The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-06-02
Eoening Story
Then Comes Tuesday.
BY CRAWFORD LUTTRELI

-
Now. Monday. as everybody knows.
is the bluest day in the week. and
there was no exception to the general
she had recently reached the apex of
her ambition by being made head of
the piece-goods department in Bloom
STEMS big store on the avenue.
| She was the first woman who had
ever held such an exalted position
there, and she had, on the great das
of her sweet success, felt that she was
the happiest woman in the whole
wide world. But on this particular
Monday, altho the sun shone and the
elusive fragrance of spri2g was in the
air, Hart. trim in her chic blue tri-
cotine suit and smart little hat with
| it's flaring wings, was subtly aware that
something had gone wrong, but she
was ont willing definitely to define her
grievance even to herself.
| She looked casually in the attractive
windows of Black & Sons just to see
what they were showing as specials
thai day, and she was instantly con-
scious of the fact that the well-known
figure of a man was there and that
yards of flesh-colored georgette and
iconspicuously displaying cards on
which had been printed the startling
announcement, "Georgette for sum-
mer Dresses-s2. SOFA Yard"
| Hart. thoroly aroused over such
competition and what it would mean
to her own daily sales, stopped per-
lfectly still, then moved nearer the big
plate glass window and peered thru
| it in an effort to critically examine
the quality of the material. Georgette
| at two fifty per yard! Why, any firm
would lose money on such PROPOSE
ton She was all business at that
minute.
1t was only when the man turned
his head and saw her standing there
cess or failure of the piece goods de-
apartment at Bloomstein's suddenly
faded into insignificance and Hart.
instantly crimson, was conscious or
only one thing. and that was that big
Bill Maloney was looking>sat her out
tof his laughing blue gray Irish eyes
and nodding good humoredly just as
lif he had not taken the cold cream
demonstrator with the blondined mar
eel out to lunch without SO much as
a by-your-leave from her when ne
pretended to love her and had asked
her to marry him.
| OF course, she had refused him
again only two nights before, but Bill
had never taken her at her word, had
always laughed and lifting her
| slender, well cared for hands, had
kissed their cool finger tips and told
| ing their polish when she cooked and
| washed dishes for him.
I'll neither cook nor wash dishes
| for any man, she had scornfully
told him, and Bill had stopped smil-
| ing for minute and then he had
| turned away and had run down the
| boarding house steps just in time to
catch the last car
That had been Friday night. Satur-
day noon she had fingered in the rest
rooms at the store so that she would
| not appear to be too keen to meet Bill
7 he always waited to take her to lunch
and to finish out their half-holiday
by going to a matinee together.
She had finally made her tardy APP
| pearance only to have the very breath
in her throat choked back at sight of
Bill walking jauntily off beside the
loud, dizzily blond cold cream demon
| strator who had been holding forth
for six days in Bloomstein's. bit
dazed, Hart watched them go thru
the revolving doors into the smart
new tearoom that had just been open
| ed across the avenue. She had then
rushed home in a frenzy of indigna-
ton.
Saturday night had come and gone.
An endless Sunday had somehow
dragged 1ISelI Woarlly 10 u CLOSE. Anu
now Monday morning-with Black &
Son advertising georgette to sell at a
price below cost. 1t was true enouh
that when it rains it pours.
Hart stiffly returned Bits warm
ing smile, altho her heart leaped at
the sutkd en- glow in his Irish blue-gray
eyes.
Once inside the ornate doors of
Bloomstein's Hart called for the ad-
vertising manager and bruskly de-
manded that an east window be clear
ed at once and a sign speedily painted
reading 'Georgette Reduced from 81
to $3.50" The manager looked dubi-
! ously at the trim young figure of the
new department head, but went
| obediently about the task.
At 1890 Bloomstein himself came
down from the office, swearing softly
at the crowd of bargain snatchers
that filled the aisles and swayed
| hungrily over the counter toward the
slim young thing who had heroically
made such blessings for them possible.
In no uncertain terms Bloomstein
called Hart to one side.
What do you mean, young woman,
losing money for me like this? Was II
for this that We promoted you? You
| will ruin mel Georgette at two
,thirty-nine a yard and women willing
to pay me-anythingi" His gesture
was one of hopeless greed and despair.
1--WE done nothing of the kind. u
snapped Hart What If we are los
ing eleven cents on the yard? I've
advanced prices on every other bit of
piece goods here, and when get Gus
TONERS in here buying georgette. don't
you think I'm salewoman enough to
sell them something that will more
than cover the loss, and in fact make
you about rs per cent profit II you
don't like my business methods, say
sol I'll resign this morning"
, We'll, there's some sense to what
you say. I apologize
She went back to the clamoring
throng.
and entered the smart new tearoom,
where Bill had taken the Amazonian
blonde two days before. She did not
| In H. lao ha1f