The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-07-03

you for last years record Of sales"
Mary Rose answered.
F1ossie raised her blue eyes heav-
onward. "Oh, Allah wonder where
Miss Mac used to keep Them" she
said, Honestly this job has my
goat. / don't know where anything
is. Come on, Alice, don't sit there
like a bump on a log. Help me look
for them."
Mary Rose stood in silence, and
watched the pair as they opened and
shut drawers h~elplessly. Suddenly
Alice looked up at her and gave a
shrill little laugh.
"I guess your friend, Manners,
won't show up in here again, for a
long time she giggled.
Flossie coughed warningly, but
Alice vent blithely on: HE came
up here the other day, and Flossie
began to kid him about the case he
has on youand jimmy. you should
have seen him. He turned every col
or of the rainbow. I all but broke
my fifth rib laughing at him"
She stopped suddenly, realizing
that something was wrong. For
Mary Rose had flushed and then
whitened, and in her colorless face
her eyes glittered like blue-black
diamonds. They met F1ossie's
angrily, but F1ossie stood her
! ground.
We'll, you don't need to look at
mo as If you could kill me-" she
said sullenly. you think it's ali
jake for you to tell me when. to
speak to Mr.. Dexter and when not
to! But if I dare mention your name
to anybody, it's a white horse Of a
different color, isn't it. Miss
Smarty?"
AT the sound Of her voice, all the
fury in Mary Roses heart died away
as quickly as 1t had come. For there
was a pathetic note in Flossie's
voice. She was like a small child
defending itself for stealing jam
from the cupboard. Aind after all.
wasn't that all she was, a small,
naughty child? How could she be
expected to know that what John
Manners thought of her was life and
death to Mary Rose?
ooh, Flossie." the older girl
groaned, how could you have done
such a thing to me? How can !
ever look John Manners in the face
AGAIN."
To think that Flossie had "kidded'
as she called it. about her! What
must he think of her? That she
had been boasting' to F1ossie about
his liking for her. of course, How
cheap she must seem to him
"IIl have to quit my job, now"
she made up her mind, as she stood
there beside the long table, trem-
bling all over with a sort of nausea.
Il never cal go on working for
him, after this. How common he
must think I am"
She decided to leave on the follow
ing Saturday. But on the next
morning, which happened to be
! Wednesday, John Manners went out
of town on business. He was gone
for three days. And those three days
settled things for Mary Rose. She
did not give up her job.
For she had never known such
loneliness as she knew for those
three days, while he was gone. The
office seemed a barren desert with
out him in it. And life, itself,
seemed not worth bothering about.
and if it's so awful not to see
him for three days, I never could
stand not seeing him at ALL" she
told herself Friday afternoon at
1ve-thirty, as she cleared her desk
and locked 1t up. II hope to good
ness, he'll be back tomorrow morn
ing"
She said goodnight to Miss Min
nick, and as she got up to go the
door Of the office opened and Doris
HING came in. She closed the door
and Stood, for an instant with her
back to it looking straight at Mary
Rose as if the two of them We're the
only people in the room.
MARY hose udQ the QuGoroSt Ioel-
ing that Miss HING had come to
see her. And yet that was absurd.
She had come to see John Manners,
Of course. But how strange that
she didn't know he was out of town.
She braced herself and went for
ward. May 1 help your" she asked,
and managed a smile.
why yes, thanks. will you tell
Mr.. Manners hat Miss HING is
here?' She smiled as she said lit, and
Mary Rose saw that she was not
so pretty as she had thought her the
first time she came to the office.
That time her clothes had helped
her, probably. This time she was in
plain sports things, and she wore no
fluffy fox furs and pale-pink rose
to set off her fairness.
Mr.. Manners is out of town.
Mary Rose answered, "he's been
gone since Wednesday morning."
Miss HING smiled again, showing
rather uneven teeth And the sun.
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