Jurgis had got the habit of buying the Sunday paper
whenever he had the money; a most wonderful paper
could be had for only five cents, a whole armful, with all
the news of the world set forth in big headlines, that
Jurgis could spell out slowly, with the children to help
him at the long words. There was battle and murder
and sudden death -- it was marvelous how they ever heard
about so many entertaining and thrilling happenings; the
stories must be all true, for surely no man could have made
such things up, and besides, there were pictures of them
all, as real as life. One of these papers was as good as a
circus, and nearly as good as a spree -- certainly a most
wonderful treat for a working-man, who was tired out and
stupefied, and had never had any education, and whose
work was one dull, sordid grind, day after day, and year
after year, with never a sight of a green field nor an hour's
entertainment, nor anything but liquor to stimulate his
imagination. Among other things, these papers had pages
full of comical pictures, and these were the main joy in
life to little Antanas. He treasured them up, and would
drag them out and make his father tell him about them;
there were all sorts of animals among them, and Antanas
could tell the names of all of them, lying upon the floor for
hours and pointing them out with his chubby little fingers.
Whenever the story was plain enough for Jurgis to make
out, Antanas would have it repeated to him, and then he
would remember it, prattling funny little sentences and
mixing it up with other stories in an irresistible fashion.
Also his quaint pronunciation of words was such a delight
-- and the phrases he would pick up and remember, the
most outlandish and impossible things! The first time
that the little rascal burst out with "God-damn," his
father nearly rolled off the chair with glee; but in the
end he was sorry for this, for Antanas was soon "God-
damning" everything and everybody.

And then, when he was able to use his hands, Jurgis
took his bedding again and went back to his task of shift~
ing rails. It was now April, and the snow had given

[[250]]

p249 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p250w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p251

v?