She slapped and scratched their faces, all the time shrieking her
vituperations.
They finally succeeded in locking the "bracelets" and forcing her into a
chair--she was too thoroughly exhausted to hold out much longer.
"Do you mean to say that she isn't crazy?" whispered one of the girls on
the stairs.
The tears flowed down Faith's cheeks, but she answered the whisper.
"Poor Lou! Poor Lou! She must be crazy! No woman could act or even feel
like that and be in her right senses!"
The door of the office was suddenly closed, and, as Lou was silent now,
the girls trooped slowly back to the cloak-room.
"They'll take her away as soon as she's quiet," said one, "and that will
mean at least six months on Blackwell's Island."
"She's been there before, I think," spoke up a cash girl. "You know, she
was caught stealing in another store, but Denton, Day & Co. didn't know
it."
"Did you know it when she came here?"
It was Miss Jones who asked the question. She had come in just in time
to hear the last of the conversation.
"Of course I knew it, but what of that? Suppose I was going to prevent
the girl from earning her living?"
"But didn't you think she'd be apt to steal again?"
The girl laughed coarsely before she answered.
Pages:
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258