Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 1 — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

140 “‘ Now, I never knew what a lawnyett was — until she showed me that—and I never dreamed of wanting one until then—andi it being the cause of all my blues, Bessie has to cheer me up by a tale like that. Can you beat it?” ‘Fhe boss shook his head. “1 wouldn’t try—all my life I’ve tried to be tactful. Sometimes, of course, I’ve failed conspicu- ously. But 1 agree with you that Bessie’s story could not have helped yeu in your mood of the moment.” “Tt was no mood of the moment,’ re- plied Maggie, emphatically, ‘it was a per- manent grouch, believe me. I never would have looked at Jimmie Blaine again, if it hadn’t been for what happened afterward. Well, on goes Bessie about Mrs. Graham, and she says that finally only that very day hefore—Friday, my birthday—she’d got to the place where she had to pawn her wed- ding-ring. And you know what thei means!” “Yes,” assented the bess. ‘‘ To a woman like Mrs. Graham it would be a tragedy.” “To any woman,” asserted Maggie, scornful of his lack of knowledge of the female character. ‘“‘ Why, I ain’t stuck on getting married, but it makes the shivers go up and down my spine to think of any woman having to pawn her wedding-ring. They seem so kind of sacred. So I told Bessie that that was hard. And she says yes, but Mrs. Graham didn’t have to pawn it after all.” ‘“‘ Ah!” exclaimed the bess. friend came to the rescue?”’ “Old friend nothing,” replied Maggie; “it was the pawnbroker, Mr. Ornstein— you know him.” ‘* Some old The boss’s face flushed slightly. It was true that he had had occasion to make the acquaintance of Mr. Ornstein, and upon several occasions it had been for the pur- pose of meeting Maggie’s weekly wage that he had entered the pawn-shop. He said “Yes,” Maggie went on, “ when Mrs. Graham pulled off her wedding-ring, and offered it to Mr. Ornsteim he says: ‘ Mrs. Graham, put your ring back on your finger. i know what it means to a. woman to part with her wedding-ring. So, when any lady comes here to pawn her ring, I never let her—then,’ he says, ‘I always loan that lady whatever little sum she wants. without security, and trust her to pay it back— fer,’ he says, ‘1 couldn’t be alone with my conscience, if I knew that there was one wedding-ring in my safe.’ Wasn't that neble of him?” The boss drew a long breath. ‘TI should 7 ‘And so he hands. her five dollars, and escorts her to the doer, putting the ring back on her finger.” “ Wonderful!” ‘‘ And se J said,” Maggie went on, ‘“ and Bessie and I sat there thinking how hard things are for everybody, when all of a sudden I saw a ring on her thumb I’d never seen before—and I said: ‘ Bessie, where’d you get that ring?’ and she answered, just as indifferently as if nothing was going to happen: ‘Oh, Jennie’s hands were so swol- len with rheumatism she couldn’t get her wedding-ring back on when she took it off to wash the dishes—and she made me wear it for safekeeping.’ For safekeeping! If you only knew, Mr. Thatcher, how those words rang in my ears long afterward!” ‘“ And why?” pressed the boss. ‘Tl tell you,” Maggie continued grimly. “Never thinking what was going to come into my head, I sat there looking at that wedding-ring, and thinking how if I had a wedding-ring I could go and offer it to Orn- ‘stein and he would give it back to me, and give me five dollars besides, and that then I could buy the gold lawnyett? Don’t you see?”’ | ‘ Well, so there I sat, thinking how easy it would be, if only I had that wedding- ring that Bessie had—when all of a sudden, out of the clear sky, just like a bolt from the blue, I thought of it! Bessie could pawn that ring, get me the money, and I could buy the lawnyett.” ‘And did she?” | “Wait. When I first spoke of it, she was aghast—she tried to get out and go heme, but I held on to her and persuaded— and at last she said ‘all right.’ I told you. she was a little softy. Hf she hadn’t been so.easy I wouldn’t have nearly got arrested. COmiclbooks C©@ 5}