Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-08-15

! HER JOB AND MRS. MORGAN
JAMES TO LEARN THE WICKED.
NESS OF WASTE.
~N RUDE GERTIER battered alons
the high narrow street at a sorl
OF scurTying trot, in her irnita-
- ton leather shoes, her mackin-
tosh Of imitation rubber -proofec
/ material drawn tightly round her, hei
little once-smart hat of synthetic felt
now faded and losing It's shape, perchec
on her yellow head at its original dash
ing angle. Down the Hengstengasse, in
to the broader street beyond-but be-
fore she came In sight OF the great
square, SO closely filled with the DARK
bulk Of the Frauen-Kirche, a solemn
and musical outbreak of bells overhead
from one Of the great twin towers Of
plum-coloTed brick filled the near
streets of the city with the sound OF
seven o'clock.
Trude started at the first notes, and
battered faster, listening, as she hur-
ried along, with her small, neat, stone
white face invOluntarily lifted to the
dark, drizzling sky, colored by the
lights below to lowering glare. NO,
after the third chime came a fourth
du mein Colt, it was already sevenl
Then she must take the tram or she
would not be able to come on duty at
tbs. She could not run from here to
the Bismarckhof in 10 minutesl And
that would be 20 pfennigs gone. IN
deed, unless she caught No. or No.
II at the stopping place, she might
even now be late-and with the thought
she fairly ran, round the west end Of
the great church, where the parked
cars, shiny with rain, glimmered faint
ly below the dull glow. from the high
west windows. A confused sound Of
chanting reached her distracted ears
1t was Lent, and they were reciting the
Litany, no doubt If only Mutt would
come here to hear the Litany, instead
OF going right along the Sendlinger-
StraSse to the Asam-Kapelle, she
wouldn't leave Lilli alone for so long
in the evenings. But Mutt was stub
born-she had made her first COM
munion in the Asam-Kapelle, and been
married there; she had gone there ever
since, and nothing would change her.
Painting, Trude emerged into the
main thoroughfare, and stood still un-
der the yellow enamel notice which
proclaimed that Nos. and IL of the
city trans stopped there. She glanced
anxiously along the brightly lit street
yes, Colt sci Dank, far off she could
see the blue light of No. 2 coming.
She had been late two or three times
lately, when LilIi had had a bad fit of
coughing just as she was about to go,
and Mutt was not yet back from
church-and how, she asked of heaven
in her small, dark mind, crowded with
anxietieS and worries as her small,
dark room at home was crowded with
furniture, how could one then leave a
child alone, coughing her life out,
with no one to put hand under her
little thin shoulders, 20 wipe the sweat
from her forehead, so white and small
among the golden curls that then lay
dankly on ito But 1t was no good try
ing TO explain things like that to Die
Ritter, who presided over the chamber |
maids at the BiSmarckhof- one
had heart Of concreteI All she cared
about was that her team of underlings
should come on and go off duty TO 1
time, like machines and that their
caps and aprons should be clean and
Starched always.
Clanking and whining, the tram ap-
preached the little group Of people
waiting under the enamel sign. Trude's
eyes, made sharp by anxiety, saw be-
fore 1t pulled up that 1t was fairly full
And at that moment q knot of young
men with skis over their shoulders and
knapsacks on their backs dashed down
.he side street from the square, pushed
their way forward to the edge of the
pavement, and prepared to board it.
No one got off, and "Nur siebenl" the
conductor called tartly to the waiting
group, which with the young men COM
1rised far more than seven people
here were at least q dozen.
A deSpair1ng rage surged up In
Trudeis heart-she would not be made
ate, earning her daily bread, by these
die young fools who had been taking
heir pleasure in the sunny mountainsl
Tiercely she pushed forward, using her
title sharp elbows freely; the other
vould-be passengers pushed in their
rn-battling like tigreSs, she man
Iged TO force her way into the tram.
l child, obeying the usual notice which
xhorts the youth Of Germany to make
vay for crtpples and those older than
he sank into it, painting, stilI too I
ngry and too frightened at the
bought Of how nearly she had missed
he tram even to give nod Of thanks
he began fumbling in her purse to
et out the 90 pfennigs for the fare;
nd parting with money now was TO
Ter like shedding blood. Lilli had been
Torse lately, and had to have extra
Medicine and extra milk. And Q, the
errible price of milkl Multi could not !
nov how exasperating her tales were
the good old days before the war,
hen milk, and good rich milk at that, '
eep with cream, could be bought for 6
0 pfennigs a glass, even in the town. 8
That did 1t help to know that now, {
hen a glass Of poor thin stuff cost 30 6
fennigs2 And IilH needing so much y
1t? It merely drove one mad.
When the tram drew up at the is
md In the square opposite the Bis
larckhof, Trude got out. To run
raight across to the hotel would only b
ave been a matter Of seconds, but q
rat was not allowed; the policeman 8
ould have pulled her up and fined her 4
70 marks on the spot. Everything In p
ermany now must be done by rule,
Re thought, her small face harsh with s
tterness and discomfort, as she crossed t
} the further pavement, and hurried y
,und the ratings which bordered the h
rb to the crossing place. She got over s.
lis, but there was another street to q
, negotiated before she could reach v
lie block In which the hotel stood, L
Id here she was just too late-the a
)liceman turned and let the flood Of q
aiting traffic into the square precise q