The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 248: what you’re looking at

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

J ARILLA was tired. ‘Tired of cooking surreptitiously in her little hall bedroom, ‘Tired of looking at the cost-mark first and the quality afterward. “In this surrounding abundance,” she said to herself, “ there ought to be dresses and meals and elegant rooms with big, wide beds for every one. [I mean to claim mine!”’ She was walking on Fifth Avenue. The short winter day was closing, and the yellow lights of the shop windows looked warm and rich. She paused before a picture store and gazed long and ardently at a por- trait of a lovely lady. The lady in the picture smiled. “She has no ambition,’ mused the girl in the snow; “I think happiness comes only to those who have every- thing but ambition.” The jewels in another window chal- lenged attention. “I thought to get you, too, all by my own efforts,” she sighed; “ but the days and nights bring only sadness and disappointment! ”’ The surrounding abundance dis- played in the windows seemed to be mocking her, so she turned into the 950 aterialized Husband Mary Edith Griswold next cross street. The flag of the Mexican minister billowed from the second-story window of the big hotel. In her cold fingers she still held the notes of the interview she had had with this very minister that very aft- ernoon. Marilla could never tell how it hap- pened. She walked up the stone steps and into the great office. The nonsense verse flashed across her memory. My feet they haul me ‘round the house; They hoist me up the stairs; [ only have to steer them and They ride me everywheres. The girl was in a strange subjective mood when she seemed to be looking and listening to herself from a very creat height. As she went in slowly she realized that no first-class hotel would allow a woman wunaccompanied to register. But in such a mood realities become easy barriers to strike down. She as- sumed a bored air, looked back toward the door several times as though ex- pecting some one. The clerk was new to his task, with a warm country heart, which had not EOPMICLOOOKS (E@)