Jennie Gerhardt

Theodore Dreiser

in his easy-chair

Drifting in this fashion, wining, dining, drinking the waters of this curative spring and that, traveling in luxurious ease and taking no physical exercise, finally altered his body from a vigorous, quick-moving, well-balanced organism into one where plethora of substance was clogging every essential function. His liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas--every organ, in fact--had been overtaxed for some time to keep up the process of digestion and elimination. In the past seven years he had become uncomfortably heavy.

Letty was all ears for his troubles. She would have pillowed his solid head upon her breast in a moment if that had been possible.