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And so Stanislovas went down a long stone corridor, and up a flight of stairs, which took him into a room lighted by electricity, with the new machines for filling lard cans at work in it. The lard was finished on the floor above, and it came in little jets, like beautiful, wriggling, snow-white snakes of unpleasant odor.
What was he, to be pretending to decency! "How long have you been living here?" he asked. "Nearly a year," she answered. "Why did you come?" "I had to live," she said; "and I couldn't see the children starve." He paused for a moment, watching her. "You were out of work?" he asked, finally. "I got sick," she replied, "and after that I had no money. And then Stanislovas died " "Stanislovas dead!"
They all had to go, even little Stanislovas, who was ill from overindulgence in sausages and sarsaparilla. All that day he stood at his lard machine, rocking unsteadily, his eyes closing in spite of him; and he all but lost his place even so, for the foreman booted him twice to waken him.
It seemed as if the respite had been too short they had not had time enough to get ready for it; but still it came, inexorably, and the hunted look began to come back into the eyes of little Stanislovas. The prospect struck fear to the heart of Jurgis also, for he knew that Ona was not fit to face the cold and the snowdrifts this year.
Deep snows would come again, and who would carry Ona to her work now? She might lose her place she was almost certain to lose it. And then little Stanislovas began to whimper who would take care of him? It was dreadful that an accident of this sort, that no man can help, should have meant such suffering. The bitterness of it was the daily food and drink of Jurgis.
Then a long time ago the man came for the rent. He was very cross. He came again last week. He said he would turn us out of the house. And then Marija " A sob choked Stanislovas, and he stopped. "What's the matter with Marija?" cried Jurgis. "She's cut her hand!" said the boy. "She's cut it bad, this time, worse than before.
At this remark the family looked puzzled, and Grandmother Majauszkiene again had to make an explanation that it was against the law for children to work before they were sixteen. What was the sense of that? they asked. They had been thinking of letting little Stanislovas go to work.
Meantime Teta Elzbieta had taken Stanislovas to the priest and gotten a certificate to the effect that he was two years older than he was; and with it the little boy now sallied forth to make his fortune in the world.
His mind would hang upon the worst possibilities; he saw Ona ill and tortured, Marija out of her place, little Stanislovas unable to get to work for the snow, the whole family turned out on the street. God Almighty! would they actually let them lie down in the street and die? Would there be no help even then would they wander about in the snow till they froze?
"She tried to," said Stanislovas, gazing at him in perplexity. "Why not, Jurgis?" The man breathed hard, three or four times. "Go on," he panted, finally. "I went with her," said Stanislovas, "but Miss Henderson wouldn't take her back. And Connor saw her and cursed her. He was still bandaged up why did you hit him, Jurgis?" Jurgis could not speak; he could only stare, his eyes starting out.
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