Mrs. Page asked.

"Oh, really! We leave on the seventh."

"I've always wanted to go somewheres on a ship," Emeline said. "Didn't
care so much what it was when I got there, but wanted to go!"

"So have I," contributed Mrs. Torney. "I was real like you at your age,
Julia, and I used to think I'd do this and that when the children was
big. Well, some of us are lucky and some of us aren't--ain't that it,
Ma? I was talking to a priest about it once," she pursued, "and he said,
'Well, Mrs. Torney, if there was no sorrow and suffering in the world,
there wouldn't be no saints!' 'Oh, Father,' I says, 'there isn't much of
the saint in me! But,' I says, 'I've been a faithful wife and mother, if
I say it; seven children I've raised and two I've buried; I've worked my
hands to the bone,' I says, 'and the Lord has sent me nothing but
trouble!'"

"Ma, ain't you going to put your clothes on and go to the store?" Regina
said.

"I was going to," Mrs. Torney said, sighing, "but I think maybe now I'll
wait, and let Geraldine go--she'll have her things on."

"I suppose you haven't got any milk?" Mrs. Page said. "I declare I get
to feeling awfully gone about this time!"

"We haven't a drop, Em," Mrs. Torney said, after investigating a small
back porch, from which Julia got a strong whiff of wet ashes and
decaying cabbage leaves.

"How much milk do you get regularly?" Julia asked, looking worried.

"Oh, my dear," Mrs. Torney said, from the sink, where she was attacking
a greasy frying pan with cold water and a gray rag worn into holes, "you
forget we ain't rich people here. We don't have him leave milk, but if
we want it we put a bottle out on the back steps."

"You ought to have plenty of milk, Mama, taking those strong, depressing
medicines!" Julia said.

"Well, I ain't got much appetite, Julie," her mother answered, with that
new and touching smile. "Now, last night the girls had cabbage and corn
beef cooking--I used to be real fond of that dinner, but it almost made
me sick, just smelling it! So Geraldine fried me an egg, yet that didn't
taste good, either! Gettin' old and fussy, I guess!"

Julia felt the tears press suddenly behind her eyes as she answered the
patient smile. "Mama, I think you are terribly patient!" said she.

"I guess you can get used to anything!" Emeline said.

Regina coughed, and huddled herself in her chair.

"But I thought since we had the air-tight stove put in the other room
you were going to