Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-08-03
ROMANCE OF
A DEPARTMENT STORE.
BY EDGAR TEMPLE FIELD.


3 William French prided himself on
the fact that he was not an ambitious
man.
He was wont to say that envy and
discomfort are the twin roots of all
evil, and that to be satisfied with one s
lot in life is the sum total of all earthly
philosophy.
William did not put it in that way,
exactly, for he hadn't much more edu-
cation than he had ambition But
that was what he meant when he
would occasionally announce to his
fellow clerks over the bowl of mush
and milk that formed his MONDAY
meal at the "quick lunch" counter.
"What I can get is good enough for
me, and don't you forget it,"
And his fellow clerks, mostly un-
ambitious men like himself, would
generally reply, with laconic vague
ness o; assent, "That's what"
Williams lot in life was sufficiently
humble,
He sold tin bath tubs in the poorly
lighted basement of big department
store six days in the week His Sun
days he spent in riding second hand
bicycle, il it was fine, aud reading the
pictorial papers or sewing refrat tory
buttons and reluctant patches on his
clothing when the weather precluded
any idea of outdoor amusement.
For William was a bachelor and
looked askance at the fair sex, as the
lovely promoters of much of the dis
content he so sternly deprecated and
the gentle meters of the reckless and
wicked extrayagance whose existence
in the world he so greatly deplored.
SO when he caught the futter of
skirt on any stray bicycle he Glanced
to pass on a lonely road he would
scorch sternly ahead and never once
glance around to see if the fair trav-
eler was riding for fun or to reduce
her waist measure.
From which it may be seen that
Mr.. French was very much of philos-
opher.
But, alas, even philosophers are not
exempt from the visitings of the ten
der passion, and it Glanced one day
that Cupid, for want of something
better to do, chose to visit the base
ment of that particular store and plant
his dart deep in the heart of the
young man who sol d tin bath tubs.
1t happened this way.
A young woman came to fill
vacancy in the graniteware depart
ment, next to Williams own, and he
30 lone Indifferent and even callous
to the charms of woman, no sooner
saw the new clerk busy over her
saucepans and teakettles than he was
smitten with desire to possess her
for his own.
Miss Thompson was not beautiful,
to be sure, nor was she at all imposing
of appearance, that she should thus
captivate the heart of this severe critic
at first sight And she trotted about
with brisk alertness of movement
quite incompatible with grace and
elegance of movement
But she suited William right down
to the ground
To begin with, she had soft eyes,
of no particular color, perhaps, but
somehow when their gaze rested on
William he felt that here, at last, was
one who could appreciate his true
value almost as keenly as he did him
self Her brown hair, of very ordi-
nary shade, was parted very neatly
over he. smooth brow in fashion ex-
tremely plain and unambitious COM
pared to the imposing pompadours
worn by the magnificent young ladies
who sold ribbons and neckties at the
counters upstairs, and whose airs and
rraces made William so uncomfortable
chat he frequently went to rival es-
:ablishment to purchase the modest
''made- cravat which completed
Lis humble toilet.
Moreover, Miss Thompson's simple
black alpaca gown, with its trim y
belted waist and spotless cuffs and
collar, betrayed none of the wickedly
: extrayagant ideas William had long
considered the prevalent weakness OF
ths sex.
1t wasn't very long before the two
young people became very friendly.
sStewpans and teakettles being more
In demand than bathtubs, William was
frequently called upon to assist Miss
Thompson in her department, and this