was useless.
Mrs. Mordy and Surl and Vera continued to subsist for some months at Table Grande until, greatly to Mrs. Mordy’s surprise, a message really did come from her husband stating that he had a job with the City (it was in the garbage) and that she and the children could now come to Kamloops as soon as they liked. He did not suggest how they should get there.
When they at last arrived at Kamloops, Vera looked at the people and was much ashamed of her ignorance and her shabbiness and not only hers, but of the ignorance and shabbiness of the whole family. She experienced, however, together with this recurring shame, a feeling of strange happinesswhich was really the feeling of hope and opportunity. The bitchy look was seldom on her face. She watched the other girls and soon became a fair imitation of a nice neat young girl. She presented herself at one of the schools and in an awkward manner told her story and said she needed some education. She was advised very kindly and joined a night-school class which was for the benefit of foreign immigrants who wished to learn to read and write. She progressed fast. She moved on to other classes and before long became a fair imitation of an ordinarily badly educated young girl. Because she was not happy by nature (circumstances had arranged that) she was a little apt to have trifling growing jealousies of other girls, and only policy prevented her from showing the resentments she sometimes felt. She consumed these jealousies in secret, somewhat enjoying them. Otherwise she deserved a great deal of credit. Surl – aided by his phenomenal good looks – took to bad company, narrowly escaped a bit of trouble, and left town. Mr. Mordy was for the first time in his life in a position of some solvency and comfort. He then perversely took pneumonia and died. Vera had inherited her father’s weak chest (there was nothing else to inherit) and was subject to colds and bronchitis.
After Mr. Mordy’s death Vera and her mother lived uncongenially together but Vera, no longer limited by life on the stump ranch, did not mind. She had a nice job as a waitress in a Greek restaurant on the main street. It was an old-time restaurant run by a Greek called Caesar who was good to his girls. His customers were chiefly ranchers and their families from out of town, commercial travelers and cowboys. Some were rough customers and some were not, but Caesar would take no nonsense for his girls. Later, a friend of Vera’s who worked in a large store told her that there was a job goingin women’s hosiery. Vera, hesitating a little, left the restaurant and took the job.
Since Surl had departed he had written twice to his mother. The second time he gave an address which was the Hotel Del Roxy. This fancy address pleased Mrs. Mordy very much and gave her the idea of going to Vancouver to join Surl at the Hotel Del Roxy. Vera gladly gave her the fare, and Mrs. Mordy set off.
When Mrs. Mordy arrived at the hotel which was a mean-looking joint, she did not seem able to find Surl and it was only by chance that she discovered that he was working as a waiter in the beer parlor. Surl was only moderately pleased to see her. The hotel was in the east end of the city and it is strange to think that Surl had no curiosity about the rest of the city of Vancouver – about its magnificent park, its fine beaches, its pleasant houses, its flourishing businesses both large and small, its elegant suspension bridge, and its mountain trails. The radius of four or five blocks of comparative squalor surrounding the Del Roxy Hotel suited Surl well and he had already formed dubious intimacies and occupations. As far as Mrs. Mordy was concerned, she sometimes sank and sometimes swam in Vancouver, but she did not return to Kamloops.
When the war came there was a shortage of male help everywhere and that included the store where Vera worked. Vera was therefore promoted to the Gents’ Furnishings department as the two young
Mrs. Mordy and Surl and Vera continued to subsist for some months at Table Grande until, greatly to Mrs. Mordy’s surprise, a message really did come from her husband stating that he had a job with the City (it was in the garbage) and that she and the children could now come to Kamloops as soon as they liked. He did not suggest how they should get there.
When they at last arrived at Kamloops, Vera looked at the people and was much ashamed of her ignorance and her shabbiness and not only hers, but of the ignorance and shabbiness of the whole family. She experienced, however, together with this recurring shame, a feeling of strange happinesswhich was really the feeling of hope and opportunity. The bitchy look was seldom on her face. She watched the other girls and soon became a fair imitation of a nice neat young girl. She presented herself at one of the schools and in an awkward manner told her story and said she needed some education. She was advised very kindly and joined a night-school class which was for the benefit of foreign immigrants who wished to learn to read and write. She progressed fast. She moved on to other classes and before long became a fair imitation of an ordinarily badly educated young girl. Because she was not happy by nature (circumstances had arranged that) she was a little apt to have trifling growing jealousies of other girls, and only policy prevented her from showing the resentments she sometimes felt. She consumed these jealousies in secret, somewhat enjoying them. Otherwise she deserved a great deal of credit. Surl – aided by his phenomenal good looks – took to bad company, narrowly escaped a bit of trouble, and left town. Mr. Mordy was for the first time in his life in a position of some solvency and comfort. He then perversely took pneumonia and died. Vera had inherited her father’s weak chest (there was nothing else to inherit) and was subject to colds and bronchitis.
After Mr. Mordy’s death Vera and her mother lived uncongenially together but Vera, no longer limited by life on the stump ranch, did not mind. She had a nice job as a waitress in a Greek restaurant on the main street. It was an old-time restaurant run by a Greek called Caesar who was good to his girls. His customers were chiefly ranchers and their families from out of town, commercial travelers and cowboys. Some were rough customers and some were not, but Caesar would take no nonsense for his girls. Later, a friend of Vera’s who worked in a large store told her that there was a job goingin women’s hosiery. Vera, hesitating a little, left the restaurant and took the job.
Since Surl had departed he had written twice to his mother. The second time he gave an address which was the Hotel Del Roxy. This fancy address pleased Mrs. Mordy very much and gave her the idea of going to Vancouver to join Surl at the Hotel Del Roxy. Vera gladly gave her the fare, and Mrs. Mordy set off.
When Mrs. Mordy arrived at the hotel which was a mean-looking joint, she did not seem able to find Surl and it was only by chance that she discovered that he was working as a waiter in the beer parlor. Surl was only moderately pleased to see her. The hotel was in the east end of the city and it is strange to think that Surl had no curiosity about the rest of the city of Vancouver – about its magnificent park, its fine beaches, its pleasant houses, its flourishing businesses both large and small, its elegant suspension bridge, and its mountain trails. The radius of four or five blocks of comparative squalor surrounding the Del Roxy Hotel suited Surl well and he had already formed dubious intimacies and occupations. As far as Mrs. Mordy was concerned, she sometimes sank and sometimes swam in Vancouver, but she did not return to Kamloops.
When the war came there was a shortage of male help everywhere and that included the store where Vera worked. Vera was therefore promoted to the Gents’ Furnishings department as the two young
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