Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-01

toes and peppers and raprika and
onion.
PunCtualitv was not one Of Polls
virtues. and they quarreled good
deal about her lack of it. When Tony
came home from the works at night
/ he was as likely AS not to find his
evening meal still to be made Bu,
when Poll did dump it deftly from,
pot to dish and from dish to plate
i, was pretty sure tn he hot. stimulat.
ing. Touy's muStachios would emerge
dripping from bowl or cup. A sibilan,
! indrawing of the breath. lis good. =
/ he would say.
"Neh? Then for why you make
such holier." hut into her face
would fash that old sparkle. for a
moment. That she still could ma M &c
II sparkle of any kind was proof that
| the fire i'm Pom though Smothered and
banked by household and husba nd
and children-thrce living and one
dead--was an enduring flame.
/ They quarreled regularly and spirited
! ly enough. these two, to keep life from
being too even and dun. They quar-
/ relied and loved and had their children
| At intervals Poll had fits of sulen
/ temper. of restlcSsness. At such times
she and Tony were most likely to
uuarral II Poll had belonged to an
other class she might have said. "Yor
/ don't understand me Instead she
| would go slamming and banging about
! ;he house. slapping the children smart
! ~. swapping at Tony. pickering with
! ihe neighbours setting the whole house.
hold by the ears with Il whirlwind OF
scrtibhing and busting and polishing
or sitting moodily i'm a corner. refusing
| to talk Ia any of them
| Tony, heWilaered. would say; What 5
eatin YOU. anyway? Act like a
loonev" They spoke English now or
American. t1tcrlardcd with ptngcnt
slang picked up from the children.
"I.ooney yourself: Might as we'll ne
dead. married to you. Settin' around
| like a lump. Never go anywheres.
"ieh. YOU always got To he running,
/ Run -rnn-~thatS YOU. Never set still
a minute. | come home tired. see?
You laying around the house all day"
You should of ought To OF married
a old stick .in.the-mu like you. They
was plenty. didn't want YOU.
slapped your face good--firSt time you
come near me.
"Yeh--slappctl, Liked to choked
me-~the way YOU hung onto me-"
Wished | had Of"
But they loved each other with the
inarticulateness OF their kind. and their
very dissimilarity made an indissoluble
+bond between them.
When first they were married.
Work. work. she would sometimes
say. "person'd think that was all they
was TO iivinr-just work. the way you
and me- do.
Well. what else should you do"
Work and save and bring up your
{ -
no. II amt"
"Well. what IL. them
'oh. | dunno. Leave me alone. can't
you"
THE four children had come with
mathematical precision. nne year
apart. And Poll was 20.--she was :5-~'
she was 80. TONY Sebok became n
master mechan mic. Seventy.seven cents
an hour and time and half for over.
time. They had money In the ba nix on
lialsted street. and insuia nee papers.
] When peorgette blouses trimmed with
heads were shown In the lIalsted De.
partment Store. Poli dripped beads
like an Cndine.
Tony had chance To 20 into the
Illinois Central shops on the far South
Side at an increase i'm wage. The dis.
trict was known az Burnside and the
prairies stretched all about. They
built little excrescence OF bunga.
low that squatted in the midst OF the
open prairie. The two girls. Pauline
and Emmy. and the hoy. Louie, &C.
eustomed to the city streets. complain.
ed OF the loneliness and threatened
To leave home. Even Tony had a rather
lost and wiStful look. hut Poll was
cayer than she had been In years.