The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-02-11
The Call of
Already
By LILLIACE MITCHELL
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g, 1922, by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate
Esther had always lived in institu-
tiohS-ahd she was deathly tired of
thelns She sometimes thought that if
ever again. she heard a gong sound She
would curl up on the floor and die
But She didn't. Instead. the moment
that the first jangle sounded she was
on her feet hurrying to breakfast in
the morning Or putting out the lights
al III 30 at night. Just the same. she
always hoped stolidly that something
some day would happen to take her
away from institutional life. Yet she
really did not anticipate 1t greatly.
linen, one day. going home from
work on the street car she found a
volume OF success articles. Esther
liked stories. but past that she seldom
read anything unless 1t was a news.
paper This book, however, had a
led cover and the name of II was
stamped on it In startling golden let.
tiers. She glanced inside and became
interested. She found that she had
sunk into rut--althOugh had 1t not
been for the book she never would have
thought Of 1t. She read on, for It
seemed to give some idea that II one
chose she could climb out Of the rut
no matter how deep and rough rut
1t might be-
And that night, when the 10 30 bell
the lights out" bell--sounded, she
put her lights out with the rest Of
them. listened to her roommates reg
ular breathing, and then made gay
plans for herself
After all. life was only a pattern,
and II need not necessarily be a stencil
pattern-just the same old thing day
after day. True, she had been left an
orphan in an orphan asylum, and at
fourteen. when she was considered too
old to be any longer an orphan to be
supported by ''the authorities" she
was permitted to 60 to the home Of
Mrs. Ayrshire. where she was general
helper in the kitchen.
There was nothing very inspiring
about the kitchen work Of the largest
cafeteria in the world. 1t was always
case of just getting thing done.
For instance, peeling enough potatoes
to odd sizes that would not go through
the machine and then finding that the
bin was again filed with odd sizes.
She often wondered as she did these
odd jobs what Johnny Johns had done
when he became fourteen and was au-
tomaticaily released from the orphan
asylum. She and Johnny had used to
play together, and she always looked
with rare admiration upon his shock
Of red hair that stood upright.
To the other orphans that hair had
been a source Of amusement and
Johnny had been called Red by the
others. She could recall three sepa-
rate occasions when people Of the city
who had automobiles had lent them to
the orphan asylum for the day and
they had all piled in and had gone to
the zoo. Those days to Esther and
Johnny Johns had been red-letter days
days Of Already life.
And they used to plan to go every
day to the zoo just the minute they
were old enough to get ont of the
asylum. And with dismayed eyes that
stared into the darkness of the girls
boarding club that was her present in
stitutional home, Esther realized that.
although it had been almost six years
since she had left Johnny and the
other children, she had never once
gone to Already, as they had called the
zoo.
Tomorrow" she said aloud, "Tm 60
ing"
"WhatY asked her roommate. sit
ting straight up in her narrow bed OF
white iron that was so durable In the
dormitory.
"Im going to Already" said Esther
firmly.
Her roommate lay down again. "You
must "a eaten plum pudding for your
dinner tonight" she said sulkily.
And Esther giggled at the thought
OF plum pudding in an institution.
The next day she stopped to tell the
commissary that she probably would
not be back for tea--it was Sunday
and IL the girls notified the commits
sary in time they were allowed 70
cents on their weekly bill.
"Going out to the zoo?" said that
plump lady behind the desk. "Well,
wait bit and we'll go together l al
WAYS Toxic my little boy out Sunday
afternoons, and we always meet my
nephew there. l always kid him and
fell him he must be going to meet
girl there-he goes 80 reguiar-llke.
Rut he takes the teasing well-ah," she
her arms out ahead OF her
a gong sounded, now Tn through
and can CO."
Esther felt little shock to think
HAT Mrs. Spears was glad to be free
for the afternoon. Somehow she had
always thought that people who ran
institutions did 50 because they loved
tho authority. But there was little
time TO con over this thought, for they
we're on their way, and Esther felt
very coy and honey somehow, as Ut