killed and LIE never
dlfferent-oh-h!
IT'S tough for a girl to feel at a
parent like l always felt at pop-but
his getting in Jail for seven years
when | was a kid done it.
ut seemed like treating nom kind
Of thin with three Of us already and
the twins. when he wasn't gone six
months. And it's n cinch what a
mans up against when he gets out
ut don't take no clalrvoyant to see
trouble ahead for him, good and plen-
ty. Pops been out over five years
now, and say, hOnest-well, there's a
lot Of hot air bowed about the broth
erhood Of mani hear it at the union,
but take it from me-rot! That's
what.
"They amt nobody playing that
game with jallbirds-they're poor re-
lations."
Bitter lines in the little old-young
face deepened and her mouth shut
grimly but she did not pause long,
Indeed, she talked with an eager
breathlessness which showed a heart
full to bursting.
The somber habit of one listener
took all strangeness from the fact that
she talked to strangers. She needed
to talk-how she needed to talk.
"All pop needed was a chance
know now | learnt that yesterday and
today. But it took this steamboat
company job and a busted boiler, and
next door to his dying for me to find
1t out"
She fell to sobbng again softly, and
nothing was said until the voice of
the young woman asked: Did you
tell himY
She shook her head, sobbing hard
err "Tell him-nothing, she ierked
forth, "when | seen him laying in that
hospital bed with bandages all over
him, most up to his eyes, and them
kind Of hollow-looling, like he'd seen
whole lot Of ghosts; it all come over
me and Jumped right down, hanging
onto his hand-one amt burned only
the arm down to the elbOw-and only
saying, pOp-oh, pop my poor old
pop
The young woman's dark eyes grew
darker: the nuns head, with moving
lips, bent above the beads "And what
did he say?" asked the soft voice in
the silence
"Bme-by he says, choky IS your
ma all rghtY
"Then l remembered to tell him
how her rheumatism kept her home
so | had got off FOR two days and the
company let me come up ON one of
the boats; and how The man from the
company come TO see nom and called
him another Jim Bludso--sone follow
out West, he was
"Said he'd saved hundreds Of lives
and would get n Carnegie sure and
then began boo-hooing, and he smiled
twlstyllke and said, I'm glad got the
chance, for your sake Mamie, and
your mas. 1t seemed as II ! wasn't
going to get no chance, though some
men never does, Mamie; some mer
never does. "
The young woman leaned forward
and put her hands on Minnie Flynn's
knees, looking eagerly into her face
"Wln you do something for meT
she asked cor for sster-iis the
same thing"
The girl glowed delightcdly. Say
she said warmly, anything | can, yol
bet.
The other laughed little "Yo,
are the compnny's guest on this boa
tonight"
"Mell. then here's what ! want