look through the advertisements. Not much that was intriguing, but still she'd better try them all.
So she started on her weary pilgrim way, forgetting entirely that she had promised herself a whole day of rest before she began to hunt a job.
Wearily she plodded on from one advertised "Want" to another, until she had covered all that had sounded in the least hopeful.
Some of the most interesting wants had already been filled when she got there, and she would turn sadly away and go on to the next.
She was thoroughly discouraged when the day was at an end and she had found no trace of anything hopeful. And then she remembered that she hadn't intended hunting today anyway.
She sat down on a park bench in the dusk and shivered. The sky was still luminous with a hint of sunset, but darkness was creeping fast into the shadows near the earth, and when she looked up again there was a single star smiling out from the night sky gaily and winking at her till she almost felt like smiling back.
With her eyes on the star she continued looking up.
Oh, God , she said in her heart, but looking at the star as if she could almost see the Most High up there in that point of brightness. Mother used to believe You cared. She used to tell me You loved me, and that when she was gone You would care for me. I suppose I believe that. Yes, I think I do. But oh, God, I'm so tired and so discouraged, and so alone! If that's true won't You do something for me just to make me realize that it's true! If You'd only send me a little more money. Oh, if You'd only send me a place to work, and someone to be friendly with. Dear Father in heaven, won't You comfort me? And two great tears stole out and rolled down her cheeks in the dusk.
There were people going by her, hurrying home to warmth and light and pleasant loving voices, nice suppers. But they were happy, going home, and she had no home to go to.
Dear God, if you really love me as Mother said, won't You send me some sign, just a little money from somewhere, even if it's only a little bit, or some kind of a job, even a very humble job, or some body to be a friend, so I don't feel so lonely? Just so I know You have heard me and are taking account of me?
After a little she got up and went to a cheap restaurant for a very cheap dinner. She mustn't spend what she had in a hurry. But as she went she kept breathing softly under her breath: "Dear God, I'm trusting You to take care of me. I can't feel it's true, but I'm going to trust You, and I want to try to do what You want me to do."
That night she went to bed at once when she got back to the house. She would have paid her landlady for the week in advance, but Mrs. Beck had gone to the movies, and "gramma" had the door locked and didn't want to get up to unlock it, so Dale went to bed, too, and went sound asleep before the roomers got back from their various occupations. Her mind, for the time being at least, had found a place to rest.
Chapter 3
When Dale awoke in the morning she had forgotten all about her prayer, and half wondered at herself that she seemed to have lost that sense of heaviness and worry. Things were just as they were the night before, and she supposed she ought to fret and try to think a way out of her difficulties, but somehow the day seemed more hopeful than any day yet, and there wasn't any reason for it to be so, either. Not a reason that seemed sensible.
She got up, put on her cereal to cook, and made the coffee. Her breakfast tasted good to her.
When she had finished she cleared away everything and then hurried down to pay her landlady and prevent another visit from her if possible.
Mrs. Beck was honey itself when she saw the money, and produced a pair of blankets that looked as if they hadn't seen really very hard wear yet. Though Dale resolved that she would hang them out the window after dark and let them get a good airing before she used them. Mrs. Beck tried to make Dale sit down and have a little chat, did her best to