The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1900-02-09
HE HALF PUSHED, HALF LED HER
TO THE REAR OF THE STORE.


just before closing time. The man in
the Office, not knowing the little girl
was absent from the store, 20. KID"
the box and sent it downstairs to her,
but 1t came back in a few moments for
more %. KS" This time it was OPP
ened and the Office stood still.
Violets, hundreds of them, long
stems, nice leaves; violets that trem-
bled at their own loneliness: violets
that filled all the'air with springtime.
'Seventy-six is coming up" said the
head bookkeeper as he handed a few
OF the flowers to the pretty typewriter.
II think 1t looks very bad for Seven
ty-six," said the typewriter as she fas-
tened the violets in her waist.
That speech set all the Office think
ing. The girls in the Office thought
of Seventy-six going down the broad,
bright, flower-strewn path almost any
young girl can go at the price of her
soul. The men in the Office thought of
all the things she must have stolen
from the firm to buy that box of flow
ers, for when they asked the delivery
boy who ordered them he said, "A
girl, No. Seventy-six." So on that evil
dence and on the lack of faith in hui
man nature in general the little sick
girl out on West Twelfth street lost
her reputation and her occupation.
Everyone in the Office had few violets
when they went home that night, not
that anyone wanted to cheat the right
full owner of them, but it was too late
to attend to the matter of sending her
word about them that night, and they
would be spoiled next day, and it would
be better to use them. So everyone
took a few, not all of them of course,
but the violets never found Seventy-six
not one of them.
Saturday morning she came down to
work, pale and thin, and Mr.. Goldstein
sent her upstairs to a private office to
report to Mr.. Ware, who had her case
all laid out before him, and had no
doubt but she was the coming Nine.
Mandebaum. for she surely must be
clever thief, this thinly clad. fright
ened little child-woman. After Mr..
Ware opened his mail and looked over
It he turned to her and asked what she
wanted and when she told her num-
Der he said. "Oh. yes. Sit down. Now,
Seventy-six, large box of flowers
came here for you on the l4th, and as
they were altogether too expensive for
a girl like you I determined to look
into the matter. Now, Seventy-six, do
you know who sent them here?"
Yes, sir. bought them" said the
girl. Mr.. Ware started. "Um, um,"
he said. who gave you the money!"
Il saved it." "Um-yes-well-Sev
ty-six. I'm sorry, but you take this note
down to Mr.. Gale and give in your
passbook and your badge and-I hope
you'll be better girl next place you
work. That's all, Seventy-six."
She slowly crept down the stairs,
struggling with tears and pride, got
the quarter for her badge which she
had deposited for it. and once more
word went around that "Seventy-six
was fred"
The south side beauty took her dear.
little 95-cent bunch OF violets to her
own room and kissed 1t. for she knew
whom they were from" She arranged
some Of them in her pretty yellow hair
and though she got oceans Of flowers
she pressed one bunch OF violets to re-.
member that Valentines day. IF.
Z . - ! 1 =