The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-08-17
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
WHAT MAIDIE MIGHT
HAVE MISSED.
BY ELSIE SEE.

fCopyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
AN AIDE, what put this silly idea
M OF working in your uncle's of.
~ flee into your head asked her
mohter.
"oh, who knows but I might write
D best seller some day with a work.
Ing girl for a herolne?" rotorted
Maidie smilingly.
EFF Judson has any jobs open
That call for unskilled labor" said
her father, run along: It will do you
no HARM" Then, seeing his wlfe's
exasperated expression, he added:
III she were boy we'd think the
more Of her for having spunk
enough to begin at the bottom; why
not let her have a fling at real
work."
uncle Jud's letter says that he's
game to give me chance to make
good" said Maidle. rising from the
breakfast table and leaning both
arms on the back of her chair, as II
the better TO convince her audience.
aeHe says his filing department is
managed by woman. who has three
assistants. and that may come and
ill vacancy that will occur next
week. and he won't let on to a soul
that I'm related to him. Won't 1t be
fun? Ever so much more interesting
,Jthan afternoon teas and gossip
,fests!"
"Be careful to behave so as not to
SsScite comment" warned her father,
Tor you'll find that gossip thrives In
D business Office swell as 1t does
wherever human beings congregate
long enough to become familiar with
each others peculiarities and short
romings."
When Maidie entered upon her Of
lice duties the next week she found
everything OF interest. from register
Ing the time of her daily arrival and
departure at the big time clock to
watching the skilled movements Of
the nimble-fingered typists and the
many shirt-sleeyed clerks in the big
offices of her uncle's wholesale shoe
business.
miss Mason" said the head filing
clerk to Maidie toward the end of the
second week. "the advertising man
ager is going to send one of his as
Bistants over here to look through all
orders received from ten large &C.
counts in the Middle West since his
advertisements came out in the farm
papers, and l wish you to help find
the orders. Here comes the young
man now. Mr.. Webster. Miss Mason
will help you to find the orders and
to tabulate the information you
want"
For an hour or more Maidie and
the young man worked away without
3 word except with reference to the
dates of orders, and the number of
pairs Of shoes listed in the different
grades and prices.
What lot of people wear two
dollar Shoes" said Maidie, after q
sly peep at the modish shoes worn by
her co-worker and satisfied glance
ut her own six-dollar pumps.
"And what lot OF money the firm
spends advertising them," said young
Webster. Five thousand dollars for
q farm paper campaign! At twenty
five cents profit on one pair 1t would
take four pairs to net one dollar and
twenty thousand pairs to net five
Thousand dollars"
III 1t would have taken me hours to
i get the answer" said Maidie, with n
frank smile in her big brown eyes.
SsBut think of those twenty thousand
pairs of shoes all exactly alike. and
yet no two of the twenty thousand
people who wear them will be alike"
That Is worth thinking about,
isn't IT." Perhaps that friendly
glance from Maidie had something to
do with making her remark seem so
worthy of consideration. "And think