mask before him, then hide his eyes, because he could not
bear it. Dead! _Dead!_ And she was only a girl, she was
barely eighteen! Her life had hardly begun -- and here
she lay murdered -- mangled, tortured to death!

It was morning when he rose up and came down into
the kitchen -- haggard and ashen gray, reeling and dazed.
More of the neighbors had come in, and they stared at him
in silence as he sank down upon a chair by the table and
buried his face in his arms.

A few minutes later the front door opened; a blast of
cold and snow rushed in, and behind it little Kotrina,
breathless from running, and blue with the cold. "I'm
home again!" she exclaimed. "I could hardly--"

And then, seeing Jurgis, she stopped with an exclama~
tion. Looking from one to another she saw that some~
thing had happened, and she asked, in a lower voice:
"What's the matter?"

Before anyone could reply, Jurgis started up; he went
toward her, walking unsteadily. "Where have you been?"
he demanded.

"Selling papers with the boys," she said. "The
snow--"

"Have you any money?" he demanded.

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Nearly three dollars, Jurgis."

"Give it to me."

Kotrina, frightened by his manner, glanced at the others.
"Give it to me!" he commanded again, and she put her
hand into her pocket and pulled out a lump of coins tied
in a bit of rag. Jurgis took it without a word, and went
out of the door and down the street.

Three doors away was a saloon. "Whisky," he said, as
he entered, and as the man pushed him some, he tore at
the rag with his teeth and pulled out half a dollar. "How
much is the bottle?" he said. "I want to get drunk."

[[228]]

p227 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p228w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p229

v?