The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-02-15

| NOii, ohC mas SOb soo.ii iiOHOy.
haf found her tree time at it." her en-
ployer responded, his small kindly eyes
warmly alight. al hat gif her goot
wages alretty. Now will find police
man"
The fruit store clerk eyed the girl.
''You better bundle right along" he
said sharply. That's all right, Schwab.
You hain't lost much. It's too small a
case for q policeman to tackle; you
wouldn't find one t would touch it"
The girl went without word.
Schwab, with resigned shrug and a
! gradua return to good nature, followed
a customer into his shop; the red haired
clerk, conscious of the admiration of
the group, strolled back.
1t was over. The butcher boy went
on his way.
COrnelia fingered. She looked up the
street after the girls disappearing figure
and sighed with pity.
She was ready to cry again, but re-
strained herself because the red-haired
young man was looking at her over a
pyramid of oranges. She saw vaguely
that they were fifteen for a quarter.
Still her lips trembled. She knew
she was Tot herself, or that Aunt Sarah
would have thought she was not.
The idea that was forming itself
alarmed her, and yet held and dazzled
her.
Why not7
There was no good reason why not.
there was every reason why-the same
reasons that had always been. Only
she had never got so near to it as this;
Aunt Sarah had always prevented it.
She went up to the window. 1t had
pinkcd sausages, bottled olives and fruit
cans attraciively arrayed.
Should shel They would be in New
York only month or so longer-could
she stay on alone2 But it would be
beginning.
She pressed her gold umbrella hard
against her face to cool its warmth.
She thought of Aunt Sarah with a
sudden fright, but then she went in at
the door. her unsteady hands tightly,
determinedly cla,ped, aud said to the
staring shopkeeper that she would like
to try 10 fill his cashiers place.
Willard Oliver walked up Third ave-
nue. at o'clock that evening.
He had.stopped at two points below
Fiftieth street. and he had still point
to make above it. He walked fast and
looked worried. for he feared he would
be kept out too late to make q certain
call that night.
He thrust his stick under his arm and
strobe hard.
If he could make it by S:45 he would
drop in anyhow. He didn't think she
would mind it, though her aunt might.
Or, if he did not have to go home and
dress-if she would overlook the un-
tie he had hated himself
for having put on that morning! He
thought she would, though he didn't
know about her aunt.
He didn't care about her aunt, either,
only as regarded her weight and inAu.
ence with her.
But then he was certain, whenever
he could rouse himself to look the mat
ter in the face, that influence of the
most favorable-yea, and any amount
of it-would avail him nothing with
her.
Therefore he looked the matter in the |
face as little as possible.
He brought up at his destination
sharply and burst in at the door.
If there had been hindering rush of |
customers he knew he should have zone |
crazy. He eyed girl with a pail OF |
pickles scowlingly, and cringed with
as the proprietor went to the
cashiers desk with her bill.
"Feefty from vun tollar, mees," he
ea.I nth n aorto;r