Evening star., 1933-02-03
X
~ y kaharne HaNland-Ibr | N1

the shoehorn under fold of her skirt,
her eyes, panic filled fixed on Carroll.
1T doesn't matter, Molly" said Car
roll slowly, and she managed to send
to Molly q shaken but Q reassuring
smile.
1T couldnta been no good" said
Molly with the belligerence Of those
who have intimate acquaintance with
fear.
mo-" Carroll agreed. She sat look
ing at the ornate shoehorn aS the
scraping went on.
Il don't suppose" her labored voice
stated, that I could take those things
with me anyway"
mo, dearie. You'll hafta make your
own way fer while, and these here
amt fer no decent working girl"
Il have a brush and comb bought
from a hairdresser," said Carroll.
"Themn do" Molly asserted. II
seen 'em one day when kinda opened
bureau drawer"
Molly was folding great deal Of
fine underwear and laying it in the
rsuitcase.
you won't need no evenin' dresses"
she said, which Carroll learned later
was true, but I'm going to put in all
your plain clothes because 1t may be
while before you're fixed to buy your
self anything new"
Molly stood then, looking down at q
pair Of mules; they were violently pink
and they had upon them large POM
pons made of ostrich feathers. They
were Jerseys gift and Carroll had
| learned early TO hide Jerseys gifts of
loves roses from school friends; their
comments and their laughter, which
often came before she could explain the
source, always hurt her So People, 20
few people, understood. And now, no
one would ever understand how good
her mother was, how fine she was, no
matter what had been on the surface OF
her life.
Molly, my mother-my mother"
| (Carroll met her first cramp Of throat),
was q good woman"
Sure, dearie; I know. Amt they all
that way? You'll like my mother. I
understand"
Thank you, Molly!"
you're goin' to like my mother.
dearie."
Molly worked steadily, talking. A
half hour later she closed and locked
the bags. Then she slipped the keys
| into Carroll's handbag and she counted
Carrolls money.
"They's forty-nine dollars and fifty
two cents and two stamps here" she
said, land that seems an awful lot, but
you don't wanta 60 THROWN 1t around,
kid, because 1t maybe will have to last
while. You'd better dress now, dearie.
I left out that tan suit and tan hat
and tan coat that goes with It."
Molly, you can have everything you
haven't packed"
Jaw right, and thanks, dearie. I can
do everything up in q sheet and take 1t
To-, fhof MaVhn
it would be just as well fer us to haul
away something that looked like 1t was
laundry anyway. can bring back the
sheet in the morning."
Molly opened the bed, dumped OF the
pillows and began to pile the consider
able loot In the center Of the lower
sheet. Carroll listened with dulled
amazement to Molly's raptures. Her
mild blue eyes were shining and once
and again they were wet. "Oh. my
gawd!" Carroll heard. Molly was hold
ing high the evening dress Jersey had
sent her; the one that had begun lie
lent purple before 1t faded to one bead
ed and violently glittering shoulder
strap.
Carroll, rising and making uncertain
way across the room. held the atrocious
dress pressed to her heart for some
little time. and. doing this, she said.
"Good-by."
When Carroll looked back on the
rest of that day she always saw 1t
through haze She and Molly had crept
down the narrow, rear stairs when they
heard the house matron In the front
hall interviewing young man who
hoped to nay his way through college
by taking magazine subscriptions.
Then they had made cautious way
through the back yard where garbage
pals with misfit lids stood before .
swaying fence. There was little furry
Of crisp, dry snow in the bitterly cold
air. It was going to snow like pic
ture on q Christmas card, Carroll heard
Molly say, sif 1t warmed up enough to
let it, and Carroll must keep her coat
collar high and her head bent.
(To Be Continued Tomorrow