He came a couple of steps nearer. Yes; it had been
gray and now it was yellow! The trimmings around the
windows had been red, and now they were green! It was
all newly painted! How strange it made it seem!

Jurgis went closer yet, but keeping on the other side of
the street. A sudden and horrible spasm of fear had
come over him. His knees were shaking beneath him, and
his mind was in a whirl. New paint on the house, and
new weather-boards, where the old had begun to rot off,
and the agent had got after them! New shingles over the
hole in the roof, too, the hole that had for six months been
the bane of his soul -- he having no money to have it fixed
and no time to fix it himself, and the rain leaking in, and
overflowing the pots and pans he put to catch it, and flood~
ing the attic and loosening the plaster. And now it was
fixed! And the broken window-pane replaced! And
curtains in the windows! New, white curtains, stiff and
shiny!

Then suddenly the front door opened. Jurgis stood,
his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
A boy had come out, a stranger to him; a big, fat, rosy-
cheeked youngster, such as had never been seen in his
home before.

Jurgis stared at the boy, fascinated. He came down
the steps whistling, kicking off the snow. He stopped at
the foot, and picked up some, and then leaned against the
railing, making a snow-ball. A moment later he looked
around and saw Jurgis, and their eyes met; it was a hostile
glance, the boy evidently thinking that the other had sus~
picions of the snow-ball. When Jurgis started slowly
across the street toward him, he gave a quick glance about,
meditating retreat, but then he concluded to stand his
ground.

Jurgis took hold of the railing of the steps, for he was
a little unsteady. "What -- what are you doing here?"
he managed to gasp.

"Go on!" said the boy.

"You--" Jurgis tried again. "What do you want
here?"

[[209]]

p208 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p209w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p210

v?