s, in de
big front room downstairs. He's mighty nice, and he's been askin' 'bout
yo'."

"Oh, shut up!" cried Laura, thoroughly exasperated.

The doors of the wardrobe, being loose on their hinges, kept swinging
open, and the negress several times had impatiently slammed them shut.
Turning to Laura, she went on:

"Mis' Farley says----"

The doors came open again, and hit her in the back. This time the maid
lost her temper completely. Giving them a vicious push, she exclaimed:

"Damn dat door!"

Then going to the washstand, and grabbing a basin which was half-full
of water, she emptied it into the waste jar. Now thoroughly angry, she
went on sourly:

"Mis' Farley says if she don't get some one in the house dat has
reg'lar money soon, she'll have to shut up and go to the po'house."

A look of distress and annoyance crossed Laura's face. It was hard to
hear this from a menial.

"I'm sorry," she said; "I'll try again to-day."

Rising from the trunk, she crossed the room, and, taking a desk-pad
from the mantel-piece, returned and took a seat at the table.

"Ain't yo' got any job at all?" demanded Annie, who was watching her as
closely as she dared.

"No."

"When yuh come here yuh had lots of money and yo' was mighty good to
me. You know Mr. Weston?"

"Jim Weston?"

"Yassum, Mr. Weston, what goes ahead o' shows and lives on the top
floor back; he says nobody's got jobs now. Dey're so many actors and
actresses out o' work. Mis' Farley says she don't know how she's goin'
to live. She said you'd been mighty nice up until three weeks ago, but
yuh ain't got much left, have you, Miss Laura?"

The girl shook her head mournfully.

"No. It's all gone."

The negress threw up her hands and from sheer excitement sat plump down
on the bed.

"Mah sakes!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "All dem rings and
things? You ain't done sold them?"

"They're pawned," said Laura sadly. "What did Mrs. Farley say she was
going to do?"

"Guess maybe Ah'd better not tell."

"Please do."

"Yuh been so good to me, Miss Laura. Never was nobody in dis house what
give me so much, and Ah ain't been gettin' much lately. And when Mis'
Farley said yuh must either pay yo' rent or she would ask yuh for your
room, Ah jest set right down on de back kitchen stairs and cried.
Besides, Mis' Farley don't like me very well since you've been havin'
yo' breakfasts and dinners brought up here."

"Why not?"

Taking the kimona off the chair