Evening star., 1924-09-14
Potiphar : Buss 3 !! IS. Stays i: Home f
Love in a Losing Struggle With Poverty and Despair

for all that" thought Potiphar grim
| ly.
but that difference in our ages
wasn't nothfn', MFR. Buss She
loved me and loved her she
| worked in a candy factory I
worked in newspaper office. That
was while WAS learning my trade
After I'd learned nay trade I was goin'
| to take a job somewhere at mans
wages and send for her
together"
The printer nodded
The night before I came to go
away we took q long walk. Mr. Buss
I. We come to the edge OF the bay
I across from the city. { II was sort O.
| misty evening. Mr.i Buss. All the
| world was raw and cold and lone
I some an we looked at the
| light Of the city across the water
and 1t seemed as II 1t was we two
| against the whole world there
was nobody to mind. nobody TO care.
And great big Inconsistencies came
| over me then, MIR. Buss. I was afraid
something would happen--that I'd
lose her. l said. Mary lets
| get married tonight and when
I've landed that job up in New Eng
| land I'll send for YOU"
| You didn't have the money t take
her with yehr' asked Potiphar.
No. only had the money for the
minister and the license and my rail-
| road fare / the job. And I married
| ago. :. and 1T was all over SO
| soon was frightened"
An yet it was bindin'. bin
din fr Hfe"' thought Potiphar.
Many a good mans been ruined by
havin' two dollars handy fr mar
| riage 1icense:''
| II went away and took the job Mr..
Russ. You understand how 1T was.
| They thought l was man . .
from my letters. When. they saw /
was only about II they refused me
mans wages"
And yer wife kept writin' wantin'
to know why she couldn't join you
That's it. Mr.. Buss. And she was
afraid to leave her job in the factory.
She might not get another"
Potiphar thought Of the long, close
| ly-written letters full of love and
| endearment and youthful hope and
read that noontime. Then he remem-
bered how they had dwindIed. The
| boys broken voice was going on
! feverishly again:
II tried to make her understand.
Mr.. Buss. But she said I'd stopped
lovin' her. She said I was spendin'
| my wages ON myself that
didn't want her to come on
| that she'd ruined her life marin
intend to send for her
II understand. bud" said Potiphar
| Buss.
Il worked hard. God, how / tried,
|. my eye botherin' me more and
more all the time
The cid printer sat stifiy with his
| chubby hands on his seedy little
knees his gaze far away. Verify he
knew. Even IL the boy had been
given the promised pay. when divided
| by two and the young wife's share
sent to help with the bills of her
young motherhood. there would have
been little indeed for the fare to
bring them together, or to buy fur
nishings for a home. The lad had
problems which only q strong man
should know.
But every week I sent her all !
could the boy sobped on. 'I tried
to get EN- to raise my pay but they
never could understand. was get
ting as much as most boys of my age
!. why shouldn't l be satisfied
But they laughed at me and said a
boy of my age had no business with
a baby. Then they got mad and said
business was business and IL didn't
like what they was payin' me,
could get OUT
which you did,"
81 just had to- replied the boy
II got another job and another! bu!
1t was always the same. I had a
mans expenses but they'd only pay
me a boys wages, never mind how
hard ! worked And my eye
! ;rb al
time
DOTIPHAR thought of the hard
strange ring he had detected ir
the last three of the girls letters. HI
thought Of the long list of the baby's
outfit-which he had read with ar
ache in his own heart-as the woman
had written tt and her ex.
penses which were mounting up
which again no boy should know
And Potiphar Buss verify understood
why didn't the boy want his wife
and baby up there with him ?'--in q
score of places the distraught WON
ans query had sounded. And the
grown man saw that the boy had not
told her of his poor luck, of the in
justice of his wages, of his trampings
across country to get the better jot
and find a way out with his over
burdened heart a leaden thing Final
ly he remembered the ultimatum ir
the last letter-the letter the boy
must have received while working al
the local newspaper office-the doc.
: tor from the institution had said il
was only a question Of time
the little sons death might be
, averted If certain things. all costing
money, were provided-and the letter
no longer contained endearing cpl
thets or outlined the future enshrinee
in a glorified mist. Indeed. 1t init
mated many wild. foolish and shame.
full things which she would do before
she'd see the baby die. And 1t must
have prodded like a sharp bodkir
into the boys naked heart.
and you stole Sans payroll t
save your baby's life? suggested
Potiphar Buss.
There wasn't any other way, re
piled the boy.
But you might know you'd get ar
rested"
"rd got to the place. where I didn''
care"
where's the money, bub:"
IT mailed it to her few minutes
ca