Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-28
CHAPTER XXXIII.
AGAINST the Rules.

Against the Rules.
Miss Rolfe, Mr.. Cunnington wants
you In the counting house, exclaimed
youth approaching Marion just after
ten o'clock, the following morning. She
had been in the department early.
and was busy re-arranging an autumn
costume upon a stand with a ticket
bearing the words, paris model, 49s,
lid"
The dread words that broke upon
her ear caused her young heart to
sink within her AS she feared, she
was "carpeted.''
TO be absent at night without leave
was the sack" at moments notice
to any of Cunnington's girls. There
was no leniency in thaass respect as in
certain other large stores in London
which could name, where the girls
are 80 very badly paid that it is a
scandal and disgrace to the SNUG,
church going shareholders who grow
fat upon their dividends. But who
among those who hold shares in the
big drapery concerns of London, or
who among the millions of customers
on the lookout for bargains at sales,
care a jot for the poor girl-assistant,
the drudgery she has to undergo, or
the evils she suffers by the iniquit
system of living IMP
It is dull, drab life indeed, the life
Of the London shop, with its fort
nights holiday each year and it's con
slant strain on the telling of untruths
In order to sell goods. But the sup
ply Of shop labor is always greater
than the demand. Girls and youths
are always coming up from the coun-
try in constant streams, "cribbing' as
it Is called-or on the lookout for
BERTRAND as soon as a girl loses her
freshness, Or mans hair begins to
show silver threads, he is thrown out
in favor of a youth-from Scotland or
Wales by preference
London, alas! little dreams of the
callous heartlessness of employers in
the drapery trade.
Marion knew this. Since she had
been at Cunnington's her eyes hal
been opened to the scant considera-
ton she need expect. Girls who had
worked in her department had been
discharged merely because, suffering
from cold or from the stress of over
work, they had been absent couple
OF days And all the information
Youchsafed them was that the firm
could not afford to support invalids.
once, indeed she had sat beside a dy-
ing girl in the Brompton hospital
girl to whom the close. vitiated at
mosphere of the shop had brought con-
sumption, and she had been sent forth,
at moments notice homeless, and to
die.
And SO, when the youth made the
she knit her brows,
brushed the hair from her brow.
placed down the pincushion in her
hand, and followed him through the
several shops into another building
where Mr.. Cunnington's private room
was situated
In the outer Office of the counting
mouse several persons buyers, callers
and others were waiting audience
with the chief.
One girl, a saucy, dark haired as
sistant in the ribbons, exclaimed:
Hullo, Rolfe! What are you up
for?"
Marion flushed slightly and answer
ed:
II hardly know
We'll, I'm going in for rise. AMI
If the guv'nor don't give it to me I'm
going to Westoby's tomorrow I've
got good crib there My young man
Is shop-Walker, SO I'll get on like
house on fire."
"Westoby's is lot better than
here. " remarked Marion, for the sake
of something to say.
1T isn't good, declared the young
man" but the girls get lots more free
dom. They do as they like almost.
Old Westoby don't care, as long as the
business pays. It's a public company,
like this, but they do bit lower.
class trade, which means more
Splits"
II haven't made quid this last
three months out of 'spiffs'." declared !.
the ribbon girl. That's why want
a rise"
Marion smiled within herself. for
beyond the glass partition were quite
dozen girls. all of them young, sew
eral quite good-looking, waiting to see
II any berths were vacant, and ready
that very hour to take the ribbon
girls place-and hers.
Every girl who came up to London
went first to Cunnington's, for the
assistants there were declared to be
of better class than those of the other
drapery houses that jostle each other
on the north side of Oxford street.
Marion waited, full of deep anxiety.
Every detail of that midnight inter
view with the man who held controIl-
ing interest in the huge concern came
back to her-his clever attempt to
ingratdate himself with her in order
to learn Maud's secret, and her curtis
dismissal when she had met his re.
quest with point-blank refusal
One by one the applicants for
nearing were received by Mr.. Cum
nington, again emerging from his room