Marion Marlowe's Christmas Eve, or, The Treachery of a Factory Inspector — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘\ , | enough to bother him. - MY QUEEN. man, with a shrug of his shoulders. “He knows those poor wretches haven't money He'll just shave off his whiskers, change ls name and open a new shop fo-morrow.” “And-that will mean more victims!” sighed “Oh, is there no law in, this big city to prevent such prac- Marion, with tears in her eyes. tices !” She turned back toward the poor girls, who were still standing in a group, and just as she joined them a policeman walked up to them. _“What’s the matter here?” he asked, in a not unkindly way. - As Marion explained the matter to him the good-natured “bluecoat” patted her gently on the shoulder. “Sure now, don’t be botherin’ yer purty head wid the loikes av thim,” he said. “It’s just one av thim thricks av the chape con- thractors. Onless one av thim women goes to court an’ makes a complaint we can’t aven luk fer Solomons, an’ if.she did, it’s not loike- ly we’d ‘foind him! MHe’s probably wor-r-kin the same game in some other strate by now! Ye can’t do nothin’, miss, so ye’d best dis- possess yer swate moind av the loikes av the whole business!” Marion thanked him courteously for his good advice, and then put her arm tenderly around the weeping woman. “Do you need this money so very badly ?” she asked, softly. “It was the rent money,” said the girl, with a stifled groan. ‘‘There’s three of us live to- gether—Mamie and Fannie and me. Fannie can’t do any hard work. She’s crippled; so she just cooks and takes care of the room for us all. Mamie works in a store and gets «four dollars a week, and she and I tend to all the expenses.” “Here,” said Marion, putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out five dollars. 11 “Take this: it will almost pay the rent, and [I'll bring you the rest to-morrow; but do please take me to see Fannie, your friend, who is a cripple.” As the girl hesitated to accept the money, Marion pressed it into her hand, saying: “You must. I make it a Christmas present to you.” Her smile was so sweet that the girl could not resist her. “Oh, thank you, miss!” she cried, impetu- ously. “You must be an angel.” A burst of genuine merriment relieved Marion considerably. It was quite a new sensation to be taken for an angel. “Fannie will be so happy,” said the girl again; “but it’s an awful place to take a lady.” | “Never mind, dear. I’ve seen ‘awful places’ before,” said Marion, still laughing. “T have been poor myself—very, very poor— but, thank Heaven, I have always been well, and that is a great blessing.” Once more the girl looked at her with hungry eyes, as she slipped her hand into Marion’s with a gentle motion. “Oh, but not so poor as we are, I am sure, miss,” she said, softly. “Why, you don’t look as if you ever had a care in your life! Your face is so smooth and sweet! Oh, you are perfectly beautiful!” “And so are you, only that your brow is wrinkled with anxiety,” said Marion, quickly. a rg 8 country eirl, dear. I have only lived a little while in the city, while you, you poor 93 thing She could get no further, for the girl inter- rupted her. es . re And I was born right here—and in a gar- fs 1 ; apes: she said, bitterly; “and I live in a gar- ret now. ret, But come! you shall see it!” The next min ine ute she was hurrying along with Marion at her side, while her compan- COMIC OOO© SS (C©)