Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-04-03
THE CORRECTNESS
OF GENEVlEVE
BY Jane Osborn.

Miss Genevieve Vandeverc eyed the
young saleswoman narrowly. She hadn't
any use for the Kitchen dishes she was
buying: she was simply buying them IN
order that she might do just what she
was doing-StudN the saicswoman who
sold chem To her.
Your work must become exceedingly
wearisome.' Genevieve said with perfect
ly correct accents. Genevieve WAS always
perfectly correct from her severe head
dress TO her hat-heeled boots.
The girl looked at GeneNieNe with wide
open. fearless eyes. Nav. she said;
not unless you are out late at night. I'd
rather work i'll a store where there's al
ways some one to talk To and swell folks
to look AT than home"
never thought of it that way. Still 1T I Mst
be tedious"
The girl behind the counter smiled re
sentfully at the woman opposite her.
Well" she said. III you really want TO
know what it's like you better try it.
Here's your change" Then as Miss VAN
devere passed she turned to her compan-
ion. Imagine a prim Thing like that
plying me. She's not SO bad looking,
t~hough-nicc long lashcs and "a swell COM
plexion. but say. Lulu. look at that skirt.
Three yards around at leass. and "A hat
that I'D be ashamed 10 give to the Sal
yation Army. it's that old fashioned. and
FL bet she's got no end of money. too"
In the meantime GeneNicNe Vandevere
had had her inspiration.
The very exclusive woman's club to
49, "a 'NANS A'N ~ SG
Working Woman and to Genevieve had
been assigned the subject of the depart
ment store employee. With her usual cor
rectness and t~horoughness Genevieve had
decided to take no sources
for her information. but to study the sub
ject herself. Hence she had bought the
kitchen dishes at the largest department
store she knew of and had vcntured to
put some searching questions to the sales
woman woman ha ,So told saS Ser' to a syy IT," w yhs s nots ;.
Genevieve replied to herself. and so be-
gan the transformation.
1t was easy enough TO explain at home.
She said she had gone to sec a friend for
a few weeks in another city.
Genevieve was about 80. but she had
the complexion OF her girlllood, its radi-
ance unsoftened by rouge or powder. Her
alert brown eyes were shaded by straight,
heavy black lashes,. to whose luxuriant
beauty Genevieve had never given a
thought. Her brown hair was unbecom-
ingly brushed severely back from a high
forehead and studiously arranged so as
not in any way to suggest the Silhouette
prescribed by fashion. For in Genevieve's
training there was something especially
baneful in the prevailing mode whatever
it might be-. Horsewomanship and golf
but no one ever told Genevieve so. In
fact. no one with sufficient perception
combined with enough bravery had ever
come into Genevieve's sphere.
SO Genevieve venturcd forth TO buy the
wardrobe demanded by her now role, and
a ICM Jul Jhtct. IIcI I'm IuiI vi UuIl-
dies. She engaged a small room i'm a club
home for working women. When she
ventured forth the next morning in search
of her first position her transformation. at
least so far as appearance Went. had been
accomplished.
She went straight TO the department
store that had the reputation of employ
ing the greatest number of young women.
and with buoyance that the knowledge of
her complete disguise gave her she hast
ened to the employees department.
NOOny MI. MarIpn q son of n member
of the firm. who had lately taken charge
in the hope of gaining needed efficiency
by so doing. looked up with his perfume
tory narrow-eyed scrutiny as Genevieve.
one of 100 or SO that daily filed past his
desk. came into his small office. Then
when he saw the clear. radiant face. the
dark. bright eyes and the luxurious lashes
he looked again. opened his eyes wide
and leaned over his desk for a nearer
She wore a small. almost rakish, black
velvet toque that pushed the waves of her
hair well over her white brow. The open
throat of her cheap black blouse showed
under the clumsy lines of her colored.
cheap. ready,.made coat Mr.. Marden
could see the lines OF a figure that was at
once majestic and supple.
He asked her only the usual questions.
She was inexperienced, living in a work.
willing to begin at anything.
"Since you are without experience"
said Marden. II will put you in as a sup
~but-please take off your coat and walk
over toward the door, She obcyed, al
most tripping in the unaccustomed scanti-
ness OF the cheap. reads.made skirt
her impertinent little toque to the toes of
her cheap, bright tan shoes.
Yes. i thought so he said. ~ will
see that you are promoted to the suit
department in a week or So
Genevievc. eager to miss nothing and
ah5nkins .W yh6ys d n1I t of her of club my pa aos,
and walking to the door have to do with
the suit Department.
Marden looked at 4 her to be sure that tia
meeting the serious gaze of her brown
most any figure will do behind "a counter"
! We've felt an annoying sense of pleasure
in the thought that this stranger had
found something in her appearance to
commend. No one had ever said anything
like that before to her: no one had ever
had courage to say things like that to
Miss Genevieve Nandevere.
In the new life Geneyievc found much
that She had not expected. 1t was pleas
ant in more ways than one and she en-
ioyed the freedom of it. But the real
labor came at night when. with her brain
teeming with the simple experiences of
the day. she Sat on the edge of her small
bed writing it out to the last detail for
another surprise. Mr.. Mardcn had given
her the first inkling of it when he sug-
gested that she would be acceptable in the
suit department, and she was daily re-
minded I'm one way or another that in her
new role at least she possessed more than
her share of womanly beauty.
Mr.. Marden had followed her career
with especial interest. The first time he
sent for her. with the excuse OF filling in
some details OF her employment papers,
she thought that she was to be dis
charged. After that he used to detaln her
at night with pretext OF business. When
he asked her to dine with him after work
hours she accepted. 1t would be one more
she thought, and. though she would not
admit it even to herself. there was some
thing agreeable in being in his society.