Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-10
THE EVENING STORY.
Wrong Chance.
Copyright, 1918, by W. Werner.)

Norah wrapped the four small stew
pans and held her hand out for the
money. On the other side of the
counter shabby. wrinkled old wom-
an fumbled uncertainty in a worn black
| cashmere bag-the ldfashioned kind
so seldom seen in city street Norah
waited hstlessly, hardly conscious of
the time Her pretty olive face was
drawn and tired, although it was only
| noon. Her brown eyes were red-rim-
med. Usually keen after sales-for the
girls We're gagged by the number of
checks they wrote-today she didn't
care whether she ever made another
one or not.
Two hours before a big, oyerdressed
woman. with hard dark eyes and a
great deal of cheap jewelry dangling
from neck and wrists. had bought sew
efai small kitchen articles from the
lucent counter. Norah glanced at the
~ III handed her and gave her the
Ihdnse. me woman accepted it care
iessiy, tucked it in her purse and
turned away. Then she whirled about
ana pulled the change out. Il gave
you hve-dollar bill" she said, land
a two.'
why, You gave me a two" Norah
protested, I'm sure"
Are your she sneered. well, I'm
more sure. beings all the bill 1 had
was that one five And I can prove
my husband gave it to me this morn
ing. Where's the manager?
The manager. a thin, harassed, nerv-
our man Che had just received a repri-
mand from the head manager. who
had made it especially nasty because
he himself had been called down by
the proprietor ten minutes before),
ordered Norah to give the lady change
Tor nve, and the amount would be
he said GROSSLY. Ito repeat the amount
before putting 1T in the money drawer.
You know our rule. Clerks are respon-
sible for mistakes"
ing else except quit And even then
1t would be deducted from her pay
due. But she was numbed by the
blow. 1t meant that she must take
$4.3O out of her own pocket. And that
meant the vacation which she had
planned for week in the next month
must be given up Six dollars allows
scanty margin for saving when
one is all alone in the world, but in
the last year Norah had managed to
dress in the neat black the store re-
CURED and save 50. A girl was al
lowed to take a week off. but she was
not paid during that week. Norah had
learned of a farmhouse in Michigan
where Id1T1y SOOu DOdTu COulu De mad
for SIS. The fare there and back was
$3.50. Now. With a grave face
she opened .the cash register and gave
the woman the change.
Later, when the assistant cashier
passed the pay envelopes. she opened
hers and made the amount good. All
winter and through the rainy, gloomy
en"ing she had looked forward to that
June week in the country. 1t was
notwithstanding to give it up.
I'm awful SLOW" said the shabby
old woman alphabetically. Il thought
/ had another dime. Those are awful
nice pans for 10 cents. Up home they'd
charge us three times that"
Norah scarcely listened. Her head
ached. Mechanically she took the bill,
put it in the cash drawer and counted
out the change.
Didn't 1 give you $2?' the old lady
asked timidly. Il didn't know / had
a 81. You just gave me 60 cents"
whats that? asked the manager
sharply. He happened to be passing.
There was suspicion in his eyes. No
rah hastily gave the old lady dollar,