The Topeka state journal., 1908-04-18
THE EVENING STORY

THE EVENING STORY Il
Cupid and an Easter Hat.
(By Cecily Allen.)
Conservative Lake City was treated
to three sensations in one week.
First. James Douglas, from Glas-
cow. Scotland. by way Of Chicago.
opened "The Fair" Lake City's first
real department store, with 'red let
ter and special hour" sales, a
cleaning soda fountain and all the
other features Of up-to-date shopping
life.
Second, among the frock-coated
floorwalkers installed in this modern
shopping hive was "old man Doug
lass" own son. Carter. late of Har-
ward and more recently returned
from a pedestrian trip through the
British isles.
And what is more, he was curtly in
formed by his paternal parent that
he would be expected to keep the
regular hours and live off the salary
drawn by other eighteen-a-week floor
walkers of the establishment.
And, thirdly, Majorie Davis, after a
prolonged and most unpleasant hour
with the family lawyer, who had
found that the late Henry Davis had
left nothing but a heavily mortgaged
home and some worthless, wildcat in
vestments, def1ed the family council
of uncles, aunts and cousins who Of
fered herself and mother the pick of
various homes.
She would make her own way, she
announced with spirit-and the very
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 fiocked to her counter, just as
ured 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
stormed and Mrs. Douglas wept, the
"old man" chuckled.
"F'ine woman, that Davis girl! No
nonsense about her! And as for that
boy of mine, no man ever learned
business methods bending over
ledger. I made my money pleasing
the public, and you don't study the
public in a stuffy rear office. I can
get $40 a week clerks to keep my
books. I want my boy to be mer-
chant prince"
A fourth party. although in
Of commerce-and his name was
Cupid. He saw his chance and be-
gan to choose arrows.
All of these, however, missed the
mark. Young Douglas watched from
the tail of his eye Marjorie's deft,
slender white fingers flashing in and
out Of the shimmering ribbon, but her
glance seemed glued to her work. A
formal good morning" or a request
for a credit book or his signature on
a deposit marked the limit of their
conversations.
For, as the other salesgirls openly
ang1ed for the young mans favor.
Marjorie held herself more and more
aloof. She was not ashamed of, her
occupation, but she proposed to main
tain her position as a gentlewoman.
And Carter Douglas misunder-
stood 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 Doug
las family were distinctly new" The
Davis family were of the citys inner
most social circle, hedged in not by
wealth, but by pioneer blood, family
estates and records.
Such was the situation when Easter
loomed up on the horizon. Mar
jorie, bending over wonderful bows
Of spring millinery, realized with a
faint sense of amusement that this
year her Easter hat was a real prob
lem. OF course she had only to drop
hint before Aunt Sylvia that she
needed one, and a hat would be
and the tiny income of her mother
had suff1ced to keep them independent
and quite content.
This had meant the dyeing of all
her o1dtime f1nery-and that was just
why the Easter hat was a problem. A
1rlk - III - 6vynf fa vroa hn
demands of mourning had exhausted
even a well stocked wardrobe, trunks,
hat boxes and all. She would simply
have to buy a complete spring hat
This meant SO at least, and Mar
jorie realized that with her present
knowledge Of values. to say nothing !
of the store discount, she could duplf- |
cate for $40 any hat for which she |
had paid $50 or $25 in the old days. |
So she viewed with great satisfaction |
a roll of crisp dollar bills. ten in all, |
which she had saved for just such an |
emergency.
So matters stood when her mother |
was seized with the grip. The doc |
tors ordered calves foot jelly, white |
grapes and eggs and sherry.
dollars had dwindled to five. She |
compromised 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 oper-
ated on at once or lose her hearing. |
Marjorie's name headed the subscrip- |
ton list.
This afternoon in a frenzy Of de-
spair she bought the three-toned rib
bons, and the next morning the char |
woman of their little cottage sent word |
that her baby had died and there was
not q cent in the house! Marjorie had |
Just closed her purse when the post |
arA an H.
dressed in chirography which she
recognized at a glance.
An opera star was to sing at the |
procathe edral on Easter morning. Carter |