| Show CHAPTER LX The face lace Jt OT ut the woman hardened at the sound of oC the mans man's voice She stood looking at Barbara Her hr eyes sweeping over the details of ot Barbaras Barbara's costume straight from Crom Fifth Filth avenue Then she glanced down at her owe lavender wrapper and clutched the wet clothing in her arms still sUll stillmore stillmore more tightly In a moment she sheVa was Va gone and the sewing room door banged in Barbaras Barbara's face The sound of oC quarreling came from Crom behind the door Barbara stood spellbound while the voices grew louder and the woman in the room began to cry loudly Bar Barbara Barlara ara started down the steps hotly She reached th-q th th hall and ran through It to tho the dining room Then she pushed open the kitchen door The room was vas empty Barbara ran to the kitchen window Mrs was emptying a garbage pail in a tall can near nelt the back door She straightened slowly and turned toward the steps Coming In with the empty pall she caught sight of oC Barbara and the ready frown Crown visited her face Cace again the matter now she asked setting the pail down on the stained grease-stained floor beneath the sink Who ho Is Is' Is Mrs Biggs Barbara spoke as quietly as she could Mrs Irs laughed easy Ask me pie another one She's the wife of ot Mr Biggs of course Barbaras Barbara's fInger fingers twisted to together to- to gether gether- Who is Mr Biggs she asked through tight lips Bps The landlady was washing her hands under the faucet Hes lies a saxophone pla player er in a twenty ten thirty theatre orchestra stra downtown And a bad egg he is Knock her hel around mound when hes he's drunk and calls her er names when hes he's sober They male make a hell of a noise sometimes and m my other roomers complain But she sh seems to like It I. Anyhow she st stays ys wit with him and hangs angs round bis his neck neck all all the time Sometimes I dont don't blame him for sw her She makes me sick slow with rent too g- g 11 5 1 l- l 1 1 Barbara raised her head Bruce Brucel she said Her bag dropped to Co tho ground He had fiad her hands Mrs wiped her hand on ona ona ona a slippery towel Barbara stood waiting her eyes fixed on Mrs f face ce But luckily tIn th woman worn n did not see the expression on on her face She was employed In cleaning her finger fingernails fingernails nails naUs with a hairpin It beats me she ruminated biting biting biting bit bit- ing off a hangnail how women will take that sort of treatment from a man I say saS' say they d deserve dserve serve it if they're that kind of worms This Mrs Biggs you was asking askIng asking ask ask- ing about actually likes the w way that musician fellow trea G her Says her first husband nd was w s an n awful awful awful aw aw- aw- aw ful swell Bore d her stiff Said he wouldn't even let her hel chew gum around the house and wanted want d to pick out all aU her clothes sos so's to be sure sure they we were e ladylike Told her how short she could wear her skirts too Mrs put the hairpin back in her bel frowzy hair hall and looked loot ed edat at Barbara Y You like your our room she a asked more amicably Do those bums make a noise and bother you Because Be Be- Because I Be-I cause cause if Il they do Ill I'll sure throw em em out If It they were up with the rent 1 It would be different They haven't even any baggage worth holding Good riddance Id I'd say She saw that Barbara was interested interested interested inter inter- ested and waxed more discursive Its a fine lot of trouble tr uble Ive I've had with em anyhow When ben the they first came here she wasn't divorced from the first chap Walked Into a are I re respectable respectable re- re womans woman's house big's you lyou please and said they was man and wife But I 1 soon found round out different different differ differ- ent and made em take separate rooms Only she didn't move her clothes and things out of his room eVen then t Mrs Crumpet shrugged an elephantine ele- ele elephantine ele ile- shrug Anyhow Id I'd done m my best I was yas In the clear Barbara leaned against the wall Mrs Irs pushed a a. chair against the cupboard and clambered clambered clambered clam clam- upon it it reaching for Cor a can canon canon canon on the topmost shelf Came Caine here three months ago She told me her kid had just died and arid I thought it it was Biggs' Biggs child But seems it was the the- theother other husbands husbands husbands hus hus- bands Shed She'd known Biggs before she was married though and he came back to town just in time when she w was s' s bored sick with the swell Her husband husband- had a a. good business but she couldn't stand his airs Ouch Mrs had let the can fall on on her her big big toe She stood on one foot wise stork-wise ament a moment mo moment mo- mo ment almost dancing with the pain Well Yell you might help a a body down she snapped at Barbara who was still leaning against the the wall blank eyed B Barbara started and offered her a hand Then she fled from the womans woman's groans and and- imprecations through th the dining lining room with its dusty table through the he bleak hallup hall hall- up the stairs and into into her own room Next door the sounds of a violent brawl rose Barbara could h hear ar amans aman's a aman's amans amans aman's mans man's voice loud bullying flinging out epithets which the walls fortunately fortunately for for- muddled l past recognition The womans woman's voice was lifted litte in sharp treble exclamations with now and then a sob Barbara arbara pressed her bands hands to her ears and looked helplessly around her Her bags still stood by the bed and the blankets still hung ov over r the bedstead where she had pulled them Her comb and brush lay layOn on oil a piece of paper on top of oC the dresser Barbara seized the grips and andset set them themon on the thoe bed She pulled them open and began to throw her things in The sounds sounds- in the next room loom sank finally to silence Seeing the dry water pitcher Barbara grasped Its handle and started for the bathroom She came back with It full lull of or cold water water wa wa- wa- wa ter ten and wa was about to pour it into t the e wash basin when her eyes ees fell fellon fellon fellon on a grimy ring upon the lain She set the pitcher down heavily The single towel on the the back of the stand had bad the distinct distinct dis dis- dis- dis prints of ot five black fingers upon Ubon it it The soap in the little china dish had dissolved to the stage ot of jell jelly Barbara looked at her hands and ran to the mirror to see gee ee her face i It was pale an and haggard She returned to tho th tha bathroom I but the ring on the porcelain of oC washbowl and tub was blacker than that in her own basin She went back to her room and opened her traveling bag With cold cream and cotton cotlon she he made the best toilet she could She applied powder and rouge and got rot her lr hat from the closet She looked at her l watch It was 11 There would be no more malO busses for tor Salt Lake until 12 Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara barn paced the floor of the room Next dOor the quarreling began again Violetta was crying hysterically hys- hys hysterically hys hys- now so that the whole house must hear her The mans man's voice was a growl He was evidently evidently evi evi- dently trying tring to shame her Into qui qui- et Barbara sat by the fireplace staring at the tomato can and the burnt matches in Its depths Oyer- Oyer head the lady In the pink ruffles simpered at her And the shiny grapes and fat bananas in the print printon on the wall grew shinier and fat fat- ter The wind coming In Sn at the window whipped the blind savagely The jangling voices in the next room did not quiet At last Barbara lIar Bar bara Jumped up and ran o out t of the i room loom She went down the steps and out the front door For twenty minute minutes she walked up and down the street so rapidly that her breath was co coming fast and her cheeks were red reCi f Barbara looked at her hoer watch at h Just twenty minutes to watt walt She turned In at Mrs door and was starting starling up the steps when the landlady appeared in the hall be be- be low Hey youre you're not leaving she shouted Barbara shortly Yes said Is THAT so bellowed the woman And how about giving me notice Here Ive I've turned down three offers for that room this very veo morning and one of oC them a a. sod soci ety gent from Cram town Dont Don't you think you can get away wit with anything anything anything any any- thing like that You'll have to pay me a weeks week's rent at least Barbara turned around on the step I did not tell you how long longI I meant to stay Mrs she said aid And I 1 shall not pay you youa a weeks week's rent pay me a weeks week's rent or leave your baggage shouted the woman woman Barbaras Barbara's words came out crisp crisp- ly Ill pay you one nights night's rent and you'll hold your tongue or Ill I'll have your our place raided She turned and ran up the steps and snatched her bags from Crom the bed and ran down the st steps ps again Mrs Irs Crump tt was shaking her fist in inthe inthe inthe the air airas as as Barbara came to the front fron t door The door slammed cutting off at the the- tirade and Barbara wa was on the porch again I She ran down the walk looking neither to right nor left As she reached the gate a shado fell across Ss the ground in front of ot her nero Barbara Barbar raised her head Bruce she said sald i Her bags dropped to the ground be began began began be- be He had her hands How How she gan but he stopped topped her McDermott told me you might be here I tried yesterday esterday to get you at the hotel bOtel just after aCter the paper paper paper pa pa- per came out with the story story- of oC your return He told me some other things too about Lydia ydia and Vale Acres Acre But It wouldn't have mattered Id I'd have found you you anYhow anyhow 3 He stopped and the dull dul r began to mount In his fa fayou faa tac you haven't heard heard- j This time It was Barbara Yes Violetta there She pointed with willi shudder toward the house housa denly leaned against him Why on earth did you OU this horrible place Barbara Barbai Well ell said Barbara fI f is I thought it would be h hot hoe so tired of being a stray You knew better sal You u knew it wouldn't b You knew that no place W w home unless we found I ItU t His arms were around her hen Barbaras Barbara's head drooP d dI I light caught on a lock orI of or I stood straight up on th Bruce's head making him himi I a a. particularly childish Bill The end A |
