The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-07
A kLEProMANlAc's START.
Confession of Woman Who Tried to Do
Some shopping.

SoAession OF Woman VINO lrled to DO
Some shopping.
Speaking of kleptomaniacs," said
the woman with the blue eyes, Il was
one once. No, don't go out OF the room,
all OF you. 1t wasn't Intentional. 1t
was purely accidental 1t happened in
this way: l went shopping. There
were lot of things | wanted. I had
them all down in a little memorandum
book. The first item was belt. I
asked the fioorwalker where to find the
belts.
" Go down this aisle said he. until
you come to the handkerchief counter,
then follow the aisle to the left. keep
right along until you see the necktie
counter, which is in the third room
from this, on the same floor, go into
the fourth room, walk along the sec
ond aisle of that room until you come
TO the leather counter, and at the
END of the leather counter, facing to-
wards the fifth floor, you will find the
BELTS
You have read fairy stories, haven't
you, when you were children? These
directions were something like those:
Keep right along a little path till you
come to wood, then go right along
through the wood and you will see a
little house. Knock at the door of that
house and fairy will come out and
give you a wand. Then you keep right
along with the wand in your hand un-
til you come to lake. On the lake
you will find lot of beautiful white
ducks. Wave the wand and say;
"Huddle duck. huddle duck. huddle
duck. Then the ducks will all huddle
together and you can get on their backs
and go across
Il followed the instructions implicitly
rs possible and in about an hour and a
half I brought up at the leather coun-
ter found the end of the counter fac
ing the fifth room and the leather belts.
Before the counter stood many women
in double rank and file They We're I'M
winding belts. measuring them with
their eyes, winding them up again.
and laying them back on the coun-
ter. The shop girls volunteered a
remark now and then to these
waiting women while they busted
themselves with selling belts to
few favored ones who had arrived be-
fore breakfast and refused to leave I'M
til they got what they wanted. / stood
outside the row until at last somebody
went away. Then 7 moved up and
looked at belts myself.
az should like patent leather belt
with a silver buckle | said timidly to
one of the shop girls who passed at that
moment. She was waiting on some one
else.
1--WE had special sale of patent
leather belts the day before yesterday
said she, and sold them all out. We
won't have any more in till the mid
die of next month. Ca-s-s-s-s-sh!
Cas- -s-s-s-sh, here.
II was not much surprised. That was
just my luck. I invariably arrived two
days after a special sale or a week too
soon.
Have you a green leather belt,
them I murmured, more timidly than
ever, with a gold buckle?'
No said the girl, we haven't.
Caa-a-sh! Our stock of belts has run
down. Ca-a-a-s-sh! And we won't have
in new supply till spring. Ca-s-s-sh!
Ca-a-a-ss-sh, here!
Then that settled the question of the
belts. l would have to wait until spring.
Mine was old. The buckle was furnished
and the leather was worn out, but
there was no help for it. Well, anyway,
I could Congratulate myself upon the
fact that was economizing, and I could
tell all my friends that circumstances
over WHICH I had no control prevented
the purchase of a new belt, and explain
the circumstances. If they had any
penetration at all they could easily
discover that it was not my fault.
consulted my little book. The next item
oii IL was SioNeo. tltliliuily up
preached the floorwalker.
Where shall l find the glove coun-
ter?' inquired. At the same time my
countenance broke into propitiating
smile. He gave me directions that
sounded ike a recipe for plum pudding.
but finally travelling them out, found
the counter and the gloves. But finding
the gloves was not buying them. 1t
was long way from 1t, as / was to dis
cover later Before this counter stood
a row of women even more formidable
than the one at the counter where the
belts were not sold. I bided my time.
AS at that counter, at last some one
vacated and l took her place.
II should like pair of suede gloves
T ventured.
What NUMBER
Number six
'She turned her head critically side
wise and looked at my hand. 49,
81 think you must be mistaken, said
she. Your hand looks as if you might
wear a six and quarter if not six
and a half
II had been buying gloves for that
hand for some years. No said l. firm
ly, I don't wear any larger size. j am
sure l don't Still, when she looked
at me like that. l wasn't so sure as I
might have been. However, l endeav-
ored to put on a brave front. I know 1
wear number SIX reiterated. Why,
once-I even wore five and three-quar-
ters.' BY this time I had taken to
stammering.
~ suppose you know best she said
coolly in a tone which implied that she
knew l didn't know best. What
cOlor?'
Gray I replied at venture.
Really. l didn't know whether I knew
what color I wanted or not. I was
also beginning, in spite of my bravery,
to be more and more at sea in regard
to the size. She vanished beneath the
counter for a brief moment, drew out
large fiat box, appeared once more
above the surface. opened the box and
took out pair of gloves. I was some
what amazed to discover that they
were gray the color had asked for.
What size?' she asked once more.
Six stammered again, dizzy with
wondering whether she thought 1 had
given place to another customer dur
ing the period of her submergence, or