The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-03-05
Old Fashioned
Strategy
BY re,iIbur Bafes
Copyright. 1906. by G. H. sutcliffe

The instant you laid your eyes on her
you felt quite sure that her grand
mother had selected her clothes.
That is not just the way the girls at
the Empire lunch room, No. s. express
ed it. Kitty Behman, who had al
ways queened 1t over the force Of
black frocked, white aproned wait
resses. patted her MARCHED locks plac-
idly and remarked:
"Well, his nibs sure picked a lemon
I'm that"
THAT" otherwise Sally LOTUS, sat in
the cashiers booth near the entrance
arranging small change in neat piles
Her head crowned by brown locks,
parted demurely and almost severely
in the middle, was bent above her
work. but her quiet glance Travelled to
the group of gossiping girls. Incl
dentally they took in other things. At
one table the ice had melted in the
butter dish and water trickled over the
mahogany surface. On another table
the glass sugar bowl was nearly emp
ty. A soiled napkin and butter plate
had been left at third table.
The girl who looked as If her grand
mother bought her clothes fingered the
round buttons on her queer cashmere
basque, and then her well manicured
nails tapped gently against the old
fashioned brooch at her throat Inside
the chased circle of gold reposed braid
ed strands of hair the exact shade of
the girls. Her glance finally rested
on the sloping shoulders of the young
man who stood by the big plate glass
window, where a white aproned youth
poured a stream of white dough on
hot griddies.
The young man, who was Ralph Put
nam, son of the owner of the Empire
circuit of lunch rooms, started back
to the kitchen, and as he passed the
new cashier he flung her q glance that
was almost. appealing She met him
with one oddly reassuring and fully
understanding He frightened per-
ceptibly, but as he passed the group of
girls near the coffee counter the light
died out of his eyes once more.
Kitty Behman smiled up at him IA
miIiarly.
"Where'd you get the Christmas tree
ornament, Ralph? There's one thing
sure. You needn't worry about any of
the boys coping her out. She's had
her fortune read old maid by every
clairvoyant in town, or I miss my
guess"
'.Her father went to school with
mine She comes of very good family"
he said apologetically.
''Gee, but it's fine to have a pulli'
was Kitty's contemptuous reply.
Ralph wandered into the kitchen.
More than ever he hated the lunch
room and everything connected with
it. And In truth he was not entirely TO
blame. His father had sent him from
private school to college, where he had
taken the classical courses, and then
his somewhat unreasonable parent
could not understand why his bookish
son could not walk, diploma in hand,
into an Empire lunch room and man.
age it as we'll as the other young men
in the same position of responsibility
who had served their apprenticeship,
even to cooking griddle cakes in the
window. Ralph had trouble auditing
his accounts, settling quarrels in the
kitchen and preserving some sem
blance of discipline among the pert
Mattresses.
All this-and more-Sally LOTUS
learned before the breakfast rush set
in. 1t was a soggy day, and gradually
discomfort seemed to permeate the
room A tired looking stenographer In
bedraggled skirts was arguing with
waitress because her toast had been
burned The waitress replied tartly
that some folks expected lot for 10
cents. Ralph stood helplessly at the
table. afraid to take hand in the ar
gnment but when the waitress finally
fiounced to the coffee counter he step
ped in awkwardly and told the patron
he would bring her some fresh toast.
After he had done this he paused wea-
rily at Sally's elbow. She crossed her
hands demurely on the marble ledge
and said quietly:
Il Eas 50 glad t. see ypa rspElmand