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

of what might once have been q
smile.
"Sorry?" she repeated, and hcl
shrill voice cut my very soul. q
can't pay my rent with sorrow
much less a secondhand sorrow thai
| get from you" Her own witt
cism amused her, but l could see
that it did not soften her.
From the room at the end of the
hall one of the brood saw me. Tic
raced toward us, stopping breath
lessly.
Make penny disappear, Mr.
Ainsleyw he cried.
Let him make a dollar appear,
suggested his mother"
"Ain't you got a penny, Mr.. Aims
iley?" asked the child.
l suppose that my shame appeal
ed to Mrs. Cannon. Anyway, she
pushed the child away, harshly or
dering him to go back 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.
I'm always willing to give anyone
a fair chance, but with plenty Of
people waiting for rooms, people as
is able to pay for them, you can't
expect me to let you have the roor
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-
Icause, 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
Ionly dollar week, and yet a rent
Ial beyond m ypower to pay.
We'll, what you got to say?" she
demanded. Its a wonder to me
that a good big strong man like you
wouldn't get some kind of a job if
you wanted to.
l 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, I could work like a gian.
for ten minutes, but after that brief
time I became as weak as new
born kitten. But these were matters
that pride kept me from divulginE
to Mrs. Cannon She had troubles
of her own; mine did not concern
her.
Wen, there amt nothing moro
for me to say. If you can't pay
me, you'll have to go. That's all
There is to thai" She put her
hands on her hips and stared at me
/ had never in all my life done a
thing which the world calls dishon-
orable. l should have been able to
look anyone in the eye. The con-
seriousness of virtue should have sus-
tanned my glance. Instead, it fell
before her truculent glare. Then /
made up my mind.
IAN right, Mrs Cannon; I'll pay
Iyou tonight" l told her.
IT'S tonight now" she reminded
me suspiciously.
Il mean in an hour" | Explained.
She eyed me unbeievingly. Then,
reluctantly, she said: Don't think
you can put anything over on me. I
get my dollar in advance, like it's
due, or out you 60"
nodded to her apologetically.
humbly. She pursed her lips, start
ed to say something, changed her
mind and let her words become an
Iindistinguishable murmur, turned
and waddled down the hall.
| mounted the stairs. / say mount
ed, but | mean that | climbed them
by the most dsperate effort. Silver
Izigzag lines appeared and vanished
before my eyes; tiny points of Iigh5
grew into great molten moons and
then faded suddenly into darkness,
Nausea attacked me, and I cor
quered it only by a miracle of Ell
fort.
At last I reached my room on the
top floor. 1t was hardly more than
a cupboard. There was no window;
a skyIght gave what light and ven
Itilation there were. There was no
chair in the room, nor any carpet.
The walls had once been papered,
but now there remained only few
strips; grimy, cracked plaster, met
the eye on every side.
Yet eve nthis refuge was to be
denied me unless l found means
wherewith to meet the debt that liv-
ing in these quarters incurred. l
had come to this room, sitting my
contempt with difficulty. Now it
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