Evening star., 1925-03-22


sengers and people who tried to get
him into trouble by making Gwendo-
| line run over them-which was what
they richly deserved And altogethei
matters Syere getting very strained
and critical when the most amazing
thing of all happened.
One dusky April evening Elfreds
and her mug of beer came out OF
| the sitting. evil-smelling bar and
found Mr.. Gudgeon crying. Elfreds
let her mug fall, and Mr.. Gudgeor
| turned.
Now you've gone and done it," he
croaked.
oddly enough. EIfreda didn't seem
to care. She said, "Ullow tentatively
and came and stood close to him, rub
| bing herself against his sleeve like
some small, friendly animal, and Mr.
Gudgeon put his hand on her shoul-
der and squeezed till it hurt
We'll, that's that"
"Wot's wot?"
"Scrapped." He pointed to Gwen.
doline. "Scrapped. Going to the
knackers. Like Sarah Jane. Like
the lot of us. Got to make way fol
the newfangled ones. Well, it'll be
me next. That's life, Elfy."
"Yus," said Elfreda.
He gave her little push. He
didn't want even her to see him sc
| broken-down.
You get along home. Tell 'er ]
did it. Ere's twopence to buy some
| more. Don't you fret"
Elfreda left Mr. Gudgeon standing
there, and explained to Mrs. Golight-
~ about the beer, and Mrs. GoIightly
whose deprsssions had become posi-
lively homicidal in the delay, accused
her OF having drunk 1t herself and
beat her with a broken broomstick
AS a punishment, Elfreda sat VI
until midnight making roses, and the
candle guttered and she fell asleep
ana the next morning the roses re-
Vealed themselves as a hideous fall
ure. All except one. That one.
Elfreda, nerved by desperation, slip-
ped into the bosom of her dirty jump
er, and crept downstairs into the
dawn, while the Golightly snores pur-
sued her, thick with menace.
X X x x
"HE's getting past his work."
thought the Inspector.
Ere" said Elfreda.
The Inspector went into the "nuh',
to tell the Bus Conductor that it was
high time AK was on its way. A
Stout Gentleman with a heavy gold
watch chain settled himself in the in
side corner away from drafts. Mr.
Gudgeon paused on his upward climb
He looked, as the Inspector judged. a
little, old man. He hadn't shaved,
and there was a sort of baffied, gone
| tossed air about him. No self-re-
thought OF retaining such a person on
their pay roll.
"Eh?" said Mr.. Gudgeon.
Ere" Elfreda REPEATED
1t was all she had to give, the only
| thing that was really her own, and
Mrs. Golightly would certainly kill
her for stealing 1t. That didn't mat
ter much. Even Elfreda knew that
you could only be killed once, and In
| a sort of way it would be nice to get
| 1t over.
Il made it,"
Mr.. Gudgeon took the pink object
held up to him. He tried to smile
we'll never, Did you, now?"
ITS a rose, Mister"
Like as two pins" said Mr.
Gudgeon.
Mr.. Gudgeon put it in his button
| hole with clumsy, shaking fingers
| Then for the first time he really
looked at Elfreda.
"Effy, she didn't beat you, did she ?'
"Yes-a bit"
Law" said Mr.. Gudgeon piteously
"Wot can a man do?"
II dunno. II couldn't come along
too, could I? I'D like to come. I'd
like to see them trees"
Law" said Mr.. Gudgeon again.
Much as my Jobs worth"
Just them trees" she repeated
| humbly. Just once"
Mr.. Gudgeon climbed into his seat
| The Bus Conductor had come out-a
| young man, pert and self-important.
Got to get move on" he said
Late already"
Mr.. Gudgeon wrapped himself in
his blanket. Rage blazed up in him
| Rage against the Inspector and the
| Bus Conductor, against life, against
the Golightlys and all people who
| beat children and animals, rage
| against the Stout Gentleman who so
obviously ate too much, and against
all the monotony of things.
Mr.. Gudgeon put in his clutch
| loosened his brakes. 1t was to be
his and Gwendoline's last journey to-
gether.
Give us a ride, Mister"
| Mr.. Gudgeon blinked at the crowd
of white, upturned faces. They
weren't just "varmints" now. They
were all Elfredas and embryo Mr.
| Gudgeons-little human beings that
| were being brought to serve some
| faceless, senseless tyrant and to be
| tossed aside when their day was
| 5npa Tbau cIo p,orad "Giua nc q ,~ida