The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-06-04
Cupid and an
Easter Hat.
BY cEcnY ALLEN.


- -
Conservative Lake City was treated
to three sensations in one week.
First. James Douglas. from Glasgow.
Scotland, by way of Chicago. opened
THE Fair" Lake City's first real de-
partment store, with .'red letter. and
special hour sales. a cleaning soda
fountain and all the other features of
up TO date shopping life
Second. among the froek coated door
walkers installed In this modern shop
ping hive was old man Douglas own
son, Carter. late of Harvard and more
recently returned from a pedestrian
trip through the British isles. And.
what is more, he was CURLY informed
by his paternal parent that he would
be expected to keep the regular hours
and live Off the salary drawn by other
eighteen week foorwalkers of the
establishment.
And. thirdly, Marjorie Davis. after a
prolonged and most unpleasant hour
with the family lawyer. who had found
that the late Henry Davis had left
nothing but heavily mortgaged home
and some worthless wildcat invest.
ments. defied the family council OF
nncles. aunts and cousins who offered
herself and mother the pick of various
homes.
She would make her own way, she
announced with spirit. And the very
next day all Lake City society was
shocked to hear that Marjorie Davis
was behind the ribbon counter at 1.-The
Fair"
Just the same. after recovering from
the shock. Marjorie's little world flock
ed to her counter. just as shrewd old
James Douglas had figured they would,
and besought the one time popular
debutante TO twist and turn ribbon
into bows of all sorts and conditions.
And while Marjorie's relatives storm
ed and Mrs. Douglas wept the old man
chuckled. -
Fine woman that Davis girl! No
nonsense about heri, And as for that
boy of mine. 20 man ever learned bust
ness methods bending over a ledger. l
made my money pleasing the public.
and you don't study the public in a
stuffy rear Office. can get ten dollar
a week clerks to keep. my books. l
want my boy to be merchant prince"
A fourth party. altogether Invisible,
also took hand in the game of COM
merce, and his name was Cupid He
saw his chance and began to choose
arrows.
All Of these, however. missed the
mark. Young Douglas watched from
the tail of his eye Marjorie's deft. slen-
der white fingers flashing In and out
of the shimmering, ribbon. but her
| glance seemed glued to her work. A
fornal Good morning. or request
for credit check or his signature on
"a deposit marked the limit OF their con-
versatlons. -
For as the other salesgirls openly
angled for the young mans favor Mar
iOrie held herself more and more aloof.
She was not ashamed of her occupa-
ton, but she proposed. TO maintain her
position as gentlewoman.
And Carter Douglas misunderstood
He knew her history. and be thought
not without some bitterness. that she
wanted to make him feel that even In
her poverty he remained outside her
social pale. The Douglas family were
distinctly new" The Davis family
were of the clty's InHermost social cir
cIe hedged In not by wealth. but by
pioneer blood. family estates and war
! records. 4
Such was the situation when Easter
doomed up on the horizon. Marjorie.
bending over wonderful bows for
spring millinery. realized with a faint
sense of amusement that this year her
Easter hat was a real problem. OF
course she had only to drop a hint be
J fore Aunt Sylvia that she needed one
and hat would be forthcoming. but
so far her salary and the tiny income
Of her mother had sufficed to keep
them independent and quite content.
This had meant the dyeing OF all her
4 old time fnery. and that was just why
the Easter hat was a problem. A YER
table riot of dyeing to meet the de
mands Of mourning had exhausted ever
a welt stocked wardrobe. trunks, ha
boxes and all. She would simply have
to buy complete spring hat
This meant $40 at least and Marjorie
realized that with her present knowl
edge of values. to say nothing of the
store discount. she could duplicate fol
$40 any hat for which she had paiC
$50 or $25 in the old days. So sh,
viewed with great satisfaction rol
of crisp dollar bills, ten in all. which
she had saved for Just such an emer
gency.
So matters stood when her mother
was seized with the grip. The doctors
ordered calfs foot belly. white grapes
and eggs and sherry
-Four days before Easter and the ter
dollars had dwindled to Ave. She com
promised on smart sailor with thret
toned ribbon bows to match, She woult
buy It on the morrow. And. the mex
day word came to the store that one ol
fhe cash girls must he onerafed on a