The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-12-29
Their First Purchases.
rs A good thing don't have to

L WIN Co-uoIIoW, Sdlu neuTE
I'm about tuckercd out Already
The young woman with the thin face
and imitation astrakhan cape slid one
OF her black cotton gloved hands SYM
pathetically into his as the elevator
dropped down into the department
store basement, and the stout woman
with the quivering pink roses in her
black bonnet, who had them both in
charge, laughed as if that was about
the best thing she had heard for a
long while.
you've got worse than this before
you, Henry she said, shaking the roses
at him archly. you're only just be-
ginnin'. Wait till you've bin married
s5 years-then you can talk
Going up" called the elevator boy,
rafting at the gate.
Here, let US get out" said the stout
lady, excitedly. He nearly took US up
again. she added, with another laugh 1,
as they left the elevator Now, Henry,
have you got that list?"
Henry, who was a short young man
with pendulous lower lip and a heavy
black mustache, felt in two or three
OF his pockets and at last produced a
creased and soiled paper, which he
he winked kindly at the girl in the as
trakhan cape, who smiled brightly at
him in return, after which they stood
and looked across the brilliantly light
ed room with its CLEAN of polished
brass and shining tinware among the
stacks and rows of odds and ends of
household utensils, while the stout eld-
erly woman looked down the list with
knitted brows, spelling the words out
with some difficulty.
eve might AS we'll make start some
where" said the stout woman at last.
Il suppose we'd better get transfer
slip first. Here, I'll get it, and you go
on over to the tinware and be lookin
around"
She hurried off and the two young
people looked at each other and smiled
again.
Lets CO." she said, catching him by
the coat sleeve. eve want whole lot
OF tinware. That's pretty near all we
do want. wish mother'd let US do this
all by ourselves, don't your go
''Oh, don't knew" replied Henry,
obviously. Il don't know what there
is we need no more'n nothin', an I don t
b'lieve you know much more"
Don't l? Oh, well I guess I do-a
few" she rejoined. II know what I
want, anyway, an I didn't want that
bedspread she picked out. I wanted
that one with violet pattern, but you
wouldn't back me up. Nothing'l dc
mother less it's got red in it. It was
the same way about the carpets" Her
mouth dropped rather pathetically at
the corners.
"You can have the other bedspread, if
you want" said the young man. i'm
pulsively. Lets go up an get it now
''N-no, we can't afford the two.
guess I like the one we've got pretty
well. twenty-five dollars don't go such
an awful long way, does it? Sometimes
I wish we'd got the things on the in.
stallment plan, but then I guess it's
better to get what we can now an get
the rest when we can. Here's one
thing we want first thing-a dishpan
You goin' to help me wash dishes
Henry?"
I'D break EN-" grinned the young
man.
''Was you being waited on?" asked
one of the young saleswomen.
Henry looked sheepishly at his com.
panion, who looked little disconnected
herself. ''We're waiting for some one,'
she explained, and looked expectantly
around, and the saleswoman stuck hel
pencil back in her hair and retreated
When she was out of hearing the Cir
turned to the young man, and they
stood smiling at each other for the full
space of minute and half. Then the
girl said:
Il b1ieve she took US for" Instead
OF completing the sentence she blushed
That blush and the half-shy look thai
accompanied it TRANSPORTED her rather
plain face.
Eve will be this time tomorrow,
said Henry.
Il was up in the rooms early this
morning." said the girl, after a short
pause. Mrs. Harden was real nice tc
me. She says if there's anything she's
got that we want We'll be welcome tt
borrow. 1 don't think We'll want tc
borrow anything, though"
mot if hold my job said Henry.
II see you've got the stove all set up
Mrs. Harder said she thought it was q
real bargain. Oh, I met Ella Berners
She's going with that Al Berrier still
or she thinks she is. She told me no
body wouldn't catch her getting mar
ried and keeping house in a couple o:
rooms. What do you think of that?
said to her: 1t don't look as though
nobody would and she just tipped Off
I Gun't-ch, here's mother. wonder
where she's been.''
The pink roses were in fact struggling
through a press of other roses ane
feathers which were topping blocked
aisle in front of granite ware bargain
sale. Eventually they worked theil
way through, and their wearer reached
the waiting couple, gasping:
"There was a lot of brooms going of
at about half the price they Centrally
are" she said, fan I seen they wasn't
going to last long, so I edged in and
bought one. thought to the land
never would get OUT
''Oh. mother!" exclaimed the girl il
disappointed tone.