Supper over, Gallito ensconced his two feminine visitors in easy chairs
and took one himself, while Jose, with noiseless deftness, cleared away
the remains of food. Pearl had wandered to the window and, drawing the
curtain aside, stood gazing out into the featureless, black expanse of
the night.
"Quite a few things has happened since I saw you last, Gallito," said
Mrs. Nitschkan conversationally, filling a short and stubby black pipe
with loose tobacco from the pocket of her coat. "For one, I got
converted."
"Ah!" returned Gallito with his unvarying courtesy, although his raised
eyebrows showed some perplexity, "to--to--a religion?"
"'Course." Mrs. Nitschkan leaned forward, her arms upon her knees. "This
world's the limit, Gallito, and queer things is going to happen whether
you're looking for 'em or not. About a year ago Jack and the boys went
off on a long prospectin' spell, the girls you know are all married and
have homes of their own, an' there was me left free as air with a dandy
spell of laziness right in front of me ready to be catched up 'twixt my
thumb and forefinger and put in my pipe and smoked, and I hadn't even
the spirit to grab it."
"Why didn't you think about getting yourself some new clothes, like any
other woman would?" asked Jose, eyeing her curiously.
"What I got's good enough for me," she returned shortly.
"You should have gave your place a nice cleaning and cooked a little for
a change, Sadie," said Mrs.
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