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The fact that Mary had been there so long had not made any difference to her it was doubtful if she even knew that, for both the forelady and the superintendent were new people, having only been there two or three years themselves. Jadvyga did not know what had become of the poor creature; she would have gone to see her, but had been sick herself.
But one day she walked home with a pale-faced little woman who worked opposite to her, Jadvyga Marcinkus by name, and Jadvyga told her how she, Marija, had chanced to get her job. She had taken the place of an Irishwoman who had been working in that factory ever since any one could remember. For over fifteen years, so she declared.
She had pains in her back all the time, Jadvyga explained, and feared that she had womb trouble. It was not fit work for a woman, handling fourteen-pound cans all day. It was a striking circumstance that Jonas, too, had gotten his job by the misfortune of some other person. Jonas pushed a truck loaded with hams from the smoke rooms on to an elevator, and thence to the packing rooms.
"Yes," said Jurgis, "isn't she here?" "No," said the child, and Jurgis gave a start. A moment later came Jadvyga, peering over the child's head. When she saw who it was, she slid around out of sight, for she was not quite dressed. Jurgis must excuse her, she began, her mother was very ill "Ona isn't here?" Jurgis demanded, too alarmed to wait for her to finish. "Why, no," said Jadvyga.
She wears an old white dress which she has made herself and worn to parties for the past five years; it is high-waisted almost under her arms, and not very becoming, but that does not trouble Jadvyga, who is dancing with her Mikolas. She is small, while he is big and powerful; she nestles in his arms as if she would hide herself from view, and leans her head upon his shoulder.
Jadvyga likewise paints cans, but then she has an invalid mother and three little sisters to support by it, and so she does not spend her wages for shirtwaists. Jadvyga is small and delicate, with jet-black eyes and hair, the latter twisted into a little knot and tied on the top of her head.
"I had to go home with a friend," she panted "with Jadvyga." Jurgis drew a deep breath; but then he noticed that she was sobbing and trembling as if in one of those nervous crises that he dreaded so. "But what's the matter?" he cried. "What has happened?" "Oh, Jurgis, I was so frightened!" she said, clinging to him wildly. "I have been so worried!"
They would sell their furniture, and then run into debt at the stores, and then be refused credit; they would borrow a little from the Szedvilases, whose delicatessen store was tottering on the brink of ruin; the neighbors would come and help them a little poor, sick Jadvyga would bring a few spare pennies, as she always did when people were starving, and Tamoszius Kuszleika would bring them the proceeds of a night's fiddling.
Mary had had consumption, and all day long you might hear her coughing as she worked; of late she had been going all to pieces, and when Marija came, the "forelady" had suddenly decided to turn her off. The forelady had to come up to a certain standard herself, and could not stop for sick people, Jadvyga explained.
"What made you think she would be here? Had she said she was coming?" "No," he answered. "But she hasn't come home and I thought she would be here the same as before." "As before?" echoed Jadvyga, in perplexity. "The time she spent the night here," said Jurgis. "There must be some mistake," she answered, quickly. "Ona has never spent the night here." He was only half able to realize the words.
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