| Show S IS IL IH Kathleen Norris O KATHLEEN NORRIS SERVICE I CHAPTER I ITo t 1 t To er r own n office desk adjoining 0 that of Cecilia Moo Moore re c came me Sheila Carscadden It was half past five clock o-clock on a dark and heavy winter day Most of the girls had gone h time me a few were still lingering Under un- un der the circles of light dropped by green geen dangling lamps above th their ir de desks ks The office was lighted only br by these little brilliant cases ases outside outsIde out- out sIde t the night was already black Cecilia was the familiar Irish- Irish American African type small thin eager Wl with h b blue ue eyes and a very white s skin n with a curled cap of black haIr nair Her expression was one of constant suspicious watchfulness shrewdness and mirth She was a an expert stenographer and typist at three twenty three and knew all about air airmails airmails mails ails a and d steamer steam r sailings g s and s special special e- e cial delivery and most of the firms firm's business as well Cecilia even had hada a smattering of Spanish for Marks and Manheim dealt in S South uth American Ameri Ameri- can table exports such brands as the Marks of Quality fruit pastes a avocados bananas guavas and coconuts coconuts co co- co- co and the Wedding Feast pineapple and date specialties Sheila was younger than her office neighbor but she looked more than her twenty-one twenty years Cecilia had been going with Sheila's older brother Joe for some years and the two girls were intimate Sheila was ta taller ler than Cecilia and broader of build her white forehead was bro broad d under her loose red dark-red hair her slender shoulders were broad even her young untrained hands were square and boyish For the rest Cecilia was more boyish than Sheila for Cecilia was built flat and thin with nervous hands and narrow hips and Sheila vas was rounded and generous in line her white throat flawless her chin china a smooth th curve and her whole body vibrant with a sort of warmth and light Even the fringe of coppery hair that escaped in a silky film over her forehead and the little rebel curls that lay outside of the knot on her neck were unconventional different human The touch of her square firm mm hand was human as was the from her round eternally surprised surprised surprised sur sur- blue eyes She had the daisy- daisy white skin that sometimes goes with blue eyes and reddish hair her mouth was large her teeth were large her voice was unexpectedly large Jarge and vibrant Altogether shedid shedid she shedid did not fit into an office whose manager manager manager man man- ager lived only to reduce the young women employees to the status of smooth running machines and to ig ignore ignore ignore ig- ig nore their individual personalities as much as possible This girl introduced as Miss Moores Moore's friend had been there for seven months now and they had been stormy months The heads did not understand her She was the sort of person who is always try trying ng to change things she had a disturbing disturbing disturbing disturb disturb- ing way of suggesting short-cuts short of eliminating details With the greatest greatest greatest great great- est simplicity and good humor she threatened the firm fortress of inefficiency inefficiency inefficiency in in- efficiency that had supported the business of Marks and Manheim for years and years Sheila Cars Carscadden cadden caddenhad had entered the office knowing nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing she knew little n now w. w But she ups upset t everyone at her innocent questions time honored customs shrank back into decent shadow Her expression tonight was rueful her surprised eyes more surprised than ever down Call Cecilia asked trying trying trying try try- ing to read her face Sheila seated herself at her desk moved a paper looked at the other girl unsmilingly and shrugged Ye good old old bounce act she sta stated ted simply And suddenly a delightful broad enveloping all smile lighted her face Dont look like that C Ceel ee I s she h e said Fired Cecilia ejaculated in f a whisper Sheila laughed joyously What U do you know about that she asked Cecilias Cecilia's expression remained remained remained re re- re- re horrified 4 he eila-he didn't x tl tell you he did r i dont don't see Cecilia commented 11 L ter a space during which they had looked at each other I uI I must say that I dont don't see t that at its it's so funny Well VeIl I think its it's funny Sheila Shella said wi with h a faint accent on n the pro pro- noun To be fired By UBy old Drayton I dont don't care the younger girl added adde after a moment moment mo mo- ment in a reckless voice Cecilia saw that she did care care that she was shocked and humiliated After all this was no year to be There fired Jobs were scarce were breadlines and unemployment parades downtown he say Drayton Sheila was looking into a desk drawer U My My ly gloves gloves- she said vaguely She closed th that t above ItOh itOh it drawer opened the one above Oh Oh h here re they are are I she he said New purse Cecilia asked dIstracted distracted distracted dis dIs- dis- dis innocently interested as were brought to purse p and gloves the surface of the desk Ten cents Sheila answered watching Cecilias Cecilia's face for approval Ten cents all Rummage sale Sheila heila he explained briefly For or or heavens heaven's sake sakel Why It its it's s marvelous the older girl admiringly admiring admiring- ly observed I thought it was nice I lost my other other left left it in the pew Sunday You'd think be afraid to steal in church You would think they'd be afraid Cecilia agreed with an awed expression in her bright shrewd eyes They both fell to thinking Cecilia aroused herself with a start But go on What'd Drayton say Oh a lot of ho hooey ey Sheila answered answered answered an an- with an air of indifference But what'd he say You know Sheila Cecilia added as the other girl made no immediate reply youre a hundred times better than Miss Hodgson for instance or Miss Grace What'd he say Oh he didn't say anything against my work He said I took too much upon myself But for heavens heaven's sake how could you take too much upon yourself r rA A M Want Vant to go in for a minute Sheila urged her on He said I changed the young gentlemen's letters Who Fosters Foster's and Footes Foote's I suppose And young Sigs Sig's Sheila admitted admitted admit admit- ted ed with her sudden irrational smile funny about that What Wha t I think of young Sig is funny if he ever knew it Sheila observed You didn't change his letters I certainly did The vice presidents president's son Cecilia Cecilia Cecilia Ce Ce- cilia murmured He could be the vice presidents president's guardian angel and if he dictated the way he does Id I'd change it You should of knew and it looks like what he done was did under the impression that ours of recent date was nothing but maybe a bluff Sheila quoted with scorn The older girl studied her thought thought- fully You might know you'd be fired she observed Why we send out outa a hundred letters a day that arent aren't as sensible as that one of Sigs I uI know we do You certainly didn't think you could change things Sheila No Sheila admitted with her doubtful look followed by the characteristic characteristic characteristic char char- wide smile But I just suddenly got mad she confessed She had put on a shabby hat and coat put them on with that dash and certainty that is typical of the born American-born Irish office worker now both the girls were walking toward toward toward to to- ward the hallway and the elevators They descended to become instantly instantly instantly in in- a part of the uproar and late-afternoon late crowding of the streets to be drawn like two living vital threads into the great pattern of the city's afternoon story To both girls this was a commonplace they felt neither particular interest nor any apprehension as they surrendered surrendered surrendered sur sur- rendered themselves to the clicking and hammering and jarring barring ma ma- chine Cecilia and Sheila moved through it all rapidly almost minded absent ly lYe It was their native air it had environed them from babyhood This was merely a winter whiter evening an uninteresting one Wednesday night Monday night was apt to be tinged still with the memories of Sundays Sunday's relaxation and enjoyment Friday evening was definitely antic antic- Wednesday evening was nothing The subway smelled of heat cement cement cement ce ce- ce- ce ment steam heavily clothed unclean unclean unclean un un- un- un clean bodies A few passengers angry and vituperative struggled out of the trains train's sliding metal doors as the girls and the home-going home crowd pushed in Cecilia and Sheila did not expect to be offered seats they did not w wish sh to be Getting home was an equally dull performance perform perform- ance whether one stood or sat and anyway the girls would have generously generously generously gen gen- argued The liThe boys are as tired as we are Going to tell your mother asked Cecilia Sheila as if their conversation in inthe inthe inthe the office had been uninterrupted answered tranquilly Not right away Shell She'll kill me I love your purse Cecilia saidI saidI saidI said I wish you could have seen the coat I could have gotten for twelve Twelve mind you Ill I'll bet it cost sixty I had her put it aside for me It was dark blue with a sort of rolled c collar It was s simply grand Sheila said She fell to musing She hated the word grand thus misused The nun who had taught her English had always always always al al- al- al ways corrected that way of employing employing employing em em- the word Coats were not grand movies were not swell good times tunes were never simply elegant She thought of meeting Peter when thus attired Peter what She Shedid Shedid Shedid did not know his last name She could only think of him as Peter But there was not an hour of her waking day when she did not remember remember remember re re- re- re member the laughing face he had brought down from his great height close to her own his hard brown hand cupping her chin his lips meeting meeting meeting meet meet- ing hers for a dizzying drowning eternity of moonlight and summer night against a dim background of music from the Casino waltz Casino waltz music music music mu mu- sic and the ceaseless rustle and swish of waves breaking on the sand She was still in the dream when Cecilia said suddenly Come on and it was time to jam their way out through the surge again and ascend the packed stairs to the icy cold wind and darkness and blowing blowing blowing blow blow- ing films of dirty snow on One Hundred Hundred Hundred Hun Hun- dred and ninth Forty-ninth Street Both girls were tired from the office day the assaulting cold wind and the stupefying poisonous air of the underground underground un un underground railway They did not speak as they fought their way about the worst corner of all and passed the crowded bright bakery and the movie entrance away from the racket of the elevated train Then when they were passing the dark portals of the church Cecilia made a faint inclination of her head toward them Want to go in for a minute Sheila urged her on The w wind nd was bad now and speaking an effort I HI think Mamma ll probably make me come with her to the Mission she shouted and Cecilia did not contest contest contest con con- test it They went on for three more blocks made a last Burning and entered the house that was home for both and for thirty-eight thirty other families Above the three chipped brownstone brownstone brown brown- brownstone stone steps from the dirty street where garbage cans newspapers tins this of ashes and bundles of rubbish were all frozen into a permanent fringe on the sidewalk were double double double dou dou- ble doors framing cold tiled foyer walls lined with bells and mail mail- boxes A dimly lighted hallway beyond beyond beyond be be- yond was completely unfurnished except for worn brown linoleum and perhaps a a dozen shabby baby carriages carriages carriages car car- chained to the iron stairway rails There were a hundred children children children chil chil- dren in the tenement a third of them not yet old enough to walk The air within the house was dank and chilly yet some degrees warmer warm warm- er than that of the streets It was thick and fetid with the smells of unaired living quarters defective plumbing dust human beings and every sort of cooking and cleaning Boiling cabbage stove ashes coal smoke hot laundry suds broiling meat frying eggs all united with a thousand other domestic scents to give it color drawn like a red thread through the web of odors was that of carbolic acid Its good to get home I Sheila said mounting it Cecilia agreed You think you'll never never make it Come up and have dinner with witti us Ceel I cant Mammas Mamma's alone And I think its it's the anniversary of my aunts aunt's death or something Anyway Anyway Anyway Any Any- way she was crying at breakfast Cecilia stopped on the second floor Sheila mounted on to the fourth as high as she could go Mary Carscadden now cooking dinner had in defiance of all theories theories the theories ories of housing budgeting and the bearing of young brought seven children into the world in these three dark rooms and had raised five of them How it had been done how she had weathered widowhood the childrens children's illnesses poverty cold ignorance from whence their thousand meals apiece per annum had come she knew as little as the mice that hid behind her or the dirty doves that came to her sooty fire-escape fire for crumbs every morning Her anxieties had rarely gone ahead farther than the next meal the next months month's twenty-seven twenty and a half dollars for rent During the war the rent had jumped to two forty-two dollars and Joe Joeand Joeand Joeand and Margret mere children had gone to work to help Mam Mam- ma But now the rent was lower than it had ever been and Margret Marg Marg- ret and the second son Neely were both married and times were dif dif- ferent The broad flushed face that was turned with a smile to welcome Sheila had no wrinkles in it the teeth were still white Its a terrible night isn't it she said Awful Sheila agreed Her mother made the tutting tut-tutting sound that was her contribution to every conversation soon or late Cheerful Cheerful Cheer Cheer- ful and brave she yet found much in life lile to deplore She turned back to the stove A haired black-haired young man was was buried in a newspaper at af the table Sheila's brother Joe She addressed him Arent you home early Joe Her mother caught her attention by a waving hand signaled silence Leave him be her lips said soundlessly Sheila raised her dark eyebrows With no further word but with an elaborately bewildered expression she went into the middle room added added added add add- ed her hat and coat to the general congestion there and returned to the kitchen moving her tired forehead forehead forehead fore fore- head and her silky hair with ten firmly pressed fingers She sank into a chair at the table Come on Joe Sheila said suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly lets eat Her sister Angela seventeen and delicate came limping in just before before before be be- fore they began and smiled at Sheila Shei Shei- la as she slipped into her chair Angela had been a child according to her mother she had been born in the very center of the infantile paralysis panic war clouds had gathered about her fatherless fatherless fatherless fa- fa I little downy head But AnI Angela Angela Angela An An- gela radiated sweetness happiness content Ive I've been over at Mrs Burkes Burke's she explained to Sheila company the mother moth moth- er added with deep significance Joe put aside his paper was suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly with them His face was dark Joe Angela said pushing his cup toward him why dont don't you try Ragan's |
