The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-05-18
gHe Gauilg GRrle.
Only a Shop Girl.
- LOVES, sir? Yes, sir
~ What numberp' These
E15sS words fell with a tired
aEs50 eigl, from tho I;ns ~ 4bo

sweet face and dark grey eyes which
met his for the first time.
Bending over the box of gloves
which she had taken down for his
inspection, the young girl sighed
again, and Douglas hastily arose
from the stool upon which he had
lazily dropped.
81 am ashamed to sit when you
are standing" he said; 81 am sure
you must be very tired. Are you
notp'
The young girl would have refus
ed to notice the remark from most
strangers, upon any subject except
their purchases, but there are some
people we instinctively feel we can
trust, and Douglas Lennox's kind
voice and frank, honest face effectu-
ally disarmed resentment. She
looked up and said:
Rather tired; I have been on my
feet all day." and the faint smile
which dimpled the corners of hel
mouth added, in the young mans
eyes, to the winning beauty of hel
face.
"But surely you can sit down
when you have a spare momentT'-
he said, somewhat Indignantly.
The young girl shook her head.
''NO, not in business hours"
"It is a shame" said he; "I have
heard that such denominations ex-
listed in our city, but never really
believed it,"
ut is allowed in some stores, -
said the young lady.
"Then why do you not leave your
place here and go to such oneT'
asked Douglas.
She gave another faint smile. "If
you had been a shop girl for four
years and knew the difficulty of get
ting situation, you would not ask
that question" Then hastily push
ing a second box of gloves towards
him, she added in a lower tone:
HMr. sheldon is coming this way.
I should lose my place here if he
heard what 1 said. Please look at
the gloves"
And Douglas, not stopping to ex-
anime whether he got the number
he wanted or not, quickly selected
two or three pairs, paid for them
and left the store.
But he carried with him the i'm
age Of the sweet-faced shop girl;
and it haunted him, unaccountably,
all day.
"Poor little tired thingr' said ne,
pityingly, 81 wish she was my sis
ter, and then she needn't work so
hard"
Once or twice he curled his
naughty lip at the idea of himself,
the aristOcratic Douglas Lennox,
who was sole master of a handsome
place upon the Delaware, who coun-
ted his money by thousands, and
who had been for several seasons
the lawful prey of all the managing
mammas and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ed daughters in society" should
be wasting so many thoughts on a
little shop grill"
But if he was aristocratie, Len
nox was also democratic, and had
no false notions about the disgrace
of labor. The little shop girl held
the same claim to honor in his mind
that she would have held had she
been a queen.
And when rather early next morn
ing he took his way to the same
store, he acknowledged to himself
that his purchase was merely an ex-
cuse, and his real object an honest
interest in, and a warm desire to
see again, the winning face which
had haunted him since yesterday.
That she recognized him, Doug
las felt sure, from the faint, sweet
smile which again dimpled the cor
ners of her small mouth. But he
said nothing exceptabout the goods
He looked at her, however, with an
honest glance of admiration, and
when, in making the change, her
soft hand accidentally touched his,
it sent thrill through his whole
frame.
"Whewr' he said to himself, lift
ing his hat, and drawing a free
breath as he left the store. ssDoug-
las Lennox, I believe in my soul
you re captlvaJed at last, ana Ihats
too, by little shop girl whose name
you don't even know! Wonder
what sister Bel would sayP And
as he thought of his stylish sister
entering that very store and per
haps trading with that very little
girl, entirely unconscious that her
brothers eye had ever rested admir-
inglv on the sweet face, Douglas
laughed aloud.
Well, after the little speech he
made as he left the store, l think
you can imagine about what follow
ad II xas astonishing how many