Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-03-21

ure. because they are directly i'm front
OF him, and in the course of the day he
learns without making any inquiries
that she is No. AZ.
As for the girl herself, she is thinking
Of nothing but that terrible day, and
wondering whether she will live through
il. Her face is flushed, her eyes glist-
cning and feverish, the Joint result of
bad ventilation and bewildering trans
actions.
To her this first day behind the coun
ter seems n shoreless eternity. She
can scarcely remember when it began.
and has almost lost faith in its possible
eading. Two hours of this new and
trying ordeal are enough To make her
unuttcrably weary; before the day is
half over she is aching miserably in
every limb and joint. After this, stand
ing Is the purcst agony. And all day
long the feminine division of humanity
bears down upon them en- masse. The
proprietorS, welded To quick sales and
the largest possible profit, are positive
/ ly ubiquitous in their efforts To enforce
the strictcst attention to duty; obsequi-
Gus statesmen with an eve to premi-
ums and percentage step briskly about:
cash-boys scurry hither and thither. and
errand-boys find no rest for the soles Of
Their feet. The silk man spread his
stock upon the counter and displays the
popular shades. by daylight. by gas
/ light. singly and in combinations He
gathers them up into soft, rich folds,
\ spreads them, gathers them up again,
talking glibly all the while, aud is
borne Co the utmost limit of deferential
patience before the exact shade is
found AMI the final decision made. The
lace man, on the alert for whom he
my bcguile, is bland and courteous.
while the girls at this same glove
| counter dive among the boxes and be-
\ come breathless i'm the attempt To con-
vince some dubious customers that n
pearl-gra glove is an exact match for
the pale-blue sample she has brought.
or vice versa, smiling. dropping words
of honey all the time. and wishing i'm
their inmost consciousness that perdi-
ton may ultimately collect all woman
kind.
But II does end at last. The CUSTOM
ers are gone; the curtains are up. the
counters are again shrouded in white
canvas, making the long aisles look like
so many wards i'm hospital, and these
human swallows begin TO pour out of
their great chimney.
The cashier on his way 10 the cloak
room sees No. ~ crouching on the ledre
behind her counter. She Is thinking of
the long, dark streets that lie before
her, and Of The aching feet that protest
against further service.
When he comes back she is still there.
lie stops, and says kindly: III YOU
dom hurry out they will lock the doors.
Everybody else is gone now"
"lluw will | ever get home" she
means, rising YEARLY, her eyes still red
from crying.
I'm go with you if you are afraid.
80, yes. it's far. and then am so
tired lie is the only person who has
spoken TO her to-day. excepting the Gus
toners she has waited upon. He has
such graceful, easy way, that by the
time he has helped her 10 put on her
cloak he seems like an old acquaint-
ahce. They hurry out together, and
are lust In time, for the doors close be-
hInd them with n bang, and the bolts
are drawn.
Ii happens that their WAYS lie in the
same direction, that they are domiciled
in two drcary boarding houses not more
Than hall square apart, and after this
they 80 home together every evening.
and speedily come to be very GOOD
friends indeed.
The season known to retail traffic As
"busy' wakes and wanes. Summer
comes, and August, sweltering, intoler-
able. settled upon the deserted town.
The houses are like ovens, the streets
like blast furnaces, and everything that
remains behind the migratory popula-
ton Is undergoing n lingering process
ot cremation. The prOprictors have He'd
the heat, one salesman to n department
Is found To Ice sufficient. and the rest
are away taking their summer vacation.
Those who remain behind have little TO
do, for there are hours together when
there isnot a penny worth sold.
IL happened that az is rcignino
alone in the glove department. and she
- refreshing object for contemplation
this sultry afternoon in her dress of
blue Organdy. with pale ribbons nutter-
ing ut throat and waist.
Above her head her wares are most
effectively displayed in n complete can
opy of lOag-wristed gloves in every con
ceivable color and shade of color. and.
there being nothing els. To do. she sits
upon the ledge below the shelving and
wields monstrous palm-leaf.
When nothing is selling there is no
change 10 be made, and the cashier
steps out of his narrow. sitting inclos-
, urc and wanders in search of n breeze.
The long lace mits that fringe the cano-
\ py over the glove-cOunter are stirred rs
\ II by zephyr. and the airy freshness
OF "lF' Is attractive. He goes behind
/ tho counter and sits down upon the
/ ledge.
You look awfully gloomy TO-DAY.
I What Is the mattrr?" she asks.
/ well, have reason To look gloomy.
have made an unpleasant discovery:
or perhaps | should say. I've been un-
Y pleasantly discovered"
TEL me about it,"
80 q IS long story" he saws. more
than half persuaded.
This is very long afternoon -
well, | have very rich and very
I crochety old uncle, and about sevcn
months ago received n letter from him
him telling me that IL would come
/ $500 '''NN VI MS BUSINESS and
marry girl that he had picked ont for
me he would leave me his fortune. He
said the girl was pretty. and knew the
fortune was ample, and as I was not
getting along very well where / was
you will infer that l did not hesitate
long bc'ore accepting the proposition.
IL was all arranged with the GIRL. who
seemed to be quite fascinated with the
romance of the affair, and started for
the town in which she and my uncle
lived. But on the way got to sinking
about It, aud il struck me that would
like TO see her at least once before the
Die was irrevocably cast, so when I
reached the town / hunted up a cousin
OF mine who knew her and told him he
must arrange for me TO call on her in
coSnito. lie assented very readily. and
rs L only reached there the day before