nights up in my room I made Billy and
Paul each a jacket, and now I am making them some mittens, so when it
gets cold they can wear them when they play outside. Next week after I
get my pay, I am going to get some of that grey pusey yarn and make them
each a cap.

One night I got so blue I almost died, and I went downtown to see Irene
who is back from St. Louis. I had an awful good time, a lot of fellows
and girls come into Irene's room, and I sent one of the boys out for
some oysters and showed them some fine stunts I could do with the
chafing dish. They was crazy to know where I was and what I was doing
but I wouldn't tell them, as I knowed they wouldn't understand. I
suppose there is something wrong in me somewhere, but it seemed awful
nice to see all the crowd again, and hear them talk and laugh and even
the old cigarette smoke smelled good. There didn't one of them seem to
have any trouble nor have to work hard, and I thought of how they could
sleep in the morning, and how I would have to get up when my old alarm
clock went off at half past six. For a minute I thought I wouldn't go
back, then I thought of Mrs. Smith and how bad she would feel if I
didn't stick, so I said, "Oh, me for my little room," and I left the
crowd at half past ten, sort of the middle of the day for most of them.
But I ain't been unhappy, though I didn't know there was so little money
in the world. Why, it seems funny not to be able to buy anything at all.
When you look in the shop windows and see all the fluffy petticoats and
the pretty collars and the silk stockings and the fancy shoes, and you
know you can't buy one of them, it makes you feel sore all over. Why, I
think every body ought to take their hat off to a pretty girl who is
pegging along on six or eight a week, and who wants pretty things just
the same as all women do and who knows all she has got to do is to give
a little nod to get them, I say, _them_ is the people that ought to have
a statue up on that hall of fame on the Hudson.

I had to buy two maid's dresses when I come here, plain black with
little white collars and cuffs, and in the afternoon the woman makes me
wear a dinkey little cap on my head which makes my hair look curlier
than ever though I brush it down as best I can. Callers kind of looked
surprised when they see me first, I guess cause I am kind of thin now
and my eyes sort of fill my face.

Billy is looking fine. He is most as big as Paul and he has learned a