Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-08-14
CHAPTER XVII.-Continued.

Rose, arriving promptly at the hour
agreed upon, had q wait of fifteen
minutes before any of her sisters of
the Sextette or Mrs. Goldsmith ar
rived. 81 don't want anything just
now" she told the saleswOman. But
she hadn't, in these few weeks of Clark
street, lost her air of one who will
buy if she sees anything worth buy
ing. In fact, the saleswOman thought,
correctly, that she knew her, and
showed her the few really smart things
they had in the store-a Poiret evening
gown, a couple of afternoon frocks
from Jennie. There wasn't much, she
admitted, it being just between sea-
sons.
The rest of the sextette arrived in
pair and a trio. One of them squealed
"Hello, Daniel" The saleswoman was
shocked on seeing Rose nod an ac-
acknowledgement of this greeting, and
Just about that time they heard Mrs.
Goldsmith explaining who she was and
the nature of her errand to the man
Rger.
The sort of gowns she presently be-
gan exclaiming over with delight, and
ordering put into the heap OF posi-
bilities, were horrible enough to have
drawn a protest from the wax figures
In the windows. The more completely
the fundamental lines of a frock were
disguised with sartOrial scrOll-saw
work, the more successful this lady
felt it to be. An ornament, 70 Mrs.
sibilitieS, unless it In turn were dec
grated with ornaments of it's own;
like the fleas on the fieas of the dog.
Rose spent a miserable half-hour
worrying over these selections of the
wife of the principal owner of the
show, feeling she ought to put up
some sort of fight and hardly deferred
by the patent futility of such course.
All the while she kept one eye on
the door and prayed for the arrival of
John Galbraith.
He came in just as Mrs. Goldsmith
finished her task-just when, by a
process of studious elimination. every
passable thing in the store had been
discarded and the twelve most utterly
hopeless Ones-two for each girl-latd
aside for purchase. The girls were
dispatched to put on the evening frocks
first, and were then paraded before
the director.
He was diplomat and he was quick
on his feet. Rose, watching his face
very closely, thought that for just
split second she caught CLEAN of in
effable horror. But it was gone so
quickly she could almost have believed
that she had been mistaken. He didn't
say much about the costumes, but he
said it so promptly and adequately
that Mrs. Goldsmith beamed with pride.
She sent the girls away to put on the
other Set-the afternoon frOcks; and
once more the directors appreciation,
though lacOnic, was one hundred per
cent pure.
That's ALL" he said in sudden dis
missal of the seXtette. Rehearsal at
eight thirty"
Five of them scurried like children
let out of school around behind the set
Of screens that made an extemporane-
Gus dressing room, and began chang
ing in a mad scramble, hoping to get
away and to get their dinners eaten
soon enough to enable them to see the
whole bill at 4 movie show before the
evenings rehearsal.
But Rose remained hanging about,
q couple of PAGES away from where
Galbraith was talking to Mrs. Gold
smith. The only question that re-
mained, he was telling her, was wheth-
err her selections were not towel,
too refined, genteel, one might say, for
the stage.
He wasn't looking at her as he
talked, and presently, as his gaze wan
derSd about the store, it encountered
Roses face. She hadn't prepared it
for the encounter, and it wore, hardly
yelled, look of humorous apprecia-
riOn. His sentence broke, then COM
pletpd itself. She turned away. but
the next moment he called out to her:
"Were you waiting to see me, DaneT
I'D like to speak to you minute"
she said. when you have time"
"Au right. Go and change your
clothes first" he said.
She found the other girls on the
point of departure. But Edna offered
to wait for her.
'No, you run along" Rose said. "Tve
some errands, and l don't feel like see
ing q movie tonight, anyway"
Edna looked a little odd about 1t.
but hurried along after the others.
A saleswoman-the same one the
manager had assigned to Rose, under
the misconception which that smart
French ulster of hers had created
when she came into the store-now
came around behind the screen to
gather up the frocks the girls had shed.
"Win you please bring me-" said
Rose, "the Poiret model you showed
me before the others came in? I'll
try 1t on"
The Saleswoman's manner was diff
ferent now, and she grumb.ed some
thir about its being closing time.
"Chen. if you'll bring it at once :"
said Rose. And the Saleswoman went
on the errand.
Five minutSs later, Galbraith, from
staring gloomily at the mournful heap
of trouble Mrs. Goldsmith had left on
his hands, looked up to confront a
vision that made him gasp.
Il wanted you TO see if you liked
this" said Rose.
If like it," he echoed. Look