A pair of silk stockings
Little Missus Sommers one day found that she had already saved fifty dollars. It seemed to her a. very large amount of money.
The question of investment was one she1carefully. A dollar or two could be2to the price she usually paid for her daughter Janie's shoes. This would guarantee they would3 a great deal longer than usual. She would buy cloth for new shirts for the boys. And still there would be enough left for new stockings-two pairs per child. What time that would save her in always4old stockings!
But that day she was tired and a little bit weak. Between getting the children fed and the house cleaned, and preparing herself to go shopping, she had 5to eat at all!
When she arrived at the large department store, she sat in front of an empty counter. She was trying to gather 6 and courage to push through a mass of busy7. She rested her hand upon the counter.
She wore no gloves. She slowly grew aware that her hand had felt something very 8to touch. She looked down to see that her hand lay upon a pile of silk 9A young salesgirl who stood behind the10asked her if she wished to11the silky leg coverings.
She smiled as if she had been asked to inspect diamond jewelry with the aim of12it. But she went on feeling the soft, 13 items. Now she used both hands, holding the stockings up to see the light shine14them.
Two red marks suddenly showed on her pale face.
She thought to herself, "Why not live for myself once?"
She looked up at the salesgirl. "Well, I will 15 this pair." he said.
Missus Sommers then walked into the ladies' rest area. In an empty corner, she16her cotton stockings with the new silk ones.
For the first time she seemed to be taking a17from the tiring act of considering her family. She had let herself be 18, by some machine-like force directing her actions. But this time she decided to free herself of 19
Then she put her shoes back on and put her old stockings into her bag. Next, she went to the shoe department, sat down and waited to be 20.
