The Red Cloud chief., 1913-06-19
MATTER or FLIGHT
Girl Clerks Lecture Helped Man
Find Himself, Then She
Finished the Job.
BY JOANNA SINGLE.

BY JOANNA SINGLE.
Ou the June day before his twenty
sixth birthday Pacton put things up
to himself straight from tn. shoulder.
At his age a man who can't more than
support himself should begin to think.
Something was wrong and he knew 1t.
What set him with jar on his men,
tai feet was nothing but the chance re-
mark of slip of girl. She stood
back Of the ribbon counter In the next
department and one day this Is what
he heard her say in her gentle, weary
voice to the fppant.looking girl who
stood next to her.
of course we are not happy! Why
should we be? We are in the wrong
place. A store at six week IL no
place for a girl. We ought to be at
home learning how to sew and cook
DO you suppose don't know that? At
least never lie to myself. | have no
home, SO have to 30 this--alfd while
do it | unfit myself for ever having a
home of my own. The kind of man |
want would be crazy to think of mar
rying me. I'm tired and ignorant. and
few years of this will ruin my
health" Pacton had purposely lin
gered to listen. Maisie. the other girl,
gave laugh.
Don't croak so. We have some fun.
anyhow, while 1t lasts"
"lt-isn't fun" said Ruth Fillmore,
the first girl. you know 1t isn't It's
like fever-sort OF wild overwork
and then the wrong kind OF cheap
amusement. Everything we have IL
counterfeit. from the rooms we call
home to the things we call amuse-
ment Only the work Is real, and It's
the wrong work-and too much Of It.
You know It,"
Finding himself unnoticed Pacton
turned where he could better watch
this girl. He had not thought much
about her before. She was small,
straight, with grave. deep blue eyes
and smooth dark hair. She looked
good. Again Maisie laughed.
You're due to get married" she
scoffed. mot for mine! My sister
married, and she worries more about
money than when she clerked And
she has a man and three babies to
worry for. He works hard, but he
barely makes very poor living. And
she's thin and cross. I hate to look
at her. She can't even rest Sundays.
or go to a dance, or to a movie-show-
she can't spare the dime. Not for
mine!"
Then came the speech that set Pac-
ton to thinking. Ruth said in her slow
way:
There's no excuse for mans half
starving. Your sister married clerk.
A clerk isn't man. Why doesn't he
as a man get a real mans job? Any.
things better than this. A man can
handle shovel or drive an engine, or
get a piece of ground and raise po-
tatoes. No real man." she finished
with utter contempt, would stay In
the sort Of work that keeps him barely
able to pay his board and have few
cigarettes on The side as a luxury! A
man that can't support at least one
human being beside himself isn't a
mani" Having finished her speech
she turned to wait on her first cus-
toner 1t was early in the morning
and raining.
Pacton betook himself to his own
post and began handling the serges
But all day he thought Of the shovel
the engine, the patch of ground. Some.
how the girls words had stung deep.
The next day he came along to
Miss Ruth Filmore's counter on some
pretext. hoping she would remember
that they had met-as he knew they
had. some months before. He recalled
1t distinctly. She merely spoke pleas
antly and turned away to her work
He walked of. She had no respect for
him, he thought.
He began to put things straight to
himself. He was just supporting him
self, and laying almost nothing by. In
Ave years-he got out his bank book
He had s225.75 to his credit. This
shamed him deeply. \
A man can conquer a situation. be
conquered by it-or he can smash
something and get out of it. Fred
Pacton decided that. After much
thought he saw that he would never
do anything worth while in depart.
ment store work-he merely got a
small raise each year. He didn't real
" love his work. There lay the trou
BILE. He was In the wrong work. And
he had nothing to work for. He was
selfish.
On that June day before he was
twenty-six he rushed out Of the store
at closing time, ate something at the
first place he passed, and started out
for a long walk. He walked to. the
edge of the small midwestern city;
he walked out farther, past the little