The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-23
EUening Story
The Wav With Mildred.
BY JANE OSBORN

/ years. "Of course, Mildred Dean
makes sales. Neve- a day passes that
( she doesn't have two or three hundred
dollars worth of sales on her book
But that isn't good craftsmanship
not the way she does it,
Certainly not" agreed the angular
} Mrs Drew, who crowdeS many dia-
mond rings en- her lean fingers in
very much better days IT'S bad
policy, I say, to get hold of people the
way she does. She always spots a
woman who wants to buy-seeIns 10
have second sight that way-and once
she gets hold of them she makes them
buy. Treats every one diligently
Just according TO the way she thinks
they want to be treated With one II $
Yes madam and No, madam and
is there something more 1 can show
you, madam and with the next GUS
toner it's Well. now what can I do
for YOU, little girl p 1 call that sort of
thing undetermined, I do. But then.
that's the way with Mildred-SheS
kissed the blarney stone, all right"
There was a rustic from behind the
rack laned with a. rainbow array OF
new evening frocks that had formed
a background for the two disgruntled
saleswomen. They gave a startled look
at each other and then faced Mildred
Dean, the new eighteen-year-old sales
woman at Fordiker's, as she stepped
to view.
i am sorry she SAID u1uH
hear everything you said but 1 heard
a Little. I think it's awfully helpful
finding out what other people think
about you-because it's sometimes so
hard to discover your own faults"
well. we cont mean to hurt your
feelings, I'm sure" admitted the old
timer, Mrs. Brown. 1--WE worked in
this place long enough to know it
doesn't do any good to start row
with the other girls But I'll tell you
A
lot of US girls are sore because you
make so many more sales than we
do. You pick all the customers who
intend to buy and all We get is the
women who are looking around I've
broken my back today showing dresses
to lockers and haven't made a single
sale. It's second sight with you, I
guess, knowing how to spot an honest
to-goodness customer"
I'm sorry. really am" stammered
Mildred Dean. II thought that we
were all out to get the most sales we
could without eaEy interfering with
each other She paused. I'LL tell
you what I'll do-after this I'll tell
y GU when I see a woman that looks
as if she meant to buy. And I'll take
the Ieftovers. I'll just make it my
business to wait on all the people you
think are hopeless. I'm the newest
girl in the department, so that
wouldn't be unfair" This seemed like
4 E6aSOndDl6 enough anu
Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Drew accepted
it, not feeling that they were in the
least imposing on Mildred Deans good
nature in so doing
Several times that day Mildred
made signs to one or the other of her
associates, to indicate that she
thought there were buying possibili
ties in the women who were entering
their department. However, Mrs.
Brown and Mrs. Drew did not find
g.
than the ordinary. unassorted run of
of other days.
1t was in the middle of the follow
ing morning that a woman. strikinsly
tall and broad, steered her way into
the department. Her clothes were
shabby and bore the stamp of fashions
long abandoned. Added to this, eyes
that were sharp and piercing showed
from behind thick lenses of magnify
ing glasses. A slender young man of
about twenty years was in her wake
- obviously her son. Mrs. Brown
looked at Mrs. Drew and shrugged
her shoulders. Mrs Drew snickered
behind a hand raised to her mouth.
Both looked at Mildred Dean.
Il guess she's yours" said Mrs.
Drew to Mildred.
She'll keep you all the rest of the
and won't spend a nickel"
was Mrs. Browns comment.
Il don't agree with YOU" said Mil
customer who looks if she'd buy. I
think this woman is a good prospect. |
I'll take her if you want me to. but
according to my agreement yesterday
shouldn't"
AS neither Of the two veteran sales
women stepped forward Mildred ad-
vanced- More than ever before in her
brief career as saleswoman she was
at a loss to know just how to approach |
the prospective customer.
w +Ia E,-5r
Mildred did not let the fact that she |
had old-fashioned, ill-fitting clothes |
convince her that she did not intend |
to buy or that she was lacking funds. |
rs there something I can show
you?" she asked, with one Of her most
engaging smiles.
The woman stood for a moment |
seemingly gazing at Mildred thru the |
lenses of her heavy glasses; she said |
and the young man at her |
side, nudging his companion, an
swered: Yes. she wants to see a coat |
or cape or mething-something /
smart and snappy." The slender young
man beamed upon Mildred and the |
stout woman shot him an angry |
glance. On second sight she looked |
ounger-perhaps she was actually |
the wife of the slight young man. At /
any rate, there was some friction be- |
tween them whenever the young man |
looked approvingly at the young sales |
woman which he did frequently. Mil |
ired came very near to being ratified. |
1t was distinctly difficult to size up |
the woman under such circumstances. |
However, she produced several !
wraps and cloaks of different styles /
and hung them on a clothes tree be- |
fore a long pier glass
Don't you want to try them on ?" 1
she said. But the stout woman NUT |
tered that she did not.
"Capes ought to be very becoming. |
You are tall enough to wear them" |
Obviously the stout woman liked nat |
-ery for her expression appreciably |
so Mildred tried again:
1T is such a pleasure to wait on |
any one with such a stunning figure /
we'll"
The slender young man was appre-