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But
that day she was a little faint and tired.
She had swallowed a light luncheon--no!
when she came to think of it, between getting
the children fed and the place righted,
and preparing herself for the shopping bout,
she had actually forgotten to eat any luncheon
at all!
She sat herself upon
a revolving stool before a counter that
was comparatively deserted, trying to gather
strength and courage to charge through an
eager multitude that was besieging breastworks
of shirting and figured lawn. An all-gone
limp feeling had come over her and she rested
her hand aimlessly upon the counter. She
wore no gloves. By degrees she grew aware
that her hand had encountered something
very soothing, very pleasant to touch. She
looked down to see that her hand lay upon
a pile of silk stockings. A placard near
by announced that they had been reduced
in price from two dollars and fifty cents
to one dollar and ninety-eight cents; and
a young girl who stood behind the counter
asked her if she wished to examine their
line of silk hosiery. She smiled, just as
if she had been asked to inspect a tiara
of diamonds with the ultimate view of purchasing
it. But she went on feeling the soft, sheeny
luxurious things--with both hands now, holding
them up to see them glisten, and to feel
them glide serpent-like through her fingers.
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Pero
este día estaba un poco débil
y cansado. Había tenido un ligero
almuerzo -- no ! Pensandolo mejor, entre
nutrir a los chicos, poner órden
en la casa y preparandose para salir a hacer
compras había olvidado por completo
de almorzar!
Se sentó sobre una silla giratoria
delante de un mostrador relativamente poco
frecuentado, tratando de unir fuerza y coraje
para echarse en una multidud ávida,
que asediaba los montones de tela para camisas
y tela con dibujos. Tuvo un acceso de debilidad
y se quedó ahi, dejando su mano sobre
el mostrador. No llevaba guantes. Poco a
poco se iba dando cuenta que su mano había
tocado algo muy tranquilizador, muy agradable
de tocar. Miró por abajo y vio que
su mano se encontraba encima de una pila
de calcetines de seda. Una placa que estaba
al lado anunciaba que se habá bajado
el precio, de dos dólares y cincuenta
centavos a un dólar y noventa y ocho
centavos. Una chica joven le preguntó
si quiere que le mostrara su colección
de ropa de seda. Sonrió, como si
le hubiesen ofrecido de examinar un diadema
de diamantes con la intención final
de comprarlo. Pero continuaba a sentir las
blandas, brillantes cosas lujosas. Con las
dos manos ahora, alzandolas para verlas
brillar, y sentirlas escurrirse como un
serpiente por sus dedos.
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