The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-01-19
Collector I
Cupid {
By ESTHER HARNDN
coRyright. Peg. y ?. 6. Ea.tmenl

i electeQ TO m0lSten with bitter tears was
a small desk OF mission wood. arouni
which had centered her happy horse-
hold interests. How she had kept her
accounts. calculating with infinite
pains her steadily reduced living ex-
penses! And she had written to the
little town In New England letters
which fairly brimmed with the content.
ment she had found in her life in the
bustling city which would have terri
fed most girls from her native village.
\. For she had been content-nay, more.
she had been happy. She had done
her hest, too. to make things move
smoothly. but now
No, she would not say that she hated
Kit and Lucy, but she did think they
were playing very small part Then
she dried her eyes, pulled out her banl;
book and a sheet of blank paper aud
began to figure. At the end Of fve
minutes down went her head again.
and this time q sheet of paper sprin-
kled all over with relentless figures re-
eeived the dood OF tears.
Perhaps at this time Kit and Lucy.
who worked in the suit department o.
Keith s. BLANKS store, felt bit un-
happy too. II was a rainy. depressing
day, and customers were few. The
doorwalker went downstairs to con
suit with the head OF the advertising
department, so Kit and Lucy stood
shoulder to shoulder in the big squire
window overlooking the rain swept
street.
81 never dreamed she'd take 1t so
hard, !" remarked Kit, with slight asper-
ity in. her voice.
why, she just acted as, lf we were
cheating or doing something dishon-
est" assented Lucy In aggrieved ac-
cents. "Pml sure we haven't hurt the
furniture, and the company has had
more than rent on it They'll polish 1t
up and sell.it for new"
Il don't think It was the furniture
exactly" said Kit Peggy Is just
crazy about keeping house; but for my
part L don't think girls in business have
any right to, do. Homework. got so
Just hated, to. think OF going, home and
waiting on myself"
Mrs, Hopkins. says we can have. our
old room back at the same figure. Sh.
knew we'd get sick Of light housekeep-
ing. She. says the head bookkeeper ut
AlnsleY's has the second story back,
and he plays the piano splenhillS.
Maybe we can. get up some FfidAy
night Dances
We'll. anyhow. I'm glad, we're giving
up. the apartment Peggy makes loxe
~ salad dressing.and fudge, but. can't
make bed decentls. so housekeeping
was a mistake so Ear as, |! am Goa-
oerned."
Talking, In this strain. each imc ginel
that she was convincing herself, il not
her companion, that they had treated
Peggy in n perfectly fair way and
were altogether justified in. their posi-
ton. Down In their hearts tlIey did
not feel quite. comfortable. and. neither
could forget the pathetic figure, they
had left In their small living room.
Peggy, Kit and Lucy had met at a
MONDAY lunch room In the days when
Peggy was working in fashion syn
dictate office for $40 a week. A kin.
bred spirit Of Inconsistencies had
brought them together, and when Peg
gy had pushed her way to the poiu;
where she could afford a tiny studio
Of her own and command regular or
ders she had fed the offices Of the fash
ion syndicate and had asked the girls
to start up small establishment witt
her. They had selected an apartment
with a northern exposure for Peggys
work, furnished 1t ON the lnstallment
plan, and for time all went well.
Peggy. being most domestic In her
instincts, picked up the burden OF
household management and in time
the other two girls not only depended
upon her for managing the little estab
llshment, but failed to do their share G.
the work. In her first enthusiasm,
Peggy bore this meekIy. but very soon
she found that the housework inter
fered with her work at the easel. Size
! 1a1.f