The Widowed Bride — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

THE WIDOWED BRIDE, pO TSS “T didn’t nod to nobody; I don’t know nobody, and I just wish you’d mind your own business,” sharply answered Meg. “There, take the bundle and carry it a ways. There ain’t no reason you shouldn’t do your share of the work.” She had stopped, and turned slightly pale under the brown sheath of sunburn that covered her face, apparently at no more sufficient cause than the fact that a crooked little Jew, the keeper of a second-hand clothing store, had come out to hang a red silk pocket-handkerchief on one of his show- hooks, shaking 1t out twice rather ostentatiously as he did so. She stood a moment hesitating, The Jew, apparently changing his mind, took the handkerchief down once more, and carried it in. This decided Mother Meg’s line of tac- tics. “Carry it like a child,” she whispered, hurriedly re-arrang- Ing the heavy bundle which weigheds down [ena’s slender arms. ‘‘So—under your shawl; and if any one axes ques- tions of you, tell *em it’s your little brother as has got the measles. Go straight on, and don’t look to the right hand nor to the left.” And before Rena mele fairly understand the directions hissed into her ear, Mother Meg had darted across to the other side of the street. and was strol lling leisurely along, appar- ently absorbed in the gay prints and delaines displayed in the shop windows, A minute afterward, Rena, who had kept mechanically on, found herself face to face with a burly policemen, who had come unexpectedly around the corner, “Why don’t you look where you're a-goin’?” demanded this apparition in a voice of an aggrieved personage. ‘‘Stop a bit—not quite so fast. What's that you have there?” ‘““It’s—it’s my little brother,” faltered Rena; ‘‘he’s got the measles, and « But the policemen, evidently regarding the two dusty lit- tl; girls as suspicious-looking characters, took the bundle away from her without further cer emony. ‘““He’s heavy for a child of his age,” he observed, satiri- cally. ‘‘Considerable broke out, too, with the rash. I don’t think it’s quite safe for him to be out without the family shysician’s advice. Let’s have a look at him. Whew-w-w! Vell, you are an innocent appearin’ one for such a plant as shis ere! Where’s the rest of your” _ Rena shrank from the iron grasp of his hand upon her : (ee) mn Eomichbooks