Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22

She didn't mind the others. Eur some
times one of these three brought the
choke to her throat and a blur to her
eyes. Est in time she forgot, or remem-
bered with a du'l ache. that ormolu
clocks had never played any part in her
life except to fill up a c'!eckhook. IT
time sine forgot that there mad ever been
time when she had been forced 10
write no experience. 1t seemed TO
her at times that she had never lived any
place except in an SX1U bedroom and be-
hind a 12X2 counter
1t was at the end CO ner second year
when the other woman-the slim. pretty.
hart.-eyeu woman over whose home the
second gray-haired old man had mumbled
unintercstcd,y decree granted came in
to buy a clock. Cora had only a sec
onds warning. something in the gait Of
the Observation-Disclosures figure coming
down the aisle seemed familiar She
looked at the pretty delicate face under
the green velvet hat. and then she moved
swiftly to the end of the counte. and
stopped behind it in pretended stock sort
ing. Coras face was Srayishly white,
but Nell who went forward to attend to
the customer was not observant. Later
she erowed over Cora and Haunted a
check stub showing an Ssh, sale. 'Shc
look that exquisite little gold bedroom
clock--you know the one that was
! marked down from S2n. II was Old stoc <.
Why. I don't know how many yeas since
that iiiig"ee effect came in
Cora didn't answer Eut size could have
told her That same iiii>;reed gold had
stood upon her own bedroom nlante. VIII
had bought il one Christmas. and nov
I lie paying for another womans.
The grayishness remained OH Cora 5
face several days. She lived again those
last few months--the nights that she sat
alone while VIII worked The fiat had
been very empty those nights. A parcel
of neveTmore to be needed toys can make
a. sill yaf
and empty Then had come nights after
sine found out ito this day she lated the
Light tan color that the woman who told
her had been gowned I'M that viii wasn't
working" Some one had seen him IN
restaurant with this woman.
He had not denied it. lie had sulienly
told her that the fat was too quiet. too
melancholy. And 7 did work most Of
the time" nc protested. There were
only few nights
She had refused to listen. And he had
rot contested her suit. merely STIMULATING
that no womans name be given. BE
cause you're making a mountain out of
molehill.' angrily. 'as YOU usually do
1t is easy 10 win an uncontestcd divorce
case. especially when the overworked
judge was hearing nearly score Of cases
each week. Cora had Won and scornfuily
refused any mention OF alimony. She
had left the neighborhood. But there
We're times when she would have acknoWl-
edged to herself that the fiat. with Will
working nights was preferable: there
were times when she would have wished
that she had not divorced him, and so
sent him straight to the other woman
Perhaps in time he might have got over
the infatuation. Cora sold clocks some
days with grim. unseeing eyes. There
was no chance now for any perhaps. :
But aftert'shc'' bought the filigrse orinolu
trfe Cora kept an uneasy lookout. She
might return. and Cora shrank bitterly
from the mockery that would follow rec
oenition. So one day she hastily turned
to the shelves when there came Il fare of
green cloth down the aisle.
Nell moved forward with alacrty. She
liked Cora but she didn't admire her
gumption. Fancy letting a fellow clerk
get first chance at big check. How
ever. the green eloth-it was serge-be-
longed to lady who was Just look ng.'
Amt those green marble clocks dear?
Mercy. Seven dollars. I don't want TO
buy the department And then she
etroled on, much satisfied with her own
wit.
Nell turned languidly to Cora She was
being accosted by a tall. tired. absent
eyed man. An alarm clock. pleas. Oh.
| don't care whether It is pretty or not.