Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1930-08-01
CHAPTER VIII-continued

Mamma was still in Europe, ana Ernes-
line felt that she could not confide in
lillian about VIII. There were times
when she was frightened about her
own health. She felt faint in the heat.
She could not eat at all. She had not
felt this way before Peter was born,
but then she had been strong and well.
She couldn't understand this-her feet
we're swollen until she could not wear
ner shoes. Mrs. Schluss and Mrs.
Pryor expressed their anxiety. Only
Will, engrossed in his own troubles,
vas unaware of her frailty. She pre-
sented to Mr.. Poole and to Will a
superb calm, and a righteousness that
was easier for her than tragedy.
VIII found some work for an ad-
vertising agency, which he brought
home to do. He might have taken
one Of the Jobs papa had offered him
from time to time, but papa was in
Europe and Loring in charge Of his
affairs.
Ernestine could not forgive Will for
playing baseball in the streets with
John Pryori and half a dozen other
half-grown boys, when he came back
from his fruItless 1aunts after work.
He doesn't care" she thought and
longed to wound him, to strike through
his carelessness. She grew almost
notwithstanding he'll have reason to
waken-to understand that life's job
for a man."
Will took five dollars, almost the
last of their cash, one morning early
In August and went out looking very
clean and spruce, and with the light
Of adventure in his eye.
"rll find work today, or stay out
till 1 do" he told Ernestine and kissed
her on both cheeks.
Peter chung to him ecstatically.
"Peter loves Will the better" she
thought, pressing any thorn at hand
against her heart. After lie was gone,
she went to her trunk and got out the
handbook she had obtained that day
two years ago, when she had come out
here and found Wills father dead.
Here was a secret source of supply
of her own. She looked at her bank
balance. 1t was enough to pay for
herself and the new baby, if she went
into a two-bed ward, as Doctor Grey
had planned for her. This was her
money. Will would have to manage
for himself and Peter. She decided to
go and get the money and have cash
in the house If anything happened.
But she would not let VIII know she
had it.
She put the small handbook on the
dining room table and went about the
clean and tidy house, washing dishes,
setting the rooms in order.
There was a long letter from man.
ma in the morning mail. Ernestine
did not finish reading it, for she had
to 20 and lie down on her bed, seized
with such pain that she could scarcely
forbear crying out. She felt within
herself no light at all, no buoyancy,
no spark of life. She was dull, leaden,
submerged. She felt she ought to
make some effort to resist this spiritual
inertia but she was too Ill. She won
dered if her child would be born too
soon. This thought goaded her into
action. She rose and gathered from
her trunk Peters little baby garments,
long since washed and mended and
laid away. She made the things she
might need for the baby into bun
die and put it in her dresser drawer.
She would get her money. She would
arrange her own affairs-with COM
petence. When the call came, she
would be ready.
But she must rest first. She made
herself pot Of fresh tea, asked Mrs.
Schluss to look after Peter, and at
length In the early afternoon she
started off on the long walk to the
street car.
She rode unfortunately, withdrawing
her spirit from the conclusion of the
heat waves that came up from the
stone pavement into the street car.
Walking in a mist she reached the
bank and went inside. She opened
her purse, but found among its con-
tents no handbook. Like picture
in a dream she could see the leather
square Of it on the dining room table
in the little house. She had left 1t
at home.
If she had been in normal condition
she would have realized that it was
ouite possible for her to establish her
identity at the bank. She had made
many small deposits. The teller would
have remembered her. But as she
stood in disappointment, the world
grew black before her eyes, and for
a straining moment, fully conscious
but blind, she stood in silent terror.
The blindness passed, and she picked
up her purse and went out of the
bank, turned, half instinctiyely,
toward Mrs. Benefits. A strange
girl was at the door, colored girl
who rolled her eyes at Ernestine,
"Mis' Benefits out, ma'am. WIN
you waltz"
Ernestine left without word, and
went back to the boulevard. The