New Britain herald., 1926-01-28

injured shin. She said as she reach,
 cd the door. You can pay me to.
 morrow. ] always expect pay in ad-
 vance,"
 She went out, Barbara walked
 across the room and closed the door
 after her,
 Then she turned about and sal
 down on the iron bed. and look ed
 around tho room in which she had
 lived, ages ago.
 The electric bulb was so large
 that It's light struck painfully on
 eyes fresh from the gloom of the
 stairs and hall.
 Where the wall lights had been,
 on either side of Barbara's dresser,
 there were now two black and
 fraycd ends of wire. hanging stifrly from jagged holes In the plaster Between them stood washstand ot golden oak. Strips of yellow wall
 paper hung from the walls here and there. Barbara stared at 1t dnlly. lt was the paper that she had chosen for the room two years before,
 The fireplace was dark. In ilIc center Of it's hollow, there was q iii, tie pile of scraps, with tomato can on top. On the mantelpiccc above there stood cardboard calendar, surmounted by a picture of a plump, pompadoured lady dressed in pink ballet dress. | The only other picture in the room was chromo of some grapes and bananas. The window boasted no curtains, but tattercd green blind hung crooked at the top. Barbara took in every detail of the scene. She walked to the win dow and threw it open. A rush Of spring air came into the musty room. She stood staring out at the street. Most of the houses across tho way were quite dark, but in two or three windows lights were still , visible.
 From up the street came the feeble yapping of q dog. Whirling about with her back 10 the window, Barbara again surveyed the room. The dingy gray counter pane was bordered by a ragged fringe that dragged upon tho floor. Barbara undressed and got into bed. The blankets were thrown back over the iron framework at the foot of the bed, and her coat was spread over her for covering.
 The room was worse by morning light.
 Barhara's eyes, opening. fell first upon | e tomato can in the fireplace, thon upon the shiny grapes and baI\ A'. and finally on the pink dress of the lady on the mantel, more violently pink than ever under the morning sunlight.
 She lay staring about her. too sick to move. The sunlight crept across the dirty mating on the floor to the point where there had once been q rich blue rug for it to shine upon. II crept on across the room toward the bed, and Barbara watch ed it fascinated.
 When 1t had almost reached the iron bedstead, Barbara sat up sud der)y. But she did not get out of bed. Instead. she pressed hand tightly to her forehead and shut her eyes.
 It was some moments later when she finally dragged one foot and then the other off the bed to the | floor and crept to the wooden rock 1 ing chair on which she had spread | her clothes.
 The process of dressing was a slow one. Barbara stopped now and then by the window, 10 catch a whiff of fresh air and feel the sun light that was pouring in. There was no water in the pitcher on the stand. She took it to the door.
 The bathroom door across the hall was closed and sounds of splashing came from within. Bar. bara leaned against the door frame, looking around the hall. It foo suf. fnred from the daylight. There were piles of dust in the corners. which someone had swept there and then abandoned.
 On the doors of tho bedrooms, Barbara saw cards tackled. She ad- ranced slowly 10 the room that her mother had used as a sewing room In the window of this room the canary cage had always hung.
 Its door had no card, but only scrap of tablet paper. fastened with a bent pin in crack of the panel Ing, "Jim Biggs' said the scrawl up- on it.
 Barbara looked again at the bath. room door, but the splashing contn- ued, She went back into her room and finished drt- sing, without wash Ing her face. When she emerged in- 10 the hall again, the splashing still continued in the bathroom.
 Barbara went down the stairs in search of Mrs Crumpctt. As she reached the downstairs hall, she heard a mans voice in the han above, raised In angry tone.
 Gro Be Continucd)