Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-12-29
The Cashiers Romance.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

L Ill almost certain tnat snc mas got
a story" said Fanny Tullan. II can
sec it in tho expression of her face. !
only wish I had courage to ask her
about it,"
1t was dull, rainy doy--onc Of the
bleak premonitors of the equinoctial
storm.-and rs there was not much doing
at the store, the girls took longer than
usual at their lunch.
Fanny sat on u packing.boX, turned
upside down, under the stairway that
led down to the shipping ROOM" slowly
munching her sodN-crackcrs and smoked
beef, and Ella Hay, her companion at
the kid-glovc counte", was nestled at her
feet, eating bread AMI butter and rasp.
berry jam, with the hcarticst of appctitcs.
AT the same moment, Miss Verona,
the cashier, came lightly down the stairs
in her dalk-blue serge gown, and h,r
satin-brown brads of hair shining in the
obliQue light of the dust-dimmcd Win
dow. She caught Fanny's last sentences,
oud paused abruptly.
"To ask whoml' said she. "NNho has
got storyF
And Fanny, spurred on by a sudden
upward blaze Of courage, answered:
"You!'
Miss Verona smjlel. In response, her
face was cold and grave; but when it
lighted up with that rare smile, it was
a! solutcly beautiful. Instead of beng
offended, however, shy sat chccrlulIy
down on the other half of the packing
box.
"You arc right, Miss TulIan," said
she. IL have got a sory, else I never
should have been in this store. | wasn't
brought up to work, and l don't like to
sit behind a cashiers desk from morning
until night any better than other people
| DO"
Fanny Tullon's great, gray eyes opened
wide
ooh, Miss Verona" said she, "won't
you tell it to us''
"Of course WILL" said the cashier.
"Why shouldn't /? You were very kind
10 me, Fanny Tullan, when first l came,
lonesome and inexperienced, to the
store. 1t would DO harl indeed if |
couldn't do as much to please and anusc
YOU
The rain pattcrcd against the dust
blurred window; the wind, shrieking
around the conner, made a miniature
maclstrom Of sh0vings and bits of paper
in the brick shaft which afforded the
only prospect; and Fanny Tullan and
her friend, Miss Hay, crcpt up closer to
Miss Verona to hear her words.
"Of course, you have already sur
missed that am reduced lady, said
she. "That goes without saying, But
you would scarcely have imagined that l
was once an hcircss. IIomblower
IIall--that was tha name OF the p!acc-a
beautiful old house, down by the sea.
Oh, l loved that house! and now I
never shall see it any more.
Her lips quivercd; the tears came into
her eyes for second, and then she went
bravcly on:
"But didn't know unit, quito lately
that there was a lawsuit about Horn
blower Hall; that some other branch OF
the family believed that they had a
better right to it than my mother
and !. Mamma never told me
about it; and, luckily, it was
not until after her death that that hate
full lawyers letter came. The letter. |
mean, that notified me with mock re-
spcct that was worse than any amount of
downright influence would have been,
that Hornblowcr Hall belonged to my
fourth or fifth cousin instead Of me.
There was something in it about my not
being disturbed in the occupancy, if it
suited me to remain, but could listen
to no such beittling proposition as that.
l tore the letter into pieces, and packed
my personal belongings into one little
trunk and came away. took
refuge with relative of my mother, who
lives, in very quiet way, on Dllston
street, and it was she that helped nc to
get this situation; and there is my
story"
"Thc beginning" said Fanny Tullan,
nibbling up the last crumb Of her lunch,
"but not the end"
"Why not the cnd3"
ooh, because you'll see that the end
will be that you'll somehow go back to
Hornblowcr Hall and tn, cousin will be
stately, dark eyel aristocrat, who will
fall hcadlong iu love with you at first
sight. nodded Fanny.
Miss Verona laughed in spite OF her
SELF
"Thcn he may fall out again." said
she. "Thcrc goes the bell must get
b,ck to work-aud so must you child
len; the fairy story is over; the work-a-
day hour is beginning once more"
1t was still raining hard when Miss
Verona came out into the drcary autumn
dusk, where the wet pools g'istencd OF
the sidewalks, and the gas lamps shonc
sulkly through the mist.
From the other side of the street ;
,bodom lilo f,rure onnronrhp1 thI