The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-04-10
CHAPTER VI

The tousled mop Of brown ha1r stirred restlessly and, from beneath the covers, one eye appeared. The eye opened, closed tightly and then, after a moment, opened again.
 Toby sat up in bed and stared at the clock. Six forty-five. That was all right. She sank back among the covers once more, drawing them closely about her chin. It was deliciously warm among the covers In a minute more she'd have to get up and close the window, but just for a few moments
 Suddenly Toby drowned. She had . feeling, vaguely, that something unpleasant was to happen today.
 Something very unpleasant. What was it? She searched her memory. It was in the back of her mind; shed have it in a moment.
 All at once Toby knew. It was her jobs at Bergman'S. She was through there - fired, discharged. And for the worst of reasons, theft. The whole miserable scene the afternoon before came back to her-the private office with Miss Burrows and MT. Henderson demanding, What did you do with the watch?";; the man in the blue suit saying, we found 1t in her locker; all of them refusing to listen to her, staring at her with condemning eyes, believing her a thief.
 With a sob Toby pulled the covers over her head. But that failed to shut out the insistent picture. It was true, all of 1t. She hadn't the faintest idea how the wrist watch had got into her locker. She had worked hard at Bergman's long hours until her fset and her back ached. She had game without lunches, had smiled and been cheerfully obliging to the most unreasonable customers. She had smiled, even when her head ached; had moved quickly, efficiently when her feet were like lead.
 aAnd this was her reward!
 Oh, yes, it all came back. The night before Toby had cried her. self to sleep. The humiliation, the injustice had been more, she thought, than she could ever bear. She had wanted nothing 50 much as for the earth to open up and swallow her. Now, this morning, she saw the matter in a different light.
 Anger flared in Toby's heart. Somebody" she told herself, ''took that watch and put it in my locker on purpose. They must have known I'd lose my job. but they didn't care. Maybe that's what they wanted. Oh, who could have done such a thing? Who would want to do it?"
 Toby didn't know. She hadn't the ghost of an idea who could want to harm her. She wasn't aware that she had any enemies. Certainly there was no one at Bergman's whom she had ever harmed.
 "Who," she asked herself again, "could have done it?"
 The answer was as far away as it had been. Anger, though, had done one thing for Toby. It brought her to a practical view of the situation before her. No mat ter who was responsible for her losing her job at Bergman's, the fact remained that she must have another. And soon!
 She got out of bed, pulled her bathrobe about her, and picked up her purse from the table. There was exactly $13.84 in the purse They had paid her at Bergman's for the four days she had worked that week.
 "But it won't last long," Toby told herself, and knew altogether too well how true it was.
 She began, mechanically, to dress. Job hunting, Toby knew was harder than any work. She noticed, as she slipped on her shoes, that they had become wet tho night before and were not quite dry. Well, she couldn't buy . new pair now.
 She got into her black dress El1mmaging in Q drawer for fresh collar and cuffs. Presently she was ready and picked up hei gloves and purse and went dowr Co the street.
 4 subway train was pulling in. Co the station as Toby pushed through the gate. She ran for it