The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1902-11-06

O crowd was hateful to her now. She
wondered If every day would be like
this. so long. SO dreary.
Days that dragged into weeks and
that meant only nerve racking hours
In the bargain square and grim. silent
evenings In the hall bedroom taught
Jennie Holmes many lessons. No one
seemed to appreciate" her as the
demonstrators had predicted. The same
faces seldom appeared twice in front of
her counter, and she was actually
starving for the sight of one familiar
face, the sound of a familiar voice.
Sometimes she caught herself wonder
ing what was going on in Franks
store, whether he had saved the piece
of red henrietta cloth for Mrs. Nor
rison, who came to town only once a
month She was almost tempted to
write and remind him of il, but she did
not
Jennie and the demonstration drifted
apart. The latter during her brief SO
journs in town WaS busy laying in
palled upon Jennie, and when the yolu-
bic demonstration took her departure
Jennie turned to her magazines. pa
pers and home letters with a feeling
of rtlief
Then CO he her promotion ut the
store and with it friendship worth
havng-a Friendship which represent
Il, i,,I
bedroom aud the horrors of cheap
boarding house fare. For the trio of
girls took furnished rooms and cooked
those things which were at least whole
some and Of good quality if not elabo-
rutely prepared. Her salesbook each
day showed II steady advance. Placed
now in a regular department. she had
her regular customers. Dim visions of
being head OF department loomed up
before her, and yet
They had been to a fashionable thea
ter They bad worn their very best"
these three busy women. and had treat
ed themselves to seats in the front row
of the balcony. Between the acts from
this point of vantage Jennie had leaned
over to watch the gay assemblage.
When she reached her room. she
turned the gas on full head, and fitting
her mirror she studied her face 1t
was not an unpleasant task. Indeed
the fioorwaker in her department had
remarked to one of his friends that the
little Country girl was "deyilish pretty.
by Jove." She shuddered as she re
called his words and his foppish APP
pearance, even to the plated fob which
swung from his silk embroidered vest.
Then, strangely enough, her thoughts
went back to Frank Wilson, with his
strong, resolute face, his square, deter
mined shoulders. his keen blue eyes,
which could be wonderfully friendly
without a CLEAN of impertinence in
their clear depths. She brushed her hair
vigorously as she berated herself thus:
Jennie Holmes, you're a goose. You
thought that when you came to town
you'd actually be part of the life Of
this great, busting city-a part of the
gay world you saw at the theater to-
night. And pretty figure you cut
working In q store with hundreds of
other girls at $40 a week. You're get
ting pale and ugly. too. and l have
good mind to send you back home to
Grafton"
Then she thought of Thanksgiving
day, only two weeks or, and her aunt's
little front room with the organ, never
opened now, and-the store. Oh, dear,
the ribbon boxes must be in a shocking
mess by this time! And she cried her
self to sleep.
The next morning she was late at the
store for the first time. The girls left
her writing 1t was a meek little let
ter telling Frank that she did not like
her work and asking very prettily for
her old position If the opening could he
made.
The reply came by wire:
Position open. Will expect you Monday.
solved itself into a duet. The other
girls were sorry to lose their bright
faced companion and secretly envied
her the beatific expression with which
she made her preparations for depar-
ture. They received one postal card an-
nouncing her safe arrival at Grafton.
Then ensued a long silence.
81 guess she found the store in as
bad shape as she anticipated. l can
just picture her Strengthening up ribbon
boxes and sorting trimmings" laughed
ore of the girls. And then she sighed
and went back to such realities as bar
gain hunters and cash"
And the next day came the letter:
I did not take my old position, but 1
think l will like the new one just as
we'll, perhaps even better. Frank and l
will be married Christmas day Can't
you come up? 1t will be a very quiet af-
fair, but I'd love to have you II you
can't come, of course I'll send you some
of the cake Give my love to the girls |
liked You know which ones l mean. l
am too busy to write more now, but
come II you can. JENNIE.
The two girls looked at each other
and pushed back their untasted lunch.
Said one:
1--WE might have known it. She
never was meant for business life.
Come on. We've just fifteen minutes
left, but we can get set of that hem