The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-16
By ". B. MAXWELL, Authsr of ssThe Guarded Fiame,s
 The Ragged MessengeR,S "Yfynm,~ Etc.

vestment tnat was also great kind~ ness"
 "wbat sort of investment7 "Fiftv pounds"
 But I meant what inT" "A shop"
 What shopT'
 The d-sssmakfng." The weeks flew by. Miss Walsh was impatient to throw or the yoke and be her own master. She was looking about her for premises; there was q first floor and rooms above in Bridge Street that might do She wanted Miss Barter and no one else. Tn Miss Bar ter she would have the young, attract i've, elegant shoplady that she had set her heart on. But one must face stern facts. There are always as good iish in the sea. etc.,
 "If." said Jessie, q say I'll bring in hundred. will you let me on the other Efty7"
 '.No."
 NO; can't do that. When the chance comes, I must grab 1t. I be- lieve l could get more than I'm asking you from. the wholesale houses, but in that case should be all alone"
 Then one Sunday morning Miss Walsh. wild with excitement, came bustling to Jessie.
 'Now's our chance! Young French,
  free-the very place for us. It's now or never. Jessie.''
 Monday was a lodge evening at the White Hart; and Jessie was breeding over Miss Walsh's ultimatum, when the sound of many footsteps reused her from deep thought to attend to her duties.
 Wake up." said stout Emily at the other end of the bar. Look alive; here they come"
 It was a company of Freemasons--at least half the lodge--passing from their heavy labors upstairs to some light refreshment down below. In minute the whole saloon was full of the brethren. Glasses clinked and tinkled; corixs popped gaily, as Emily, with practised hand, opened the soda water bottles, while Jessie, less skilled, used the cork extracting machine: "a cloud of tobacco smoke began to hover. Here's to you, Brother Grange" Chin- chin! After you with that match. "Your health, Brother Crunden." For a little while the two barmaids were kept hard at work.
 Soon, however, orders siackened; about Emily everybody. was served. and she herself was engaged in pleas. ant conversation. Old Crunden was standing at Jessie's end of the bar, and presentlylit fell upon him to take up one of the senior barmafd's duties and act as chaperon for the junior. GrufHy and sterniy he reproved a brother for his loose tongue.
 You ought to be ashamed of yeur- self to tell a tale of that kind before defence1ess girl."
 No doubt, as a father, he thought of his girl. To subject maidenly innocence to brutal outrage-the thought of it made his blood boil.
 Didn't know she was listening" said the offender apologetically.
 Jessie. stopping over the extracting machine, composed her face and tried to look as if she had not caught the point of the ancedote.
 An hour later, when the saloon had closed and Masons. after further mys- teries upstairs, were filing out Into the street by the hotel door, Jessie. in her black straw hat and neat jacket. timidly approached old Crunden, walk ed by his side. aud ventured to address him.
 MT. Crunden-sir. Forgive me, but ed by your chivalry--In protecting me from insult"
 MT. Crunden grunted. Perhaps he had no very high opinion of Miss Bar ter. although with chivalry he had pro- tected her. But. perhaps as a father again thinking of his own girl. he suf- fered Miss Barter to talk to him.
 50 touched, Mr. Crunden, that I do wish to tell you" And Jessie told him how greatly self-respecting bar, maids should be pitied. Every day in a nice barmaids life was a painful ordeal. She herself hated the life. and she wanted to get clear of 1t. Ones daily bread can be too dearly bought, She wanted to work for her living, and sw She and another nice girl could set up shop tomorrow if only they could bor- row the capital. ''But. alas! that seems impossible"
 What shop could you set upT'
 '"The dressmaking."
 And how much capital would you want?"
 "Fifty pounds" said Jessie brisI1Iy.
 Fifty pounds" saidNMr. Crunden, "is sooner spent than earned"
 Painters and decorators were busy beneath Mir. Dowling's office in the vacant shop lately occupied by Mr. French's hats, now removed to High street and there being sold Tn liquida- ton" as ''astounding bargains" and "rare opportunities" With white paint. yellow ochre blinds. golden tas- sells, with everything in hest chic style. Robes ct Modes wass7Madetly and un- ostentatiously thrown open to the high class public; and Jessie was gone from her place behind the saloon bar.
 There was no vulgar blowing of trumpets such as that which had pre- 1uded arrogant Mir. French's brief oc- cupation of these desirable premises Yet the opening of Modes ct Robes was not unchronicled. The local press con- sidered it a matter of general interest. Mir Hope gave the new shop a de- scriptive send-off in The Medford Ad- vertiser and there were also a few words about 1t under the heading "On- dits" in Mees's Weekly Bulletin.
 CHAPTER VII.