Evening star., 1925-03-08
A Winters s Tale 5z z... a.;::
Raising the Query Whether Poverty Can Kill Power Give
By Zona Gale.

| IT handsome thing" And when
Marcia demurred at taking 1t now.
| Liz Fred cried: "Shucks! We wanted
| the fun of giving 1t away"
I'VE amt never had much OF that
sort of fun" said Liz Henry, and, IL
she had any stray tendency to tears,
| they dried under the mandatory look
of Liz Fred. who cried:
oh Miss Marcia. we been having
| the best afternooni Yes, sfr-and
were going to have three days more
| just like it,"
They poured it all out, the story of
the done ana the undone.
| And tonight" said Liz Henry, I'm
| going to teach Mis- Plant to make
hree-and- five And tomorrow all day
were going to help Lyddy sew"
And next day I'm goin' to read to
old blind Mis- Walker. There's some
more, too-if the commissioners
would let us stay over" Liz Fred
laughed.
| We've got time to go to old Mis-
Webers yet tonight said Liz Henry.
I'VE been putting 1t off ever since
she took sick in the Fall"
| Marcia had never seen them so hu-
man, so alive. She realized that she
was on their list, to be given the
fuchsia-it gave her a curious and
| salutary feeling to be visited, on a
list, instead of visiting. Marcia was
conscious of a dignity and presence
| in both these women which she had
| never seen-perhaps, she thought, be-
| cause she had always unconsciously
held these two to be negligible, or
at best merely to be ministered to.
She thought: "Oh, I'm going to tell
them now. If Foxhall has the papers,
| he must come up and we'll tell them
now"
| She left the baby with them and ran
to telephone to him. Then she insisted
on their staying for tea.
! X x y
| EOXHAI4L came in and Marcia
turned to him with a restful
sense of sharing, which was one of
the happinesses OF her love.
"Foxhalrs voice is so deep and
furry" she had once said, you just
have to love him"
The deep and furry voice had never
been gentler than when he told Liz
Fred and Liz Henry what he and
Marcia proposed doing-and spread
the deed before their eyes.
| Never afterward could Marcia and
| Foxhall think of that hour without a
kind OF shame that any human being
should be so abjectly grateful for
food and shelter-"for the rudiments
OF food and shelter" as Foxhall
put it.
1t was only now that there became
| evident the depth of desolation which
the poor old beings had suffered.
Raised from the dead-that's what
1t is" said Liz Henry. Il amt much
either-but we thank you and God"
I'VE can't thank anybody SOS 1t
sounds like anything" said Liz Fred.
You gotta know she cried fiercely
as they were leaving.
She stopped again, laid her brown
thumb and finger on the little sleeve
and nuttered thickly. Kitten
Half an hour later Bart Robey
called Marcia over the telephone.
It's an awful shame, Miss Banks"
he said. I'm sure they done the best
they could-but the baby's ma-she
died"
To Marcias startled question he
had no satisfactory reply. No. not
word. Never really right in her head
since they took her in. Died without
sensing anything save that her hands
kept cropping around for the baby.
No, no idea what her name was-no
papers, no cards, hardly any money
in her purse-nothing.
She went back to the library and
told Foxhall. She had left the baby
in the depths of a great chair. but
when she returned he had her in his
arms.
We'll. then. darling" he said when
Marcia told him, what are we going
to do about the baby?"
How exactly like you not to say
What are you going to do?. she
told him.
I'm in on this" he said. shall
we keep her?'
"oh, Foxhal!. We can't keep Liz
Fred and Liz Henry going in that
house. and take the baby, too"
"Oh, thunder said Foxhall. so
we couldn't.
The baby awoke and joined in the
talk with aimless gestures and en-
phatfc kicking. Mrs. Banks came in
and. because IL seemed to be her due,
they told her everything. And Mrs
Banks was like the great adamant
voice of certain sane" public OPT on.
Nonsense. The child must be turned
over to the society. Liz Fred and
Liz Henry should have gone to the
poor farm-but that couldn't be help
ed now, since you two have been so
headlong And a mercy, too, II 1t
keeps you from saddling yourselves
for life with waif
Mother, dear"' Marcia said help
| lessly.
"Oh, your mother knows best" said
Mrs. Banks. And this reminds me:
have a fresh coffee-cake for Liz
Henry and Liz Fred. I'll run over
with it now"
"Oh, Foxhall," said Marcia when
she had gone, isn't there better
idealism than common sense?
You bet there is,'' said Foxhall.
Dearest" said Marcia solemnly,
cant you see why it is that l adore
the ground you walk on?"
X X + X
THEY spent an hour over the hg-
l. ures. They stretched and squeezed
their little budget. But they dare
not let it include the adoption OF
two old ladies and a baby at one
stroke.
IT'S no use" said Marcia at last.
I'll telephone Bart tomorrow"
But we're doing the less useful
thing---the less social thing, said
Foxhall Liz Henry and Liz FREQ
aren't so important as this baby"
We're keeping our word" SAID
Marcia. That's social.
Liz Henry and Liz Fred were In
the kitchen, before a savory slice OF
pot roast, freshly heated. and a dish
of baked macaroni and cheese.
Though 1 dunno I'm sure, how
we can expect to eat at ALL" Liz
Henry "Oh, amt it Heaven-ain't t
it Heaven"
ITS like having a hill rolled off
your chest" said Liz Fred. Here
we had an afternoon like other folks
and now this"
I'VE haven't much furniture, but
it'd be paradise to live in the
kitchen" said Liz Henry. And 1