th him she would have gone with him
anywhere, but after a while, when she found out the sort he was,
she--cursed him. It was about the child they had a split."

"Was it born here?" I was cold and moved closer to the fire.

Mrs. Mundy shook her head. "He sent her to a hospital out of town,
but when she came back with the child he told her she would have to
send it away somewhere, put it in some place, or he'd quit her. He
seemed to hate the sight of it. It was on account of the child they
had a fuss. Etta wouldn't give it up. She can be a little fury when
she's mad, the girl said, and they had an awful row and he went off
somewhere and stayed four months. She tried to get work, but each
time some one told about her and she was turned off because--of the
child. At one place one of the bosses tried to take some liberty
with her and she threw an ink-bottle at him and he drove her away.
She knew there wasn't any straight way left to her after that unless
she starved or went in a rescue place. She tried to get in one and
take the baby with her, but it was full, and then, too, she kept
hoping she could get work. Then the baby got sick and needed what
she couldn't give it, and after a while she gave up. She got a woman
to look after the child, promised to pay her well, and went down into
Lillie Pierce's world. Since the day she went she has never been out
except to see the baby, until two weeks ago, when she moved into a
decent place and took two rooms. Harrie had come back to her."

"How old is the child?"

"Ten months. She never intended it to know anything of its mother.
She hoped she would die before it was old enough to understand. It's
a little girl. Etta is eighteen."

The room grew still and, getting up, Mrs. Mundy put more coal on the
fire, made blaze spring from it, warm and red. I waited for her to
go on.

"It seems like Mr. Harrie can't stay away from her, the girl says.
He never sees the child, though. The other woman, who's married and
has children of her own, still keeps it for her. She's named Banch."
Mrs. Mundy looked up. "I've found where the Banches live. It's only
two squares from where Etta is now living."

"But Harrie?" I turned off the light behind me.

"He is with Etta. He was taken ill on Christmas night. Except the
doctor, no one knows he is with her. He would have been dead by now
had it not been for Etta, the doctor says. He had pneumonia. Mr.
Guard and Mr. Crimm