She moved away from
the man into the corner. He laughed, "Don't be scared," he said, "I
wasn't going to hurt you. But you just keep up your spirit. You are a
real nice girl, and you'll be sure to get a real good husband. Don't
you let nobody fool you. You're all right and I don't want to scare
you."
The conductor went back to his platform to help a passenger get on
the car. All the time Lena stayed in the street car, he would come
in every little while and reassure her, about her not to feel so bad
about a man who hadn't no more sense than to go away and leave her.
She'd be sure yet to get a good man, she needn't be so worried, he
frequently assured her.
He chatted with the other passenger who had just come in, a very well
dressed old man, and then with another who came in later, a good sort
of a working man, and then another who came in, a nice lady, and he
told them all about Lena's having trouble, and it was too bad there
were men who treated a poor girl so badly. And everybody in the car
was sorry for poor Lena and the workman tried to cheer her, and the
old man looked sharply at her, and said she looked like a good girl,
but she ought to be more careful and not to be so careless, and things
like that would not happen to her, and the nice lady went and sat
beside her and Lena liked it, though she shrank away from being near
her.
So Lena was feeling a little better when she got off the car, and the
conductor helped her, and he called out to her, "You be sure you keep
up a good heart now.
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