Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-22
frs. mention Of am.ll wares. suall

eloquent. III. TOO, snhf shste IN sno
dignity OF labor I" she exclaimed.
uAnd afterwards, whom want 70 right
sny ssong OF the worki,gwomsn's, !
shall fay--not Il am told but II
know, have seen, ! have endured ! ;.
IL hope TO goodness you won't"
cried Lou. II wouldn't have your
mad freak known for worlds. You pride
yourself, | believe, on having mind OF
YOUR owp, but you would be much bet
Ter without 1t. A'woman should have
no mind but her husbands"
"But II she hasn't q husband, what
Is she TO dor"
Get one," said Mrs. Penfeather
senten,iously.
Two DAYS afterward Nora Clyne en-
tered tho service OF Mr. Blackjack. He
was one of those tradesmen of dis
dnc,jy modern growth who believe very
oeyoutly in the division Of labor, and
not at all in she division of profit, aud,
therefore, he had extended bis original
d,srery business to include Goals, COZ
fms. and groceries. lie had one hero,
one ideal--the universal provider OF
Westbourpe Grove. He has stretched
A point in taking Nora to oblige Mrs.
Pep,eather, who was such good GUS
toner that her husband sometimes
ayerred when filling up check in pay
ment Of q quarters bills) that he be-
lieyed she. received back large per-
centsge OH her purchases. 1t was with
seine regret that this autocrat oil
drspery had regarded his complsissnce,
till Miss Clyne appeared, clothed in a
severely plain black gown. Then a
glance of critical admiration rose to his
eye.
"a fine 6gure," he murmured.
" When she has had q little experience
I'll put her into the mantles."
1t was by way Of experiencing in her
own person the glorious privilege OF
earning her own bread that Nora had
entered Mr.. Blacklock's shop, but be-
fore the first twelve hours Of self-de-
pendence had elapsed her idea Of the
nobility of labor had dwindled greatly.
There was nothing noble in the sale OF
needles and buttons--nothing to elevate
the soul in tape and sewing-cotton.
Then, though she considered herself a
fair arithmetician, it tested her capacity
severely to find out how much the hall
of seven pence three farthings was
almost as much, indeed, as it confused
her honesty to learn that it was four
pence.
That she should not get through the
first day of her experiment without
blunders was to be expected; the mar.
vel was that none Of them were Sc.
rious. Once, indeed, she brought down
on herself q rebuke from one Of the
shop-walkers. In the prosecution o.
her quest for the grievances OF the
shop. girl Nora began to question one
Of her companions about the circum
stances of her life. There was no pur.
chaser demanding her attention at the
moment, and she did not know that she
was guilty of an infringement OF any
rule till the voice of one of the shop
walkers fell on her ears
mot SO much talking, young ladies'
il won't do"
Nora turned round abruptly and
flashed at the giyer of the reproof 9
glance Of indignant scorn, which he met
with n look at once firm and deferen'
,isl. Fortunately Miss Clyne remem'
bered her assumed position in time t.
restrain the sharp word that rose to bel
lips.
81 am sorry to have transgressed any
rule" she said coldly but politely, a
she turned away.
Her companion in the fault put in
word. ,
Don't be too hard on us, Mr.. vii
son,n she said with smirking depreca
ton; 1--WE weren't saying any i'll o
you, you may be sure"
MIR. Wilson turned his back on he
with scarcely concealed irritation, an
looked at Nora with bewildered in
terest ss he returned to his usual pos
o few yards off.
"Sbe isn't like the rest" he reflect
ed; she's not very tall, and she's no
very stout; but somehow there seem
to be more Of her. And she doesn'
speak like the others; her tone is di
ferent, and she doesn't scramble owe
her words. suppose she doesn't 81
long to London"
He kept his eye on her all day, NJ
to watch lest she should repeat ht
fault, but to observe as something PHI
nomensl the quiet grace Of her NOV
ments. the self-respectiDg courtesy 81
showed to customers, the perfect dign
ty she seemed to put into the meaue
action. He was not accustomed to 81
: those qualities in Mr.. Blscklock's esta'
. lishmert. There were plenty Of pret'
; girls there-prettier than Nora, pc
7 haps. but she was different from the1
} "If l were setting up for myself
: should want to have some one like b
l 10 manage the dressmaking depar
4 ment,". be thought. Wouldn't 81
1 fetch ladies She looks like one
themselves"
0 THAT'S Mr.. Wilson," Nora's fello'
A offender, Miss Jones, managed to viii
PER to her; "he's not . bad youl
: gentleman. He may find fault with u
but he won't report us to him." M
u Blackjack was always represented
the vocabulary Of his employees by th
: simple pronoun.) We should
fined il he did,"
9 "We are forbidden to talk" No
) replied coldly, and was not to be pc
suaded into further conversation.
l Nevertheless she could not help o
5 serving Wilson. lie was rather unde
e sized, she thought, comparing him wi
S the other men she had met-fox-hun
q ing, amatsur-farming squires, aud the
! soldier-sons aud younger brothers, wi
{ had sometimes appeared at Sir Ra
i ford's--men as unlike this London sho
y man 40 they well could be.
d This was all she noticed the first d.
=, she was at MIR. Blscklock's. On t
ID next she perceived that, though N
Of Wilson's head was rather too big
IL his body, his eyes were "nice," lars
O. and brown, and bright. Afterwar
rs she observed that his behavior to ,