lot of things. Mr. Smith takes the kids with him in the woods and Billy
knows the names of trees and plants and can tell the Robin's call from
the Blue Bird's whistle. Mrs. Smith reads little stories to the children
and they know their A B C's already, and by the time Billy is ten, he
will have lots more book-learning than I have now.

Now don't write me a rotten letter, Kate, and don't put any of the gang
on to try to queer me nor to try and come and talk to me, cause house
work ain't no joke for a person who ain't never done nothing, and
sometimes I feel all in and something told me at the wrong time, might
make me throw the whole thing up. And I don't want to. I want to make
good if it is only at housework, and if I can, I am going to stick to it
till there's skating down below.

_Nan_.

X

_Dear Kate_:

I am back in my old room and I guess there is where I belong. I did
intend to stick, and I didn't think I would ever see this old room
again, but here I am, and guess here I will stay. You know I was getting
along real well in that place where I worked, and things got much
easier, as I kind of learned to save my steps and plan the work, and it
didn't make me so tired as it did at first. I had saved up twelve
dollars too, and was going to buy Billy's winter clothes and send you
five, then the darn thing fell. I had been over on Sunday to see Billy
and was chasing along home about half past ten at night along 33rd
Street to catch the subway, when one of them old rounders passed me by
and stuck his old face down into mine and as I didn't say nothing, he
kept chasing after me and saying something in a low voice. I pretended
I didn't hear and went on a little faster and he kept right after me.
When we got near to Fourth Avenue, he came up close to me and said,
"Don't be in such a hurry, little girl," and I didn't say nothing, then
he stuck his face right down into mine and said something, and it just
made me sick, and before I knew what I did I slapped his dirty old mouth
for him. He stood still a minute, and almost turned white and then what
do you think the piker did? He called the cop from the corner and had me
arrested for speaking to him. It was Casey who knew me and I told Casey
he was a liar, and Casey said to the man, "Are you going to court and
make a charge against this girl?" And the man says, "I am, and if you
don't take her I will have you broke." I honestly think Casey believed
me, but he co