Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-08-22
A Glass of Milk

little way with your And as they
went she inquired about the child. Her
companion was ready enough TO talk
such a lovely little thing-So clever,
though only five, and such beautiful
HAIR. Yes. girl Only she was deli
cate-weak lungs, like her father: he
was dead iawohli" And my poor daugh-
ter must work so hard. ana even SO.
never all she needs. Mix She should
i've on milk. die kleinel" Mrs. Morgan
James remembered suddenly the cham
bermaid at the BiSmar ckhof. Yes, TO
such people-she saw II nova glass
OF milk could be Of vital Importance,
and the waste Of It both disgusting
and wicked, as the maid had said A
vague impulse toward making some
sort Of vicarious restitution began TO
work IN her mind as she continued TO
walk beside the old woman. There were
all those register marks, and what use
had she for them now? She couldn't
spend them on Morgan, and Morgan
had given her no grandchtld. Why not
spend some on milk for the grand
child Of an0ther2 She asked more ques-
tons and the old woman prattled on.
She was quite brave and uncomplain-
ing, but said presently. with the ter
rible matter-of -factness OF the poor.
"Ah. expect we shall lose her. The
doctor at the clinic had said, Take her
TO the country That was all very well
for some people, but how could such as
they do it2 My daughters work Is here
IN the city; or rather'-with q sigh
1T wasl"
A curious sort Of interior shudder
shook the American as she asked about
the daughter. She's had q misfortune
meme dame, and lost her job. She's out
looking for another, but it's not so easy
when one has got the sackl always
tell her her temper viii be the ruin OF
Us all, so hasty as she Is. Milk Is
dear, and the child needs 1t, well and
good, and waste is wicked-we poor. we
know that But the rich don't. There
It is. And to insult a ficn lady and lose
ones Job, what's the sense Of that?"
Thoroughly wound up by her grieY-
ance, the old woman talked on, but
AIRS. Morgan James walked beside her
in silence, shaken within by such
flood Of feelings embarrassment,
abasement, observation-disclosures, and
sort of thankful joy ct the chance so
offered her to make, not vicarious.
but direct restitution-as left her for
some time quite without the power OF
speech. When she had recovered
little, she insisted on going with the
old woman to her home, and on seeing
the little Lii. The chilo-lovely, fraii, /
lively, obviously i'll, 30 terribly housed
in the small, stuffy room, overcroWded /
with furniture, moved her more than
ever. This must be put right
The financing of the Gertlers' move
TO the country was not as simple as
Mrs. Morgan James had expected-no
form Of financial dealings is in the
least simple in Germany now. She
could only cash her register marks at
the rate OF a hundred a day, and but
for the special arrangements made by
her bank, the rate would only have
been fifty a day. Meanwhile, she had
TO live herself. With curious pleasure
at the novelty of the thing, she moved
10 a smaller and cheaper hotel, and
to live there on fifteen marks
3 day-but even So it was over three
weeks before the requisite sum was
accumulated. Mrs. James occupied the
;irne by going to the clinic, seeing the
1octor and getting his advice; by buy
ng RadioStol and ordering cream; by
yoing out in personenzug-a very
low train which stopped at every sta