The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-03-10


and sang with n more strident voice.
This was not Blake Wendell's world.
And lest he should think It was hers,
she could not let him see her there.
The death of her parents and poverty
had put her there. She felt no shame
In honestly earning her living the only
way that had offered, but her natural
Instincts, mind and training gave her
little real enjoyment in the company
in which it brought her in contact.
There were kind hearts and honest
souls among these young people; she
did not hold herself aloof, and was
well liked by them but when she
found herself among the refinement
and culture of many of those at Mrs.
Bagden's it seemed to her hat she had
come into her own.
Violet felt she could not stand the
humiliation of Wendell's surprise OF
covert amusement ct the boarding
house parlor or the boarders. It was
such Il long way from his world. He
must see that it was, and doubtless he
would feel that she could never get
'ANA'' @N's II was ui very lbIfltSS.
What vas she TO do? She remembered
now that someone had come up and
interrupted, and she had not given
him her address. Oh. well. perhaps
he would not take the trouble to find
out, and she was worrying for nothing.
Even Mrs. Bagdcn, an old friend of
her mothers, did not know where she
] lfvD1 ltrk p.11u.-l,1 1.. .t tl. -t,-,
As the days and weeks went on and
she saw no more Of Blake Wendell, Vi
olet wondered /" Cinderella kept on
thinking about the prince after that
last ball, or whether she had the
strength of mind to forget him. She
took herself severely to task for not
being able to forget, when clearly she
ought to.
One day there came a letter to Vio-
let at the store. She knew the instant
she saw the envelope it was from Mrs.
Bagden. Yes, it was an invitation to
a Christmas eve party. Her heart
gave a great bound. Would she see
him again? Oh, who that has been
just where this girl was can know
what that meant? He lived in New
York, where there were So many
places to go on Christmas eve, per-
haps he would not come. Besides,
there doomed up the awful problem
of what to wear. Her simple little
summer gown had done for the warm
evening of the musicale, but for this
affair she had nothing. However, with
small expense, and sewing evenings.
she decided she might make over an
old frock to be pr~esentable.
Before she had finished the dress.
Mabel Hard. the girl next at Violet's
counter was taken i'll and had to go
home. Violet knew the condition of
things at Mabel's home. Her mother
was out working during the day and
only Il younger sister of about ten
years of age was able to be of any
service. AS soon as she could get
away she went around to see her. Ma
bel was so i'll that she had to get n
physician. He declared she must re-
main quiet for several days, and not
think Of going to work. This wor-
ried the poor girl into a heightened
fever. 1t lacked only a few days of
Christmas, and the holiday trade made
the loss of n hand a serious mat
ter. Besides she had promised to
work Christmas eve, and the night
before that as Miss Manning had ar
ranged to have those evenings off. Vio-
let agreed TO work in her stead. 1t
meant a big sacrifice, but she could see
no other way.
As the hustling, jostling crowd i'm
pOrtuned her to be waited on, and she
glanced up at the clock which pointed
to nine, she thought how at this time
she had meant to be starting for the
Christmas party, something like tears
was very near her eyes. Just then
Mabel's mother came up to her.
mabel has made me come to AXE
your place" she said. "She has Just
heard how you gave up a party for her
sake, and she's feeling terribly"
"WhO told herr" asked Violet with
some vexatlon. "Now, I don't mind a
bit. I can't go, because I couldn't fin
ish my dress. just tell her not to
worry"
A young man buying something at
the opposite counter. overhearing the
conversation, listened. He came up
quickly to Violet.
Miss ManningI" he cried in gen.
uine amazement.
Mr.. Wendell =" exclaimed Violet, in
equal surprise.
Come right along" he laughed.
I'm not going to be cheated out Of a
dance!"
"But l haven't any dress" she pro-
tested.
There are dresses enough there.
Somehow he whirIed her out Of the
store and into his car, and when he
had slowed her among the furs told
her how he had tried to find her adj
dress, and no one seemed to know,
and how he had blessed his lucky stars
that something for the Christmas tree
had brought him to that store. Mrs.
Bagden, of course, could not resist his
demand for a party gown, and Violet
looked So perfectly stunning that, be-
ing a young man who did things rap
idly, he proposed to her before the
evening was over.
"What you did for that girl" he
said. "That was splendid"
So Violet found after all his world