The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-12-12

%tC'opyrieht. 1915. by w. Werner.>
Thermometer was to
oia!re. IT 1t hadn't climbed UP to the
~shrivellinE ntneties Edna would have
worn ner clean white linen waist in.
stead OF The thinner but less immacu.
rate Unity. Then the foorwalker
! t ave looked pointedly at the
she came in at s O'clock, and 60 arous.
ed i'll her an irritation that lasted, all
day. "'
At $3.50 Edna mislaid her pencil
while an impatient customer was
waiting to haNe three pairs IT Isle
s sent to the wrapper. The Gus.
,otner a impatient-she, too. had
looked at the thermometer-and she
sa!d Sharply what she thought Of Il
SaieSSlrl would couldn't keep track Of
a simple little pencil when she Vas
paid TO attend IL such matters. The
iieau OF stock heard and AIDED a. 70.
ouke-not Q strong one-but Edna bit
ner mp and held in an unwise retort.
\ later when she squeezed =
tenoer toe between two counters, she
muttered Grossly to herself that for
a punctured cent she'd throw up her
pesltlon, which was the essence Of
~foollshness. for che knew very we'll
That positions were scarce and her
meagre salary hadn't cna bled herlto
save even a single dollar for idleness.
And then Edna, who had a snub nose
and tired blue eyes. aud whom life
in general had treated shahtily. look.
90 Win envy across the aisle at Neil
Hopkins, whose father and mother
We're stu Twins. and who. consequent.
day If II chose. Moreover Nell had
a pretty, straight nose and smiling
blue eyes.
At 1850 Edna gave to a woman
who had purchased two pairs Of pure
silk hose q. slim little bundle contain
ing two pairs of infants Bulgarian
topped socks, bought by a s,odgy- lit
Tie girl for her sisters new baby. Two
minutes later Edna laid away her
black sateen apron and red leather
hacked check book and sought an
elevator leading to the ninth floor.
Where the cafeteria for employees was
located. Edna had = cents FOR
luncheon. She would have had four
teen. but it had been too warm to
walk to work that morning, 50 she
had spent q nickel for street car luz
urS'. She waNcred between bread.
butter. two cookies, and the more
nutritlve roast beef. with a teaspoon
ful OF brown gravy. She doubted the
staying power Of the ice cream and
chose the roast beet, which proved
neither tastefill1y hot nor cold-just 4
soggy, unpalatable lukewarm.
Forty minutes later she returned
10 her counter to find manager, head
Of stock. next salesEirl. and a wrath
full customer wrangling over the
wrong package. The stodgy little Sirl
had i%snerantly gone her way with
three dollars worth more Of. meI-
chandise than she had paid for. judy
!nG by the average trend Of hurnan
nature it was doubtful IL ever she
would return, The woman who had
bought the silk hose wss disgusted!y
waving the W. pair for a quarter
Bulgarian topped socks that she had
received and clamorinS for her money
back. 4 frettsd head OF stock finally
coaNed her to take tvo other pair, not
so Powered as the bargains She had
selected, but still good value. The
manager, wiping the p%erspiraaton
from his bald head. xlared at Edna as
he stalked off. Edna. pursed her lips
sullealy as the head Of saock admon-
ished her that another such mistake
and she would be locked the price of
the article given out wrongly. Edna
didn't are much. She was tired and
her fingers closed stickily around the
lead pencil and stickiiy adjusted a