Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-12-17
StItftto Storp.
The Kaiser Freder,ek.
BY MARY HAgTwEIL.

Virginia Real was a clerk in the great
store OF Pink 4 Flooding. She stood in
the lace department and displayed aud
measured till her little body ached every
night Pink Il Ploddng ilourished In "A
brick and plate glass block, kept a scor"
or two Of sales people and runners and
draped all the fashionable world. Their
spring aud fall Openings" disturbed
square miles Of feminine hearts taud pur-
se,), aud in any season their counters
We're thron2ed. Virginia thought her self
fortunate at first TO be taken into Pink &
Plodding's establishment. But we are
ungrateiul beings who tire OF our blessing,
She came 10 the city lone creature. with
nothing to advance her except 4 letter to
the Rector OF ~. Paul's. The Rector OF
st. Paul's kindly recommended her To Mr..
Plodding. who wanted a young woman
behind his lace counter just then, and MIR.
Flooding took her.
There she stood dav after day. some
times great circles darkening around her
eyes, spreading fabrics, hunting unheard
OF patterns, and going through violent
gymnastics for hurried customers, who
perhaps piled the counters with tan.les
up TO their chins, and went away leaving
the shop-girl nothing but trouble. She
was not quite pretty child; she had a
great deal OF dark brown hair. aud swift
dark eyes, and baby hands; when She
came to work in the morning. she was
flushed and fresh-as sleep aud youth will
make the heaviest laden one OF US all; but
as her daysaDds slipped, so slipped her
bloom. till night drove her. bag2ard and
old-iaced. to her home boarding-placr.
To be sure. she saw the world. IL flowed
constantly past her. loved TO hurry and
vex her. and shook its leisure, ics pen-
teous happiness and full purse forever Ia
her face.
Virginia had no companion among her
fellow clerks. They consisted Of fluffy
young women and correctly-gotten- up
men. Girls who hung yarirgated hair
around their skulls, and who told you
thing was "vou pooty.' or chawming,"
or ''delaightful; who, in short, aped all
the daWdliDg of upper-tendom. Men of
that cut-and-dry appearance which life
behind q counter gives = family man. To
be sure, above all stood Miss Blum, the
cashier, whose mouth shut like an oyster
shell, and snapped SO when it was forced
to unclose, that you wouldn't rry at it
often. But she wasn't of the lower earth.
earthly. The girls disliked Virginia; they
considered her an upstart; her reserved
ways were airs" and, altogether. she
wasn't ''their style;" they snubbed her.
The cut-and-dry men were so occupied be-
tween the rushes of business, or mental
attempts to stretch their salaries around
the year. that they forgot this fatherless
daughter I'm their midst.
Mr. Flooding was leathery old fellow
who woi ked his human machines hard,
and looked well to their operations. The
flesh and blood and soul part of them he
had nothing to do with.
A.. IL h.
ing. He was a gentleman merchant,
whose father had set him up in business,
and who did The fast-bOrse driving of the
establishment, leaving it TO old Plodding
to do the fast bargain driving. Mr.. PINK
seldom entered the store, but he delighted
in sending a hutter before him when he
did enter. lie scattered compliments and
silly patroniZing speeches. right and left.
When Mr.. Pink saw Virginia, he fixed his
| eve on her and promised TO amuse himself
with that little girl. But he never got on
with her at all. Respectful toward him.
! she yet held herself so much above him.
| that all his boosted shots struck below her
feet. The serene shop-girl declined fiirta-
ton with that fascinating being.
She WAS so lonely. Her boarding.pl
was chill resort, where ''boarders' were
| boxed in small rooms, fed sparingly and
ticle OF food while it was between their
teeth. by that severe widow. Mrs. Stump.
who surveyed her victims from the head
Of her long table. Here, again, people
were negative to Virginia.
Not many recreations were there for
her. She seldom saw q play or heard
music; a city's wealth Of resources rolled
around her. aud she stood. like Tantalns.
unable 70 command them. Sometimes
she slipped into the free seats at st. Paurs,
and watched the pomp OF religion. II the
Rector ever saw her after service, he gave
her patronizing nod. There was moth
ing for her, she told herself again and
again. but to stsnd in that store, pay her
earnings, to the boarding-house keeper.
and keep the tread-ntil going tiilshe died.
Offen this unhelpesi child grew qesper.
! ate, and when she came home Of nights,