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n dólar y ochenta y siete centavos. Eso eratodo. Y setenta centavos estaban en céntimos.Céntimos ahorrados, uno por uno, discutiendocon el almacenero y el verdulero y el carnicerohasta que las mejillas de uno se ponían rojas devergüenza ante la silenciosa acusación deavaricia que implicaba un regateo tanobstinado. Delia los contó tres veces. Un dólary ochenta y siete centavos. Y al díasiguienteera Navidad.Evidentemente no había nada que hacer fuerade echarse al miserable lecho y llorar. Y Delialo hizo. Lo que conduce a la reflexión moral deque la vida se compone de sollozos, lloriqueosy sonrisas, con predominio de los lloriqueos.Mientras la dueña de casa se va calmando,pasando de la primera a la segunda etapa,echemos una mirada a su hogar, uno de esosdepartamentos de ocho dólares a lasemana. Noera exactamente un lugar para alojar mendigos,pero ciertamente la policía lo habría descritocomo tal.Abajo, en la entrada, había un buzón al cual nollegaba carta alguna, Y un timbre eléctrico alcual no se acercaría jamás un dedo mortal.También pertenecía al departamento una tarjetacon el nombre de "Señor James DillinghamYoung".La palabra "Dillingham" había llegado hastaallí volando en labrisa de un anterior períodode prosperidad de su dueño, cuando ganabatreinta dólares semanales. Pero ahora que susentradas habían bajado a veinte dólares, lasletras de "Dillingham" se veían borrosas, comosi estuvieran pensando seriamente en reducirsea una modesta y humilde "D". Pero cuando elseñor James Dillingham Young llegaba a sucasa y subía a su departamento, le decían "Jim"y era cariñosamenteabrazado por la señoraDelia Dillingham Young, a quien hemospresentado al lector como Delia. Todo lo cualestá muy bien.Delia dejó de llorar y se empolvó las mejillascon el cisne de plumas. Se quedó de pie junto ala ventana y miró hacia afuera, apenada, y vioun gato gris que caminaba sobre una verja grisen un patio gris. Al día siguiente era Navidad yella tenía solamente un dólar y ochenta ysietecentavos para comprarle un regalo a Jim. Había

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could for months, with this result. Twentydollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses hadbeen greater than she had calculated. Theyalways are. Only $1.87 to buy a present forJim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spentplanning for something nice for him.Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthyof thehonor of being owned by Jim.There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass inan $8 flat. A very thin and very agile personmay, by observing his reflection in a rapidsequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairlyaccurate conception of his looks. Della, beingslender, had mastered the art. Suddenly shewhirled from the window and stood before theglass. hereyes were shining brilliantly, but herface had lost its color within twenty seconds.Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fallto its full length.Now, there were two possessions of the JamesDillingham Youngs in which they both took amighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch thathad been his father's and his grandfather's. Theother was Della's hair. Had the queen of Shebalived in the flat acrossthe airshaft, Della wouldhave let her hair hang out the window some dayto dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewelsand gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor,with all his treasures piled up in the basement,Jim would have pulled out his watch every timehe passed, just to see him pluck at his beardfrom envy.So now Della's beautiful hair fell about herrippling and shining like a cascade ofbrownwaters. It reached below her knee and madeitself almost a garment for her. And then shedid it up again nervously and quickly. Once shefaltered for a minute and stood still while a tearor two splashed on the worn red carpet.On went her old brown jacket; on went her oldbrown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with thebrilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she flutteredout the door and down the stairs to...