Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-06-30

! OF what might once nave been q
smile.
"Sorry?" she repeated, and her
shrill voice cut my very soul. Il
can't pay my rent with sorrow,
much less a secondhand sorrow that
| get from you" Her own witt
cism amused her, but could see
that it did not soften her,
From the room at the end Of the
hall one of the brood saw me. lie
raced toward US, stopping breath
Ilessly.
Make a penny disappear, Mr.
| Ainsley" he cried.
Let him make a dollar appear,
suggested his mother"
Amt you got a penny, Mr. Aims
,ley?" asked the child.
l suppose that my shame appeal
ed to Mrs. Cannon. Anyway, she
pushed the child away, harshly or
dcring him to go bacl, to the kitch-
en-. But pity for my humiliation
could not make her forget her own
needs.
"The rent Of your room was due
yesterday, Mr.. Ainsley," she said.
'Tm always willing to give anyone
a fair chance, but with plenty Of
people waiting for rooms, people az
is able to pay for them, you can't
expect me to let you have the room
free"
She told the simple truth. Even
this grimy house had become at
tractive to me, because it afforded
me shelter from the elements, be-
cause, for all its degradation, it was
better than the hard benches of the
park. Mrs. Cannon would have no
difficulty in letting the room which
occupied, the rent of which was
only dollar week, and yet a rent
al beyond my power to pay.
swell, what you got to say?" she
demanded. cts wonder to me
that good big strong man like you
wouldn't get some kind of job if
you wanted to"
| could not debate the question
with her. How make her understand
that a wound, followed by illness,
and the latter succeeded by eighteen
months of malnutrition eliminating
in what promised to be actual star
walton, untitled a man for manual
labor? Oh, l could work like a gian.
for ten minutes, but after that brief
= time | became as weak as a new
born kitten. But these were matters
that pride kept me from divulgin.
to Mrs. Cannon. She had trouble.
of her own; mine did not concern
her.
We'll, there amt nothing moro
for me to say. If you can't pay
me, you'll have to go. That's al
there is to that" She put her
hands on her hips and stared at me
l had never in all my life done :
thing which the world calls dishon
orable. l should have been able t.
look anyone in the eye. The con.
seriousness of virtue should have sus
tanned my glance. Instead, Il fel
; before her truculent glare. Then
made up my mind.
'All right, Mrs Cannon; I'll pas
you tonight" l told her.
Its tonight now,2 she reminded
me suspiciously.
Il mean in an hour" | explained
She eyed me unoelievlngIy Then
reluctantly, she said; Don't think
you can put anything over on me. Il
get my dollar in advance, like its
due, or out you 60"
l nodded to her apologetically
humbly She pursed her lips, start
ed to say something, changed hen
mind and let her words become an
lndIstinguishable murmur, turned
and waddled down the hall.
| mounted the stairs. / say mount
ed, but mean that | climbed them
by the most desperate effort. Silver
zigzag lines appeared and vanished
before my eyes; tiny points of light
grew into great molten moons and
then faded suddenly into darkness,
Nausea attacked me, and | con
quered it only by miracle Of eff
fort.
AT last | reached my room on the
top floor. 1t was hardly more than
a cupboard. There was no window
skyhght gave what light and ven
tilatlon there were. There was nc
chair in the room, nor any carpet,
The walls had once been papeled,
but now there remained only a few
STRIPS; grimy, cracked plaster, met
the eye on every side.
Yet even this refuge was to be
denied me unless / found means
"herewith to meet the debt that liv-
ing in these quarters incurred. /
had come to this room, sitting my
contempt with difficulty. Now ii
P