Evening star., 1922-07-31
"1'll Shop With You or For You"

" HE Hickville Pilgrims were
! still laughing at the story of
Merriam Lindsay's- umbrella
u when their spokesman, who
liked nothing better than poking fun
at the charming Mrs. Lindsay. raped
for order as he cried: "Oh- yez! Oh
yezi Oh yez! Is there anybody else
around hero that knows any moro
funny jokes about our Mistress
Merry"
"I dol" called Rose Lindsay, who
| was ordinarily super-shy in company,
| but who had become so imbued with
the gayety of the party that she was
| ment.
II know something that's about
John, too" She glanced sidelong at
her brother.
"Then don't tell it; it's probably the
only skeleton in in, our Sr, family cup
But Rose did tell 1t, her soft voice
| coming in breathlessly apologize
phrases, for she was embarrassed
at the many eager faces leaning
forward. They recognized her difh-
dence, and, except for her own fam
| ment they had not vouchsafed the
others when they were telling their
tales out Of school. They were really
quiet.
TITS something that happened the
first year that John and Merry were "sIt,
hated to go shopping. So she used to
jolly John into running all sorts of
errands for her"
John folded his arms and leaned
back to grin in anticipation of what
was coming. But Merriam pretended
ho nd
for a bag that hung on the back of
Roses chair. dug out crochet hook
and. though she didn't know how to
hold the needle even. pretended to he
engrossed in making lace. She count
ed stitches noisily. not the glib patter
of a real lace maker. but childish
singsong that mounted rapidly into
hundreds. But even this maneuver
did not distract the attention from
Rose.
80 John did errands and did errands
for ever SO long. even though he hated
notion counters and hosiery depart
| ments and samples just the way any
i man does. But finally he began to get
fed up with It, Which did him no
good at all when he tried to get out
Of 1t. for Merriam just gave him even
more errands to do"
Had to, to discipline him., Mer-
riam whispered, loudly.
Then we went down to visit them.
And while l was there l happened to
mention TO John one day that for
mer school teacher of ours who'd be-
come tired of teaching had become a
professional shopper purchasing
agent, / think she called herself-and
was doing awfully well at it. You re-
member Miss Gibbs?" She appealed to
some of the other Hicksville girls.
They groaned audibly for they very
much remembered the tall. severe and
not very prepossessing maiden lady
who had made their early school days
miserable.
We'll, old Gibbsy is making lots of
money just the same" Rose continued.
And she has a very distinguished
manner now. And she has advertise
ments in all those smart magazines
you know the kind-very discreet
ones that say. Chaperoning done:
trousseaux purchased: interior dec
Grating: samples sent; I shop with
you or for you
$50 1 cut one of them out and gave
it to John and suggested that Miss
Gibbs would be real help to him.
and he put 1t in his pocket and i'm
mediately forgot 1t.
Until about a week later. when
they met a very charming young Miss
Gibbs at a party. This young Miss
Gibbs wasn't any relation to our old
Gibbsy-probably never heard of her
but John eyed her over whenever he
saw Merriam looking" ~