The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-03-13
IN A PLAY
BY EMMA LEE WALTON.


VCopyright.)
Her name was Miss Carberry, and
she was young and pretty, in a quiet
sort of way. She came In two or three
times every month from one of the
suburbs to do her shopping. and she
was the easiest person to wait on |
ever saw.
She wasn't a bit like these women
who make you haul out everything in
stock, and then walk simplify away,
saying they guess they'll get 1t some
where else; or, even when she didn't
want to buy, she was that kindly 1t
was a pleasure to do things for her. |
always like to remember her, when it
seems some days as though women
folks were pretty hard to deal with.
She remarked to Minnie once that
she vas a stranger everywhere, having
recently come from the South after
travelling all over the world. It was
all along of her being friends with our
floorman, Mr. Winter, that we first no.
ticed her. They'd met somewhere, and
he was always sure to come and talk
to her for a good half hour as soon as
she appeared on the floor. whether she
was buying waists or suits or a kimo-
no. We all noticed it, of course, but
by and by we got so used to it we
didn't even smile to each other.
Well, everything went all right until
n day toward spring they quarreled.
We didn't know a thing about it until
some one said she hadn't been in for
weeks, and then we took to watching.
Along in April she came in, in a hurry,
for a waist, and that tall Miss Ring
waited on her. She wanted the waist
charged, and wished to take it with
her, so Miss Ring called Mr.. Winter.
Mr.. Winter signed the check, Miss
Carberry bowed freezingly and said
Thank you" and he walked away, for
all the world IS though she were q
complete stranger to him. 1t was like
one of the melodramas where the hero
inc freezes the hero with a look before
she knows he is "a man with a heart
of gold, though a rough exterior"
Miss Ring said she nearly fell over
she was that surprised and taken back
but of course she didn't say a word tc
Miss Carberry. After that we didn't
see her again for weeks, and were just
beginning to wonder if Mr.. Winter
would ever get over it, when in she
came with the strange lady.
The strange lady was quietly
dressed, and seemed very nice, but
didn't take to her a bit. We'd had al
awfully hard day, anyway, and was
terribly sorry / didn't happen to be of
the floor when they came in. I'd got
an awful calling down, too, because
lost a "Don't-ticket" off one of the suits
being fitted, and l Just wanted to cry
But when they came in, and Mr.. Sem
pie called me to wait on them, shout
ing my name as though 1 were deaf.
had to go and be good.
Miss Carberry and the stranger HAD
met on the train, and seemed already
good friends, though Miss Carberr!
was usually SO reserved. They were
both looking for blue suits, SO l coulC
wait on them together, which made
easier.
a OLOWh oOOul blNSth odilG
when a customer came hurrying bacl
from the elevator and grabbed my arm
Just as l was going into one of the lit
tie stock rooms.
She had lost her purse, she said, ant
she was all broken up, for it had lot
in it. We were all sorry for her, an
helped hunt, the stranger being espe
cially nice about it. She spent 81
much time looking that she said sh,
couldn't stay any longer, as she had t
telephone a friend at once. Then tn,
customer who had lost her purse go
still more excited and l sem one O
the stock boys after Mr.. Daily, our de
t~ective, because l saw the lady sus
pected the stranger, who was Leaving
the department.
When Mr.. Daily came to me / toll
him all about it as fast as | could, an
he stood a moment watching the strar
ger disappear. Something in her mar
ner seemed to bother him, for h
walked after her as quick as a flash.
Miss Carberry was nervous and dis
tressed, but didn't realize at any tim
that the two q~uiet-looking men stant
ing by the window were two othe
store detectives, who had been sun
moned by Mr.. DAILY, and had their eye
on her. They signed to me to go o.
showing goods; sc l did, though m
hands shook with excitement, and
was terribly nervous over the wailin
of the lady who lost the purse.
We were getting enough {
scream, when the managers Office DO
came down to speak to the detective:
and they asked us if we would hav
any objection to going with them t
one of the upper floors. They pickle
up an elevator that was empty, and W
went up, scared out Of our wits.
When W. came in Mr.. DAILY wa
standing by the desk answering M
Illusions questions and the strange
/. was crying softly into a lace handke
, chief. Miss Carberry was as white a
a sheet, but the lady who had lost he
purse was real calm.
FUNNY Tuu of War