Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-07-01
Then Comes
Tuesday
By CRAWFORD LUTTRELL


Now. Monday, as everybody knows,
Is the bluest day In the week, and
there was 40 exception to the general
rule in the case of Hart Meehan, al
though she had recently reached the
apex of her ambition by being made
head of the plece-goods department in
Bloomstein's big store on the avenu
She wal the first woman who had
V e had such an exalted position
there, and she had on the. great day
Of her sweet success felt that she was
the happiest woman in the whole wide
world. But on this particular Mon
day, although the sun shone and the
elusive fragrance Of spring was In the
air, Hart, trim in her chic blue trico-
tine suit and smart little hat with its
flaring wings, was subtly aware that
something had gone wrong, but she
was not willing definitely to define her
grievance ever to herself.
She looked casually in the attractive
windows Of Black & Sons just to see
what they were showing as specials
that day, and she was instantly con-
scious Of the fact that the ~well-knOwn
figure Of a man was there and thai he
was skillfully draping yards and yards
of f1esh-colored %georgette and con-
s%picuously displaying cards on which
had been printed the startling an
nouncement, "Georgette for Summer
Dresses-$2.50 a Yard"
Hart, thoroughly aroused over such
competition and what it would mean
to her own daily sales, stopped per-
fectly still, then moved nearer the big
plate glass window and peered through
1t In an effort to critically examine
the quality of the material. Georgette
at two fifty per yardi Why, any firm
would lose money on such a PROPOSE
ton. She was Ill business at that min
ute.
1t was only when the man turned
his head and saw her standing there
as If rooted to the spot that the u &c
cess or failure Of the piece-goods de-
partment at Bloomstein's suddenly
faded into insignifcance and Hart, in
stantly crimson. was conscious of only
one thing, and that was that big Bill
Maloney was looking at her out Of his
laughing blue-gray Irish eyes and nod
ding good humoredly just rs If he had
not taken the cold can dem0nstra-
tor with the blondined marcel out to
lunch without so much as a by-your-
leave from her when he 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 slen.
der well cared for hands, had kissed
their cool finger tips and told her that
some day they would be losing their
polish when she cooked and washed
dishes for him.
"T1i neither cook nor wash dishes
for any man." she had 'scornfully told
him, and Bill had stopped smiling for
a 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 at the entrance Of the store, where
he had always waited to take her to
lunch and to finish out their half-hOli-
day by going to a matinee t0getheI.
She had finally made her tardy ap'
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 e demon.
strator who had been holding forth
for six days in Bloomstein's. A bit
dazed, Hart watched them go through
the revolving doors into the smart new
earoom that had just been opened
across the avenue. She had then
rushed home in a frenzy Of indigna.
tion.-
Saturday night had come and gone,
An endless Sunday had somehow
dragged itself YEARLY to a close. And
nov Monday morning-with Black 4
Sons advertising georgette to sell at
q price below cost. It was true enough
that when 1t rains 1t pours.
Hart stifiy returned Bits warming
smile. although her heart leaped at
the sudden glow in his Irish blue-gray
eyes,.
Once inside the ornate doors of
Bloomstein's, Hart called for the adj
vertising manager and brusquely de-
manded that an east window be
cleared at once and a sign speedily
painted reading, "Georgette Reduced
From 81 to $685." The manager
looked obviously 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
filed 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
uart IN ono cida