The herald., 1917-06-21
FR0zENSTAR'S SCHEME
BY JANE OSBORN.
1910. by the MCOlLle
paper SyndiCate)

papers had been full of il. Girls from
the stores going home at night had
discussed it. According to some It
was grand and perfectly elegant for
those swell girls to do it, To 9th
crs, more critical. it was either case
of wanting to get into print by doing
something out of the way or a delib-
crate scheme to rob the poor girl who
needed work for her daily bread.
To Filbert Frozenstar. junior part
ner of the dry goods firm Of Frozen
star Brothers & Co, it had a still diff
ferent significance. It was part OF
his carefully laid plan to make an
entrance into the hitherto closed por-
tails Of the citys most exclusive cir
cles.
The proposition was this: The SO
ciety women in question were 10 en-
JOY all the realism OF the task. They
were to punch the time clock with
the other thousand employees OF the
store. They were TO be allowed to sell
goods in whatever department they
chose. and for their sales they were
10 receive a % per cent commission
for their favorite charity.
The scheme worked better than he
had expected and on a certain Mon
day morning in late winter the ranks
OF ten Of the largest departments in
the store were increased by the pres
enCe Of ten new employees.
In the neckwear department was
the debutante, Wilhelmina Sedgwick.
In the millinery department young
Mrs. Sturtevant Shawger fioated
around in new bouffant morning cos
tune especially imported for the I'M
dertaking from war-ridden Paris. In
the blouse department. was the be-
earringed Mrs. Tom Bradgley, who
was a great drawing card because Of
the rather piquant details of her re-
cent divorce proceedings.
Most attractive of all, was Corinne
DelacroiX. at least from Filbert's per-
sonal viewpoint. She had chosen the
more arduous task of selling furniture
because, as she argued. furniture was
more expensive even than French mil
linery, and % per cent of her sales
there might really be worth while.
Although Corinne herself was not
especially well known-indeed she
had made her debut only a few weeks
before-as far as family and fortune
went she was the most valuable &C
QUESTION of them all.
This debutante saleswoman. simply
clad in neat little frock of black,
guiltless of a single ornament save
for the brilliant sash she wore across
her slender body was "on the floor"
ahead of time that first morning and
Hall Bingley. head of the department,
was giving her instructions about her
work when Frozenstar appeared He
had intended to get there in time to
explain to Miss Delacroix in person
Just what her duties were to be.
or course, thought he, It was alb
surd for him to be Jealous of a man
like Bingley. who, in the eyes of
Corinne, was probably no more than
a butler or footman. That she had
been talking with apparent ease to
him and that she spoke to him again
frequently during the day, was moth
ing to irritate Frozenstar.
Still the irritating thing about 1t
was that he was decidedly ruffled and |
that as the hours passed he became
more and more so.
Delightful little woman that she
was, Frozenstar noticed that Corinne |
treated him with something more than |
frigid Formally. She told him more |
than once that she admired the spirit |
OF philanthropy that had prompted |
him and she actually asked him to act |
as patron for post-Lenten charity
bazaar. This would mean a check for
several hundred dollars, but Frozen
star accepted eagerly. She really
was delightful, charming, bewitching.
And her sales were phenomenal.
Corinne's commissions amounted to
an amazingly large figure, larger by
far than those of any other one of
the society saleswomen." What a
pleasure it would be, thought Frozen
star, to hand that check to Miss Della
croix. He would take it in person to
her.
Just as he was meditating this in
his private office, the advertising
manager slouched into the room.
Have you heard the news?' he
asked. "One of the men from the
Morning Post just told me. But of
course it isn't going to get into print.
That would never do. That Corinne
Delacroix you thought you had up in
fne furniture department is really
Ioafing in seclusion at her fathers
place at Palm Beach. You see, she
thought it wasn't fair to rob some girl
Of job; yet she didn't want to miss
getting the commissions for charity.
So she got hold of a pretty little
'alesgirl who needed work and got her
% take the place. She happened to
know a guy in your store, too, en-
gagged to him, l think-and so she
zane around in Corinne's place and
arranged to be in the department of
his man she is going to marry. or
course, no one is any the wiser ex-
'ept few of us that heard the story.
And 1t can't make a bit of difference