The Detroit times., 1915-12-02

A'NIAAN AfAAh ~ - h&A RNNh
"A saleswoman In the book depart.
ment at MacNamara's. To be any
kind OF a saleswoman at MacNa-
mara's a girl must be patient, heal
thy. quick.witted and honest. These
are the qualities that old man Mac
Nsmara. he who had his eye upon
everybody and everything. exhcts or
his salespeople. When they fail in
one or the other they are at liberty
70 20 across the street To Powell.
Hicks 4 Slater's and get a Job---if
they can. Each year a drove or
people do go across the street. But
Sophie Linn kept steadily at work.
She had come from the country
with no more idea OF selling things
than any girl may have who has
been brought up carefully In a re-
nned homo. Sophie's parents were
poor. and when tha SaIae accident
killed them boh she WAS left with
out money, relatives or fitness for
wage-earning. Hey father, poor
country minister though he was,
had had an aptitude for study and
had acquired something OF library
Sophie had lived her 2l years amidst
books. and she loved them. She
had even tried TO write books and
had hopes OF some day seeing her
dreams come true. But she had
notion that she could never write
anything II she stayed In the coun.
try. SO she took few OF her best
loved books, her clothes and the
money that came from the sale OF
the household goods and went TO
the little city 70 miles away. There
she hired a room and began he lit
erary career. After year, when
she was discouraged, starved, and
with her feet on the ground, she
gave up trying 10 write and went
over TO MacNamara's. II was a pro
pitious time. for one OF the helpers
in the book department had just
moved across 20 Powell. Hicks AZ
Slater's, so Sophie was given the
place. Within a year she had risen
to tho position OF head salesWoman.
and there she had continued ever
since.
She earned enough and she had
a tiny fat OF two rooms, with bath
and a kitchenette. where she could
rest. read, cook. and listen TO the
music OF her phonograph. She could
AFFORD tickets 20 this and thaE and
she had very good clothes, for which
she had acquired something OF a
knack sf wearing
At 80 Sophie was more attractive
than she had been at 2l, being one
OF those rare women whom maturity
becomes. She had good teeth ana
hair. and glasses left one In doubt
as TO whether her eyes were or were
not handsome As a matter OF fact.
they we're not handsome, 30 she
gained by wearing the glasses sur
rounded as she was daily by the
company Of the great and good and
loving the finer things Of life. with
all her heart, she had acquired
poise that made strangers look AT
her more than once II was hard 10
believe that this quiet, rather dis
tinguished-looking woman was
mere saleswoman.
Romance outside her books was
thing with which Sophie had had
nothing to do. Real, living romance
never got through the door OF the
book department. She was too sen
sible to imagine 1t might, and she
was too busy to care much whether
II did or not.
still she had her dreams These
grew fastest when she had one OF
Ralph Rodneys books in her hands
Ralph Rodney was new author ana
by no means a best seller although
he had his friends. He wrote quiet
otd. fashioned stories OF the country
with some philosophy and humor
and a gentle thread of sadness.
SOPHIE had read his first book and
she had gone on reading everything
ne wrote. She had hunted the re-
views through for some news OF him.
but she could lind very little lie
was very secluded person, not OF
quite enough importance 10 be
sought by interviewers and vouch.
safing no information OF his own
part. His picture never appeared
anywhere, his life was unknown.
Bu: Sophie, thus denied all direct
knowledge OF his personality, con
structed a, mental Ralph Rodney OF
her OWN Her mind dwelt upon
him. This man who seemed TO
speak to her In her own language.
who almost portrayed her on his
pages. had peculiar interest for
her. He understood life as she saw
H. There seemed to be bond be
tween them.
one wild spring morning. when all
the windows were gray with rain
and the streets we're almost desert
ed. Sophie turned from her book
shelves 10 find man bending over
a pile of books on "A distant table.
lie was holding his eyeglasses on
and examining the book before him
with absorbed interest. The book
one OF Ralph Rodney's. The
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