The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-08-29
A Very Bad
Moral
Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa'
per Syndicate.)
By JANE OSBORN

Copyright 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa.
per Syndicate)
"Say, there's new efficiency man
and he's some LOCKER" commented the
tall brunette in the beauty parlor'' OF
Reeds dry goods store to the rather
shortish, rather blondish young woman
who was laying out her manicurlng
outfit at the table next to the tall
brunette's.
Charlotte Day, the rather blonde,
rather short, young woman, made no
comment.
Honest, he's stunning" went on her
companion. ST saw him when | went
up to the stock room for nail files just
now. He's the real thing, I'll tell you
none of your namby-pamby, pale-faced
floor walkers, either. He never worked
in store before He was a college
professor or something and went in
for this efficiency stuff. He's going
to give some talks on selling and
success at noon hour. You don't want
to miss 'em. The one today is called:
Know your customer You don't
want to miss it--he'S certainly
dandy-looking young man."
Charlotte snorted slightly as short
cut to express her lack of interest in
the new efficiency man in general and
his good looks in particular.
"Say, I'm through with this eff
cheney DOPE" she said. SEVER since |
came to this place two years ago I've
been listening to that kind OF thing.
The man they had before gave that
same idea of Know Your Customer.
/ was just young enough and foolish
enough to take it all in, and read
uplift talks in the paper at night on
Forging Your Way to the Front They
all give the same advice. They say
If you tend to your little job the best
way you know how, why some day
you'll be head of your department, or
maybe make a hit with somebody and
get married to someone who'll appre-
ciate how hard you've worked and
everything. Talk about knowing your
customers-don't I know every wart on
that fat Mrs. Peabody's old face? And
don't / know just how many double
chins that Armstrong woman has?
And talk about being diplomatic-'oh,
yes, Afndeed, Mrs. Armstrong, the facial
massage does make one dreadfully
pale. Not that you would usually need
any rouge, but after the massage I'd
better put on a little. Oh, I'm sure
you don't usually need it.
"And then this to Mrs. Peabody:
Just little of this tonic, Mrs. Pea
body. No, indeed, it isn't dye. But
| this new electric treatment makes the
hair look little dull and you really
need a little of this tonic to bring out
the natural color of the hair And of
course she knows and know that it's
straight walnut dye. And that's what
I'VE been doing for two years, kidding
them and studying them and saying
what they want me to. Where has it
got me? Yes, they smile at me and
ask for me when they make appoint
| ments-but catch them doing any
thing more. Why, to hear these eff
cheney men talk you'd think that they
were going to ask you home in their
| limousines and were going to introduce
you to their families and get rich hus-
bands for you, or that you were going
| to be buyer for the department or
something. No, indeed" concluded
Charlotte, rising and smoothing her
diminutive apron. I'm through. I'm
going to act just the way | feel like
acting. 1 have a feeling that it will
get me further than the other way"
So Charlotte abandoned her efti-
cheney methods and proceeded to try
different tactics. When Mrs. Arm
strong came she bluntly announced the
presence of an additional chin, and she
referred to Mrs. Peabody's hair restor-
alive as dye in a way that made that
lady blink with surprise. She told one
woman frankly that she was running
her hair having it waved so often, and
another that she would look far better
if she didn't get the expensive trans
formation" that she was thinking OF
buying.
Then a well-dressed young man
came to have his finger nails mani
cured, and Charlotte performed her
task with none of the customary play
of small talk that was calculated to
make the customers return.
allow do they iook?" asked the man
after Charlotte had put on the final
high polish.
eff you really want to know" COM
mented Charlotte, thinking only of her
resolve to be perfectly frank, Il think
they look like fury on a man. The
way they were when you came in is the
way man ought to have his nails
kept. Now they are shaped and point
ed and polished till they look like a
woman's. Somehow you're not the sort
or man that looks as if he would go in
for that sort Of thing"
Charlotte noticed the young mans
eyes studying her face.
"Still,' he said, "it is rather bad
business, it seems to me, for you to
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