Three Lives: Stories of The Good Anna, Melanctha and The Gentle LenaStein, Gertrude
General
Three Lives: Stories of The Good Anna, Melanctha and The Gentle Lena
Stein, Gertrude
Working class women -- Fiction
He chatted with the other passenger who had just come in, a very well
dressed old man, and then with another who came in later, a good sort
of a working man, and then another who came in, a nice lady, and he
told them all about Lena's having trouble, and it was too bad there
were men who treated a poor girl so badly. And everybody in the car
was sorry for poor Lena and the workman tried to cheer her, and the
old man looked sharply at her, and said she looked like a good girl,
but she ought to be more careful and not to be so careless, and things
like that would not happen to her, and the nice lady went and sat
beside her and Lena liked it, though she shrank away from being near
her.
So Lena was feeling a little better when she got off the car, and the
conductor helped her, and he called out to her, "You be sure you keep
up a good heart now. He wasn't no good that feller and you were lucky
for to lose him. You'll get a real man yet, one that will be better
for you. Don't you be worried, you're a real nice girl as I ever see
in such trouble," and the conductor shook his head and went back into
his car to talk it over with the other passengers he had there.
The german cook, who always scolded Lena, was very angry when she
heard the story. She never did think Mrs. Haydon would do so much for
Lena, though she was always talking so grand about what she could
do for everybody. The good german cook always had been a little
distrustful of her. People who always thought they were so much never
did really do things right for anybody. Not that Mrs. Haydon wasn't
a good woman. Mrs. Haydon was a real, good, german woman, and she
did really mean to do well by her niece Lena. The cook knew that
very well, and she had always said so, and she always had liked and
respected Mrs. Haydon, who always acted very proper to her, and Lena
was so backward, when there was a man to talk to, Mrs. Haydon did have
hard work when she tried to marry Lena. Mrs. Haydon was a good woman,
only she did talk sometimes too grand. Perhaps this trouble would
make her see it wasn't always so easy to do, to make everybody do
everything just like she wanted. The cook was very sorry now for Mrs.
Haydon. All this must be such a disappointment, and such a worry to
her, and she really had always been very good to Lena. But Lena had
better go and put on her other clothes and stop all that crying. That
wouldn't do nothing now to help her, and if Lena would be a good girl,
and just be real patient, her aunt would make it all come out right
yet for her. "I just tell Mrs. Aldrich, Lena, you stay here yet a
little longer. You know she is always so good to you, Lena, and I know
she let you, and I tell her all about that stupid Herman Kreder. I got
no patience, Lena, with anybody who can be so stupid. You just stop
now with your crying, Lena, and take off them good clothes and put
them away so you don't spoil them when you need them, and you can help
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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