The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-05-07
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cupid and an
Easter Hat.
By CECILY ALLEN.
Copyrighted. 1908. by Associated
Literary Press.

100000 30. 5000. 90 90 .-.,se.-.--
Conservative Lake City was treated
to three sensations in one week
First. james Douglas, from Glasgow
Scotland, by way of Chicago. opened
"The Fan, Lake Gig 5lst 10, "
partment store, with red letter" and
special hour" sales. a cleaning soda
fountain aud all the other features of
up TO date shopping life
Second, among the frock coated floor
walkers installed in this modern shop
ping hive was old man Douglas own
son. Carter, late of Harvard aud more
recently returned from IL pedestrian
trip through the British isles And
what is more. he was CURLY informed
by his paternal parent that he would
he expected to keep the regular hours
and live off the salary drawn by other
eighteen week floorwalkers of the
establishment.
And thirdly, Marjorie Davis. after a
prolonged and most unpleasant bour
with the family lawyer. who had found
that the late Henry Davis had left
nothing but heavily mortga ged home
and some worthless wildcat invest
ments. detied the family council OF
uncles. 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 THE
Fair
Just the same. after recovering from
the shock, Marjorie's little world flock
ed to her counter just ms 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 Marjorle's relatives storm
ed and Mrs. Douglas wept the old man
chuekled.
Fine woman that Davis girl No
nonsense about herr And as for that
boy of mine. no man ever learned bust
ness methods bending over a ledger
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. |
want my boy to be merchant prince"
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 def. slen-
der white fingers flashing In and ont
of the shimmering ribbon. but her
glance seemed glued to her work. A
formal Good morning" or request
for a 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
jore 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 he 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 city's innermost social cir
Gle. hrdgcd in not by wealth. but by
pioneer blood. family estates and war
records
Such WAS the situation when Easter
doomed up on the horizon Marjorie.
bending over wonderful bows for
spring millinery, realized with. faint
sense Of amusement that this year her
Easter hat was n real problem or
course she had only to drop a hint be
fore Aunt Sylvia that she needed one
and a hat would be forthcoming, but
so far her salary and the tiny income
of her mother had sufiiced to keep
them independent and quite content
This had meant the dyeing of all her
old time finrry. and thai was just why
the Easter hat was problem. A YER
liable riot of dyeins to meet the de
mands of mourning bad exhausted even
a well stocked wardrobe. trunks. hat
boxes and all She would simply have
TO buy complete spring hat
This meanl Slu ut least, and Marjorie
realized thai with her present knowl-
edge of values to say nothing Of the
store discount, she could duplicate for
$40 any hat for which she had paid
$40 or SO in the old days. So she
viewed with great satisfaction roll
Of crisp dollar bills. ton 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 calf's foot jelly. white grapes
and eggs and sherry
Four days before Easter and the ten
dollars had dwindled to five. She com
promised on a smart sailor with three
toned ribbon bows to match, She would
buy it on the morrow And the next
day word came TO the store that one of
the cash girls must be operated on at
bnce or lose her hearing Marjorie's
name headed the subscription list
This afternoon in frenzy or despair
she bought the three toned ribbons,
and tho Daxf morning the Ph9rWoman