El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-10
The TwO Sisters
CHAPTER VIII
By virginia Terhune van De Water.

/ occupation seemed to the Mar
vim girls to drag heavily Julia
! found the work at Baird's department
/ store both difficult and dull To stand
| behind a notion counter and sell pins
! needles, tape and other articles of this
J kind was not an exciting pursuit, and
the fact that she must be upon her
feet for hours at time made her task
I painful Still she stifled all murmur-
1ngS and apOllSlZed so pleasantly to
her cOmpaniOns-When obliged to turn
( to them repeatedly for instructions
! that they all liked her. To be sure,
] she felt out of her element when the
/ girls gathered in groups and discussed
| the newest fashions, the latest Vaude-
vile hit and the fellows" whom they
| had met, but she forced herself to seem
| interested and not to show that all
! this kind of thing bored her.
"One cannot make much in the way
OF commissions at a notion counter,
can One?" she observed one afternoon
! to Ida Ryan, the girl who happened
to be standing next to her.
Il should say not" exclaimed Ida.
But every girl hopes to be trans
| ferred to another department before
long. If not I just wouldn't stick
it out here"
What would you do?" asked Julia
curiously. She could not accustom
herself to the tone that some of the
girls tOok-as if it really made no
difference whether they worked.
oh, I'd stay at home until I got
another job replied Ida Wouldn't
Julia shook her head. NO: for my
home is away up in Springfield, Mass.
At least, that is where 1 used to live
L shall not go back there"
How silly you were not to stay
with your people" Ida observed. You
could save money by living with them.
But away from home you have to pay
for board and lodging. Now all that
I make goes for myself"
The pair had been Joined by Mary
BentOn-another of the salesgirls-
and at this juncture she interposed
eagerly;
4 Z don't agree with you at ALL" she
exclaimed 4 live at home. but, be-
game 1 pay regular board, and be-
sides that I'm always expected to do
something to help along with the kids !
clothes or with the rent
Why don't you live somewhere I
else them" asked Ida
The girl eyed her Indignantly. well, /
DO you suppose I'm going to leave
my own folks when they need my
and lodgings to somebody 1 don't care !
a rap for2 Nit, But I do wish there
wasn't q new kid in our family every /
so much for peoples getting mar
riedt" shifted Ida. None Of it in \
mine until a rich guy comes along, !
who can settle me on Easy street"
a swell chance we get of meeting /
that kind at the notion counter in I
Baird's or when were wearing the 4
kind of clothes that our salaries buy I
US" Ida remarked. Il say it amt I
fair that the girls who need to marry /
rich can't meet rich chaps IF a poor /
girl wants to stay decent, there's moth J
ing for her but to spend her days /
clerking it in a store or marry a poor I
man and be worse off then she was I
single, say it amt fairi"
Julia sighed and became silent as 4
the two girls continued to exchange
rnOUOnrE
pressed were in her mind frequently !
nowadays What was there for her
to look forward to- What did all I
these girls look forward tO2
Sales here sounded 4 sharp voice. |
and she started violently and hurried
toward a customer who had just ap-
preached the counter. The flOOrWark- =
er who had called her nodded approval !
I'm glad he said in a low voice, /
that one OF the girls is paying at
tention TO the Job" and as he passed !
Ida and Mary he paused long enough /
to utter a word of reprOOf. His
sDeech of commentator of her was /
the first bit of praise that Julia Mar
vim had received since she started to
work and it changed the trend Of her
thoughts from discOura cement to hope.
But her spirits received a dash when
Caryl was there before her, sitting
by the window gazing down into the |
street, and turned upon her sister as
soon as she entered.
y I
I've chosen an aWfully slow line of /
wOrl3 I sometimes think I'll never
CO tch- on to those old pothooks. cir .
cles, dots and scratches that people call
stenOgraphy. They're hOrrid."
Julia looked grave. Don't talk like |
that so soon" she advised There's
always 4 sticking point in everything, |
but now that you have paid for your
lessons, It would be foolish to drop |
them"
= supposed" CaryI said. that you'd
thing for a while longer But the
weather's getting warm up in that
school"
"No warmer than in Baird's store"
her sister reminded her.
PERHAPS not" said the other skept-
ically. But you. at least, have the
fun OF seeing people. Oh. Julia" her
tone chant .lC suddenly and her ewes
of You in one matter. I've had a man
at least he calls himself a man
ask il he could call on me"
Julia started. "Oh. Carylr' she ejac-
ulated, alarmed. "Who was hep
Caryl laughed. Don't get scared"
she said. 7 turned HON down good
and plenty His name is DObbs, and
he's a measly looking. skinny youth
who's studying at the school. He con-
fided to me that he hopes to get a
job and help support his mother and
sister So when he asked if he could
call. I snapped out quickly, No, you
can't, thank yOur
Poor chap unused Julia. But you
are right not to tell any man where
YOU live, and not to accept attentions
from any one of them"
ct know I am right about such a
cheaD skate as Dobbs," Caryl said
loftily. but if he was a rich fellow
7 might act differently"
You would not" declared her sis
ter firmly.
I'm not so sure Of that" CaryI ar
gued. by the way. Judy, I caught
q glimpse TODAY of the man who fol-
lowed US the day we came here. He
did not see me. and as he is such |
common looking crea ture I was sorry.
I find" she went on thoUghtfuliv, that !
it is easy to snub men like him and
DObbs. But she hesitated-'there /
must be in this town some decent men !
who have cash and would like to meet |
me-"
A wistfuI sound had crept into her
voice. and Julia. hearing. it, felt a
sudden thrill of apprehension mingled |
with pity for her little sister,
(To be COntinued) ii
CThis Is one of the regular features |
IF The FL PasO HeraId0 II