The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-18
LIVING IN A PLAY
By EMMA LEE WALTON.

tCopyrisht.)
Her name was Miss Carberry, and
she was young and pretty. in q quiet
sort Of way. She came in two or three
times every month from one Of the
to do her shopping, and she
vas the easiest person to wait ON
over saw.
She wasn't . 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 It
was . pleasure to do things for her. l
always like to remember her, when It
seems some days az though women
folks were pretty hard to deal with.
She remarked to Minnie once that
she was a stranger everywhere, having
come from the South after
travelling all over the world. II was
all along Of her being friends with our
fioorman. Mr.. Winter, that we first no.
ticed her They'd met somewhere, and
he was always sure to come and talk
to her for q good half hour as soon a.
she appeared on the floor. whether she
was buying waists or suits or kimo-
NO. We all noticed It, Of course, but
by and by we got 20 used to It We
didn't even smile to each other.
Well. everything went all right until
one 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 hurry,
for q waist, and that tall Miss Ring
waited on her. She wanted the waist
charged, and wished to take 1t with
her, 30 Miss Ring called Mr.. Winter.
MI. Winter signed the check, Miss
Carberry bowed freezingly and said
Thank you" and he walked away. for
all the world as though she were Z
complete stranger to him It was like
one of the melodramas where the hero.
inc freezes the hero with look before
she knows he 10 "a man with heart
Of gold. though q rough exterior"
Miss Ring said she nearly fell over
she was that surprised and taken back
but Of course she didn't say q word to
Miss Carberry. After that we didn't
see her again for weeks, and were just
beginning to wonder II MIR. Winter
would ever get over 1t, 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 an
awfully hard day, anyway. and l wal
terribly sorry didn't happen to be of
the floor when they came In. I'd got
an awful calling down, too. because
lost "Don't-ticket" OF one Of the suiti
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 / were deaf.
had to go and be good.
Miss Carberry and the stranger hat
met on the train, and seemed alread!
good friends, though Miss Carberr!
was usually SO reserved, They wert
both looking for blue suits, so coult
wait ON them together, which made I
easier.
had shown about fifteen suits
when a customer came hurrying bacl
from the elevator and grabbed my arm
just as was going into one Of the lit
tie stock rooms.
She had lost her purse, she said, ant
she was all broken up. for 1t had lot
! in 1t. We were all sorry for her, ant
, 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 60
still more excited and sent one o
the stock boys after Mr.. DAILY, our de
tective. because l saw the lady sui
pected the stranger. who was leavin
the department.
! When Mr.. DAILY came to me toll
him all about 1t as fast as could, an,
he stood moment watching the strar
ger disappear. Something in her man
ner seemed to bother him. for b.
walked after her as quick a. q fash.
! Miss Carberry was nervous and dil
tressed. but didn't realize at any tim
that the two quiet-looking men stand
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 90 o.
showing goods; 30 I did. though m
hands shook with excitement. and
was terribly nervous over the wailin
Of the lady who lost the purse
! We were getting nervous enough +
scream. when the managers Office DO
came down to speak to the detectives
and they asked US II we would hav
any objection to going with them +
one of the upper floors They pickle
up an elevator that YVES empty, and W
went up, scared out of our wits.
When we came in Mr. LAZY wa
standing by the desk answering MI
Illusions questions and the strange
was crying softly into lace handks'
chief. Miss Carberry was as white a
a sheet, but the lady who had lost he
purse was real calm.
Mr.. Huston had Mr.. Daily tell u
how he had followed the stranger to
telephone booth, where he had see
her take a purse from her sleeve an
pour the money and bills into he
stocking, throwing the purse after
ward on the floor He had follows
her to the elevator then. and told tn
conductor to go up. though he was o.
his way down at the time When b
finished his story. Mr. Huston aske