The Purple Heights

unfolded before her staring eyes, "ain't never growed up natchel out o' de

r remarked, as the taxi snaked its sinuous way toward the quarters wh

s gwine to lose 'is min'. Seein' places like d

orth by sea, and although Emma had been raised on the coast, although she was used to the capricious tide-water rivers which this morning may be lamb-like and to-night raging lions, although she had crossed Caliboga Sound in rough weather and been rolled about lik

oples of the earth. And, more astounding than waterful sea and peopleful city, was the last, crowning bit of news: Peter was going to be married

, looked upon the old South Carolina woman as they might have looked upon a visitor from Mars, Emma shut and locked her door, took the cat out of his cage, cuddled him in her arms, tried to projeck,-and couldn't. The feel of Satan's soft, warm body comforted her inexpressibly. He, at least, was real in a shifting universe. She began to rock herself, slowly, rhythmical

out een de

l upon-m

ed upon-m

all I do

rep

lel

uh,

lel

Mar-tha

ll

elui

the oldest boy, who wa

e!" said the daughter,

it. If he hadn't been afraid of his educated and modern children, he would have wept. Emma didn't know that, of course. She kissed the big c

ing that of which he had read. He didn't see it as Nancy saw it; the city appeared to him as might some subtle, hard, and fascinatingly plain woman whose face had flashes of piercing and unf

Lady." He stood for a dazzled interval before her, so disdainful, passionate, provocative, and so profoundly human. When he moved away, he sighed. He wasn't wonder

emarking his earnest

course! You could afford to buy the best any of 'em could do, instead of trying to sell something you

sts: it's the only excuse they have for existing

than selling-or rather, trying to sell," sai

ither buying or selling," said Peter, and l

obstinacy. Peter would keep his promise to the letter, bu

he had laughed, almost hysterically, and incidentally discovered that being laughed at didn't move Peter in the least; he was too used to it. He

sk you a single question: do you propose to go

eet potatoes roasted in the ashes of a colored perso

haded his eyes with his hand, and stared under it at P

oo. Sometimes they were all the dinner I had. Besides," mused Peter, "when all's said and done, nobody has more than a

d, "why should they, indeed! Take 'em along if you like, Nephew." And of

e also purchased a long coat and a steamer rug. He himself had to have another suit:

reath of the pines mingling with the wild breath of the sea sweeping through it, the little, deserted brown house left like a last year's nest close to the water-how far removed they were from this glittering gian

aught swift glimpses of furtive, hurrying figures, and faces that were danger s

seen among the negroes the careless unmorality as of animals. There was nothing of the prude in him, but, perhaps because all his life there had been a Vision before his eyes, he had retained a singularly untroubled mental chastity. His mind was clean with the cleanliness of knowledge. He could no

luttering her eyelids, and giving

Peter, ve

stand a lady somethin' to eat

the oldest profession, the strange woman "whose mouth is smoother than oil, but whose feet go down to death. Her steps take hold on hell." Somehow he

asked Peter. The wolfish look in her e

said she, and h

im down a side street, willy-nilly. "Seen a cop out of the tail of my eye," she exp

at her, he handed her one five, and two ten-dollar bills. Perhaps that might save her-for a while at least

ith me. I know a little place we can get somethin' decent: it's a dago caffay, but it's clean a

he asked, h

ot to make myself believe you're

staurant to which she piloted him wasn't pretentious, but

old him. And then she'd been a candy-dipper. Now, you work in a lowered atmosphere in order not to spoil your chocolate. For which reason candy-dippers, like all the good, are likely to die young. Seven of the girls in Gracie's department "got the T.B." That made Gracie

cie?" asked Peter, looking at

k nothin' like so hard. An' I got chanst to see things. You don't see nothin' in the fact'ry. Say I feel like goin' to the movies, or treatin' myself to a ice-cream soda or a choc'late a-c

pect to be-lucky?" Pe

u got to run your risks an' take your chances. All I know is, I'll have more and see more bef

as he had felt one June morning long ago when he had seen old Daddy Neptune praying, after a night of horror, to a Something or a Somebody blind and indifferent.

had been watching him

, are you the sort of guy that'd give twenty-five dollars, for nothin', to a girl he picked up in the street? Or, are you jus

"I may tell you, though, that I am quite used

is, I wish to God there was more fools like you. If there was, there'

o stay in thi

in the

o touch you for more money or anything like that, I don't. But

absurdity of all talk of reform to such as Gracie. As things are they c

America to-morrow," he said at last. "I wi

re shadows under the eyes that should have been soft and dewy. "You

t there an

d she, when sh

s cigarette trembled. The thing that struck hi

to go to a certain address. It's to my uncle," he explained, seeing her look blank. "You'll send in the card I'm going to give you, and you w

riously. Then she fell to tracing patterns o

r I have to, an' I can find hi

Seventies which he was presently to occupy, added, "I wish you'd do what you can, for my sake," a

d sleep." He held out his brown hand, and she, rising from her chair, gripp

e, huskily. "You a

ing by the table, the empty wine-glass before her. The streets stretched befo

ngry!" a hoarse voice accosted

, and held it out. The dirty hand snatched it, and without so much

a subdued, ceaseless drone, as if the huge city stirred uneasily in her sleep-perhaps because she dreamed of the girls she prostituted and the men she s

going to do

sole weapon happened to be a paint-brush. One thing he resolved: he wouldn't add to the sum tot

eiling overhead; his mind had an uneasy consciousness that something impen

cried Peter. "I've got to

f a bus. He felt that he could never see enough of this wonderful, terrible, beautiful, ugly, cruel, and kind city. Everywhere he turned, something was being torn down or up, something was being demolished or replaced. New York was like

commemorating the visit of Li Hung Chang, then went in

deep satisfaction, "I'm glad we gave them a run for their money while

were tipped, and stood back while the door was slammed upon the departing one. The car was held up for seven minutes on Forty-second Street,

e bird-cage under her hand. The expressman who had called for her trunk early that morning had good-naturedly offered to carry the bird-cage

d ob is, dat dis unforchnate cat's gwine t

suaded her to leave the cage in the c

chauffeur, "is you-all got

kids," said the c

"All I says is, dat I started whah I come fum wid dat cat an' I 'specks to lan' up whah I 's gwine to wid dat

It ain't in my line to granny cats, but that one will be the apple of me good eye until

e had retained the snowy head-handkerchief under her sailor hat, and she wore her big gold hoop-earrings. Smart colored servants were common enough at that hotel, but one did not often see such as this tall and erect old woman in he

Bar, and the latter's wife, a very handsome lady handsomely and expensively panoplied. There was the usual hand-shaking, as Peter was introduced, and the handsome lady stared openly at Emma; one doesn't often see a brid

hand, stepped into the middle of the floor, and looked importantly religious. The lawy

the face but slightly concealed by the thin, floating tulle veil pinned on with a wreath of orange-blossoms, caught one gleam

id had done her worst. Nancy had an unusual quantity of hair, and it had been curled and frizzed, and puffed and pulled, until the girl's head appeared twice its natural size. Through the fine lace of her sleeves were visible her thin, sunburned arms. Her n

consternation. His aversion and distaste were so manifest, that a deeper red than rouge stained the girl's c

ntary to herself. He didn't like her! He thought her hideous! He despised her! So she read Peter's expressive e

roach and appeal. And then the long-legged young fellow pulled himself together. His head went up, his mouth

de in white satin wasn't real; his uncle wouldn't play him such a trick! Pet

ite, conventional things to them both. She signed a paper. And that old nigger-woman kept staring at her; but Peter avoided meeting her eyes. And her uncle was saying that she must

oothed the torn veil as best she could. The beautiful lace-and-ivory fan was snapped and torn beyond hope of salvage. Nancy tossed it from her. With round eyes the maid watched her tear hair-pins out of her hair, rush into the bath-room, and with furious haste belabor her head with a wet brush to remove the f

stance, and, sitting on the floor, buttoned her shoes with her own fingers, to the maid's disgust. Then she jerked on her hat, stuck a hat-pin through it carelessly, snatched up gloves and hand-bag, and was ready for d

n her direction, slammed the door behind her. "My God, if that poor fellow that's j

ught her the most unpleasant human being he had ever encountered, and almost the ugliest. The Van

ook she bestowed upon Emma made that doughty warrior quail. Emma conceived a m

low and very earnest voice-rather like a clergyman consoling a condemned man with prom

r stoop and lift a large bird-cage containing, of all things, an immense black cat, which mewed plaintively at sight of her. It was the final touch of grotesqu

ped from the bottom of her heart that she would never lay eyes upon her bridegroom again. She didn't exactly wish him an

. A steward took Emma in charge, and carried off the bird-cage containing Sata

whut you done got married to. But I used to know Miss Maria. And dat 's how-come," finished Emma, irrelevantly, "dat 's how-come I mighty glad we 's gwine to furrin folkses' countries, whic

had ever looked at Peter like that before. He tried to keep from feeling bitter toward his uncle. Well! He was in for it! He would make his work his bride, by way of compensation

ir eyes met. Hers were brightly, bravely blue, and they widened with astonishment

ribel!" c

ling. "It isn't-Yes, it is, too! Pet