The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-07-21

"
NADIA.
You likee see Lena? I dunno,
She go. Go las week. No good for
me. Come here. bring baby, eat
muchol No money! Not pay one
peso! Every day, oh. she gotn'
gotta Job! Oh, sure! Manana have
plentyl" The woman shook out her
blue calico apron: Manana no good
T send her outr'
She shut her lips obstinately after
this explanation and leaned against
the door with her hony arms folded
Chickie looked beyond her into q
dark, narro room, with an earthen
floor. But it was clean and the bed
In the corner had pillow slips with
a deep fringe Of Spanish lace.
A baby about a year was sitting
on the floor sucking an enormous
hunk Of italian bread. Chtohe
thought she would win the woman
and began to talk gently to the
youngster: Hello, little fellow
who gave you those pretty eyes?
Come over here" The mother was
entirely Indifferent.
Then Eva said: you had no
right to turn her outv" Eva men
toned the police. It was like a torch
to gunpowder.
No right! Nice talk! But the
woman had her own children-eight
Of them to feed. Last Saturday her
husband lose his jobl Then she get
madl She say to Elena-goi
The drift Of her outburst was this
Elena had come to her three
weeks ago. She had promised to pay
So a week. For this the woman
would give her board and DON and
watch the child while Elena worked.
She had gone out every day, but she
had got no job. She had paid no
money. And she had been allowed
to stay two weeks. Then she was
told to go.
Elena went, but late that night
they found her sleeping on the
porch. She had taken clothes from
the line and wrapped them about the
baby and herself. So they push her!
They push her fout-
Whether they did this then or
waited till the morning, the woman
refused to state. anyway the girl
was gone. And they didn't know
where.
The woman finished contempt.
uously: IT donno! What you think?
I follow her?"
Eva said simply, We'll, that's all
them
She and Chickie walked blocks
after that. Neither Of them spoke.
Finally, Eva said: $50 ends chapter
one"
Chickie's nerves were hot and all
on edge. Yes-chapter one. Any
one could guess what other chapters
in that life would be. The world
expected the girl to go down. 1t
waited c%ynically for this.
1t came to Chickie with a shock
that in this judgment she and Elena
were the same-that she, too, was
given up by the world as one Of the
lost" She had never considered
herself in this light before. She
thought Of it with a shamed, hot re-
sentiment. The world was, Of course,
mistaken in her.
That night there vas a letter
Mary. Toward the end Mary wrote:
You've never answered a word to
The most important question I've
acLn6 -, ronothc C,,.0J1r ,a,,cf
thing Of it, Chickie-surely you must
think of coming home. Oh, you'll
have to sooner or later. 1 think it
would be a truly glorious thing to
do"
Chickie's heart thumped. And
then she became suspicious. Why
vas Mary harping on this? Was
anything the matter with Jonathan?
With Jennie?
Glorious thing to do! And every
where she turned have people whis-
per: Look, there goes Chickie
Bryce
And if Chickie smiled, if she
seemed ever glad: We'll, Brazen,
isn't she?"
Wilde was stretched regally be-
fore her chair near the window.
Now, as she stood at the table, he
kept open his eyes and regarding
her, then shutting them lazily. She
said: "Ho, dog! They think I should
go home. And that would be very
glorious"
The mere prospect daunted her.
No. She was doing all she could.
All that any one should ask.
She fell asleep that night with
smarting ~,resentful tears in her
eyes. Mary might talk! Indeed!
But in the morning she Weakened
uneasy and depressed. Mary must
have some reason for her insistence.
Then Chickie grew afraid. land
reading Mary's letter again, every
line became an accusation. Chickie
had run away. She didn't need to
think she was making any kind OF
a flight. She'd just left the two
old ones there to bear 1t all.
Mary's letter ended like this: Il
suppose you think I might mind
my own business, but I Just won't
be able to bear it, Chickie, If, when
the time comes. you let yourself
take the easier way"
What did Mary mean by that?
Chickie pondered it over her break