The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1917-08-02
THE HOUSE MAGNIFICENT
BY MONA coWLEs.
]: J: );

| Gated on the fourth floor of the estab-
| lishment and comprised about eight
rooms, in which were clustered, in
what purported to be a well-furnlshed
mansion, a motley collection of high
J priced furniture. In the city where ii
was located it was one of the sights
for women coming from the country
for a days shopping. TO very few
Bradson's blouse Magnificent" was
the by-word for all that was inhar-
monous and pretentious in household
interiors.
But Bradson went on from year to
| year with his enthusiasm for the
blouse Magnificent" but little dimmed
even when from reports from his
bookkeeping department he could see
that very few pieces in the place were
ever ordered. 1t was still drawing
card, he reasoned to himself.
Then came Jenny Dorr. Jenny Dorr
was little, red-hared, freckled, snub-
faced girl who was employed for SO
a week to copy sales records in the
grimy, dingy portion Of the fourth floor
| just behind the "House Magnificent"
Jenny was such an odd girl! She
actually put each figure down in the
big books that stretched out before
her as if she had an interest in the
performance.
"There is something nutty about that
red-haired girl there" commented the
head bOokkeeper to his employer one
day.
"S'matter with hcrp
"She's always looking at the books
as if they were story books, and at
lunch-time she sneaks into that House
Magnificent and walks around"
Him." commented the Junior part.
ner. "Send her to my Office the first
thing in the morning"
"Good morning Mr.. J. r. Bradson
Junior" was the greeting Of the snub-
faced, red-halred Jenny Dorr the next
morning. 81 expect you want to let
me 90. / am sorry"
"Sit down-not in that chair by the
door. Here III the big chair opposite
me- where l can look at you. How old
are YOU"
eighteen come next summer"
allow much do you get?"
"Six dollars a week"
"Well, just to show you that I am
not firing you, l will tell you that you
are to get twelve from now on--may.
be more later. You're a smart kid
aren't your
The blue eyes looked at him to sec
whether he were TESTING or speaking
seriously. Discovering the latter to be
the case, she answered frankly. Eyes
/ think / am smart-at least I'm smart
err than I am anything else. 1 am such
a little, understood sort"
"Tcll me honestly what you think
of the House Magnificent
"Honest-to-goodness or Just as a
working girl would naturally tell her
boss what she thought he wanted her
to tell him?'
"Honest to goodness Bradson
quoted smiling.
Jenny gasped ioyOusly as If long.
drcamed-of opportunity had come
"Goody," she began "This is what ]
think: l think that House Magnificent
is the worst liability you nave got. II
eats up money, takes up room and
brings in nothing. Sure, it brings peo
PIE to the store, but those people buy
all their furniture mt the Emporium"
"WelI, what would you do about
it?' Bradson asked meekly.
I'D gradually put the pieces in
stock, and then I'd start something
else. ! planned it all in my mind-it
would be a set of small flats or cot
tagcs-one for three rooms, one fol
four and one for six or seven rooms
They wouldn't fake up any more room
than the House Magnificent does
Everything in those dove-cotes-that
Is what / would call them-would be
chosen because 1t was inexpensive
and everything would be marked
plainly"
A quarter Of an hour later, when
Jenny had finished describing her
scheme, Mr. Bradson detained her
holding out his hand to her.
Suppose we make 1t twenty-five dol
lars instead Of twelve dollars" he said.
And SO the dovecotes We're begun
and Jenny had charge Of them, and
daily demonstrated the possibilities of
Inexpensive artistic home decoration
to the hundreds Of housewives who Wis
tied them.
For weeks Bradson had been too
busy TO feel anything but the sense
that business had been booming, boom
Ing ais no other mercantile enterprise
in the city had doomed for many a
year.
one day he fingered at the slx-room
doveeote with Jenny
81 um so busy nowadays / can't get
home. It's long way to go, anyway.
/ was wondering If l could not have
one of these dovccotes shut Off from
the others-and have IL to live In
right here when | am so busy. We
would make other doyecotes to make
UP for tive need several more"
ave been wondering that, too" A
blush pceped through the funny little
freckles. "Were you planning to live
here al0ne?"
Never a bit" came back from Brad
son, and two strong arms were held out
TO Jenny.
as that honest-to.goodness| she
Qucricd.
EVERY bit" he said. "And wen be