The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-07-20


errand for her employers wife
Serving on charity committee)
had observed that this exponent of
the envied class wore black wool
with delicate collar and cuffs. The
frills Of Mrs. Gerretson's gown had,
in fact, cost a trifle more than the
brown crepe frock Mona was wear
ing.
Real lace was too expensive for
Mona, but it was not long after this
encounter that she disposed of the
brown crepe and appeared at the
Office in tailored black wool
BY some odd chance Bud Moran,
Monas brother, was not only at
home, but was up betimes and
.breakfasting. Sleek of hair, shifty-
eyed and morose, Bud sat at the
other end of the table, busily en-
gagged in consuming a bowl Of cereal
and milk.
Mona thought she had read some
where that men ate far more SEN
sibly than women, as a rule. Well,
it was the only sensible thing he
did.
His activities worried Mona. Bud
was furtive, mysterious. Never a
day passed that Mona quite es-
capped that nameless worry over her
brother. She saw vague disgrace in
the offing.
THERE was orange juice for
Il breakfast, scrambled eggs. and
golden toast literally buttered. The
delicious scent Of coffee had been
filling the halls for half an hour
Ma poured a steaming cup and set
it beside Mona's plate.
In a clean print house gown,
Mrs. Moran was taking her COM
Portable way between table and
stove. chatting busily, neither wait
ing for nor expecting response.
She announced that Kitty's marks
at school were better this month
you see, Min, what little interest
in them teachers does for a child?"
For Ma, swathed in her best black,
had hustled over to have talk with
Kitty's principal.
Mona smiled. She knew that most
likely Miss Preston, with hundreds
of children to deal WITH did not
know Kitty Moran by sight.
Mrs. Callahan had new linoleum
for the kitchen. About time Joe did
something for his mother except
bring his girl in for dinner every
Sunday The Donahue twins we're
teething. The Caseys were going to
have one Of them new French tele-
phones.
If Min would leave her silk under
wear out on a chair, Ma would rub
it out and press it. There was no
sense to Minis firing herself out at
night after work.
ITS your day to visit your ia
ther, anyhow" Ma observed some
what unnecessarily. Mona was as
likely to forget to go to the office
as to the hospital on visiting night.
Tell him Ill be over Sunday" Ma
went on. She always said that. I'll
roast him a chicken. Kitty can go
up to Alice's-"
AS Ma always cooked something
for her husband, and as Kitty al
ways spent Sunday with Alice, this
required no particular response.
Alice was Monas elder sister, mar
ried these two years and much
against Mas wishes. However, after
the deed had been done, Ma was the
first to give Alice her support.
Most of the baby's finery had
been bought by Ma from dimes and
quarters saved painstakingly out of
the housekeeping money. Mona
suspected that Mas movie money
found its way into the same fund.
TT had been Alice's rather unfor-
l. tunate marriage which had set
Mona against marrying a poor man.
Her sister, once so smart looking,
skipping off to work every morning,
so proud of her ability to help with
the family expenses, was now, after
two years of married life, a changed
being.
Dressed sloppily in house dresses,
her hair struggling about her neck,
her face guiltlesS of color and her
skin unpowdered, Alice struggled
half-heartedly through her days
work in a badly furnished, rather
malodorous little flat
There were always, no matter at
what time of day one might call,
dishes soaking in the sink, babies
clothes draping the radiator, some
thing stewing on the stove, and a
broom to be stumbled over in the
dark hallway.
The baby always was ailing, al
ways whimpering in apologize lit
tie means. Jim, the rather dis
illusioned young husband, usually