Jane Journeys On

child, in her shrunken middy blouse, her fair hair hanging about her eyes. She was sitting on the floor, urging bread an

's the last time Muddie'll ever have to feed you? T

d the door softly a

ed to tidy her hair with hands that shook.

friend, Ethel. He ask

er hands together. "Can't they leave me alone? I've told 'em I won't talk any mor

any right here," she said, distresse

stood pulling and patting at her hair. "What'd you come for, the

r head and Jane found the sense of drama which had borne her so buoyantly up the stairs deserting her. She wanted to go out of that drab room and down t

u call her

young lady anointed with the oil of joy. "She grins just like the Billikens do. Ever since she was a t

erest acquaintance? She had a feeling that the grave Irishman had obeyed the command to come apart and be separate. Rodney Harrison was a warm and tangible frie

e leveled a spoonful and held it to the widely grinning Billiken. "Come! Gobble-gobble! Eat for poor Muddi

w you can bear

ly. Here was maternity, parenthood, another bree

stubby little hand and pat

or more fully in the eye than she had done at an

care more for him t

wisdom. "I can-I could-have other babies, but I couldn't ever have an

e, respectfully. The girl looked at her with quick suspicion, but h

her face. "Well ..." she took her time to it, sorting and c

dingly. "I know. I kn

r went over her at that and she was still for a moment. "But Jerry!" Her mouth was young and soft again on that word. "He's different from anything I ever thought a man could be. He's almost like a girl, some ways. You know, I mean just as nice and comfortable to talk to and be with." She kept her gaze on Jane's warmly comprehending face, now. "And he's awful smart, too. The firm wants to send him to the branch store

t" (how appeal to a sense of fair play where no fair

ople, rich and everything, and they're crazy to have her. 'A blue-eyed girl with curly

thinking o

id Ethel

erry. If he's as fin

e

't you? Come," said Jane with a brisk heartiness she was far

re being just like all the rest of '

ut I believe you

and everything. It's too late now, even if I wanted to. Besides"-she flamed with

omething that means your whole l

I did! We went for a walk, and I was just-just sort of beginning when a woman came sneaking by and-said something to him. You know. And he said-'Poor devil!' That's what he called her.

with contrition and patted her mother on her bowed

sky with a flimsy tin toy trumpet in her hands. How blow a blast to shatter them? "Ethel, the o

len. "You can make me feel terri

, nor even Michael Daragh. But-your own heart can." She leaned swiftly nearer

ything in

y?" Again the nod, slower, but still sure. "But that's not enough, Ethel. You d

out of her clasp

ay never find out about your trouble, but whether he does or not, you couldn't be happy while you knew you were cheating him,-while you knew you had marrie

o whimper. Far down the street the inevitable hurdy-gurdy ground out

crushing her in an embrace which made her cry. Then she caught up her foolish little hat and jammed it on without a glance at the mirror and flung herself into her coat. "I better go quick

with rage when Jane tried to touch her. It seemed to Jane that there was furious accusation in the small, red countenance. "D

g. "From the look she had on her when she flew by," he said

ng to tell him," s

" he said,

sh daylight, at the Gent's Furnishing counter. If

a," he said, "hush now,-let you be still, solis na suile!" The baby stopped altogether, her ear intrigued by the purling Gaelic. "I

oftly down the precipitate stair. The mat

s you have persua

ink she meant to tell

mind by the time she gets to the

weak about the way she c

get mad crazy about a man" (the plural pronoun pigeonhole

t mind," said Jane, at her winningest. "That is, if ther

lted a little. "A lady brought in the paper and the pattern ye

lored!" Jane picked up

the girls at cutting them out and you could do the Merry Christmas sign." She gave her a long and narrow placard in mustard green and shook out some pattern

every face, pretty or plain, stolid or wistful, sullen or sweet, she read the same look of crushed and helpless waiting. She spread out her materials and gave her directions and the girls set soberly to work. Seventeen heads bent in silence over the table; scissors creaked; upstairs a baby cried fretfully. There leapt into Jane's mind a memory picture of Nannie Slade Hunter before the joyfully hailed a

the bottom step of the stairs which seemed to be

Michael Daragh

el Daragh, I never cry, even at fu

. "Masefield has the true word for it,-'Energy is agony expelled,' says h

can't bear it! Magenta joy-bells!" The matron started upstairs and Jane drew a

t a nice dinner," said the matron, "and every girl gets a pa

ed hotly to know, "or an angel i

aturally cannot take much time to pick out the

ays! I'm going to stay and help with the Christmasing here-and I'll spend the money I would have spent on my trip. I'm going to buy holly and greens and miles of red ribbo

ed oddly from within, "I hear, God save you kind