The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-07-13
CHAPTER xvII.-contlnued.

-12-
Rose. arriving promptly at the houH
agreed upon, had a 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. Bu'
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, couple of afternoon frOcks
from Jennie. There wasn't much, she
admitted, 1t being just between sea-
sons.
The rest of the sextette arrived in a
pair and q trio. One Of them squealed
Hello, Danew 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
lle udluiS VI hSI anu W INV AiA''AA
Rger.
The sort of gowns she presently be-
gan exclaiming over with delight, and
ordering put into the heap of possi-
billties, were horrible enough to have
drawn 3 protest from the wax figures
In the windows. The more completely
the fundamental lines of frock were
disguised with sartorial scroll-saw
work, the more successful this lady
felt 1t to be. An ornament, to Mrs.
Goldsmith, did not live up to its pos
sibilities, unless 1t in turn were dec
grated with ornaments of its own;
like the fleas on the fleas 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
process of studlous elimination, every
passable thing In the store had been
discarded and the twelve most utterly
hopeless ones-two for each girl-laid
aside for purchase. The girls were
dispatched to put on the evening frocks
first and were then paraded before
the director.
He was a diplomat and he was quick
on his feet. Rose, watching his face
very closely, thought that for just a
split second she caught CLEAN of in
effable horror. But 1t 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.
"Thats ALL" he said in sudden dis
missal of the sextette. Rehearsal at
Five of them scurried like children |
let out of school around behind the set
Of screens that made an extemporane-
Dus 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 a movie show before the
rehearsal.
But Rose remained hanging about,
l couple Of PAGES away from where
lalbraith was talking to Mrs. Gold
smith. The only question that re-
he was telling her, was wheth-
,r her selections were not tOO-well,
90 refined, genteel, one might say, for
he stage,
He wasn't looking at her as he
alked, and presently, as his gaze wan
Tered about the store, 1t encountered
iose's face. She hadn't prepared it
or the encounter, and it wore, hardly
,eiied, look Of humorous apprecia-
ion. His sentence broke, then COM
,leted itself She turned away but
he next moment he called out to her
Were you waiting to see me, DaneT
"Id like to speak to you minute"
he said, 'when yop have time"
"All right. Go and change your
lothes first" he said.
She found the other girls on the
oint Of departure, But Edna offered {
o wait for her.
"No, you run along" Rose said. I've
ONE errands, and don't feel like see
az movie tonight, anyway"
Edna looked little odd about it, |
ut hurried along after the others.
A saleswoman--the same one the |
lanager had assigned to Rose, under \
le misconception which that smart 4
'rench ulster Of hers had created t
yhena she came into the stOre--now y
lme around behind the screen to Y
lther up the frocks the girls had shed. a
"Will you Please bring me-" said b