The Bozeman courier., 1927-01-07

fear mixed with sullen qualification puz-
T %w6St 6O-S was Sai the trouble; Hilda?" she
"'HII HiIda shrugged. 81 hate that silly fool"
she said, and added more words to the
same effect.
"Don't talk like that"
Fire me, if you like" said Hilda. =! m
glad 1 landed her One," again reinforcing
that statement.
Hiida shook her head dumbly.
"Please tell me-" said Carolyn. LOOK
here Hilda; / know you wouldn't NIT
girl without some reason. What had sne
uVEE Clear hatred shot from Hilda's eyes.
"Made fun of me-
HiIda' "I know how she does it. She gets
the bows after her and then makes fun
of me. I wouldn't do like she does.
''When did she make fun Of your
"Sitting by the wall at a dance, last
night Did she think l was going TO stano
for that? She gets the man was VIII
and then makes fun of me. l know no"
she gets them," she seethed blackly.-
Carolyn looked Queerly at her charge
''YOu go back to work, Hilda," she said
finally. ''YOu mustn't let this happen
again-ever."
Hilda burst into tears.
''I didn't mean to hit her, but was
kind of sore and sick, Miss Hancock, anu
my hand just flew out: l never ana a
thing like that before. 1t was just last
SYou'n never do a thing like that again.
You got it out Of your system, nnlshed
Carolyn. 'I1l talk to Bella"
| She looked up in dismissal, ana saw
Lauren Bennett in the doorway, obviously
waiting to catch her attention. As H1lda
went out he strolled over to Carolyns
"You do have problems in here, don't
20, that was no problem" said CAROLYN,
coolly. "That was simple justice. You see,
one of the girls downstairs made run OF
Hilda because she was a wall flower-un-
kissed and sober, you knOw-and Hllua
gave her good slap in the face. 1t didn't
do either of them any harm: Anything l
can do for you, Mr.. Bennett"
Lauren Bennett looked down at the clear
business like face of the girl behind the
desk She had q beautiful skin and an
adorable nose, he thought.
Anything 1 can do for your" repeated
Carolyn.
''No-I was passing and thought you
might be going out to lunch" =,
81 always eat downstairs with the girls.
Lauren made an awkward retreat,
| What Carolyn said to Bella remained
secret, but Bella was back at work that
afternoon with still Redeemed cheek and
sulIen face, but controlled tongue. Miss
Jones noted the incident as an instance
of the skill of CarOlyn's work among girls.
She could manage them pretectly, ana
understood them so well.
Lauren ate at the Cascade restaurant
with the advertising manager, David Lam
sing. Lauren was Qualifying for assistant
sales manager as fast as possible, ana
worked closely with Lansing, who was a
lean, energetic little man Of thirty five
who lived by himself and read extensively
and nodded little figures out OF clay Tor
his amusement while all day he devised
schemes to attract the sated public eye.
Carolyn had not passed by unnOticed as
far as Lansing was concerned. They were
/, friends already and Lansing, as he half
admitted to Lauren, was trying to qualify
for a higher grade of feeling.
"She's a wonderful girl" said Lansing
isn't she?" Lauren agreed enthusias'
tically, without stopping to analyze the
length of time he had thought so. He
didn't know whether it had begun last
night at the dance when he had cOntraste6
, her with half drunk little julie Davies, OF
this morning when she had been so curt
5 with him. Clearly she was sore about thal
dance business last night. 1t was pretty
raw remark julie had made, but CarolyT
! hadn't looked like the sort Of girl whC
!; minded watching lot of fools dancing
She lOked superior. Personally Laurel
3 never danced with the girls he though
] the most of. OF course not. He danced will
e the good dancers, the ones whom ever!
! other man danced with. It was the thini
b to door at least so he had thought. Blu
this morning, with last nights dance yer,
S stale, he wondered being rather astut
/. youth, if it was hard on some Of thes
q he should have danced with Carolyn las
: night. He had tried to find her after tina
h ladies' choice dance, but she had gOn
d home and now he was permanently queere
Q with her.
: The more Lansing talked about her, tn
more Lauren felt he had played himsel
It a shabby trick. For though he was astut'
he was not clever enough to recognize tn
d signs of jealousy in himself or the fac faC
- that it was competitor which was maxim
! him feel so interested in Carolyn. Il
u measured himself up against Lansing. b
!, didn't have Lansing's brains, he admittet
X OF course, he wasn't bad to look at an
>, he could take care Of a girl and he kne
II he was decent-he stopped at that though
p 1t wasn't possible that he was takin
W Carolyn as seriously as all that.
% "There aren't many girls like Miss Hal
II cock" Lansing was saying, drawing a litt
- sketch Of Carolyn's head on the back
~ ~ the menu.
n That afternoon Lauren, coming out
a his uncle's office, saw Lansing bendiI
or over CarOlyn'S desk and reflected that tn
he fellow ought to attend to his work at tn
ne hour in the day. Later, possibly because
40 was hanging around the entrance, he sa
n. Carolyn and Lansing come out tOgeth
n, and go off in Lansing's old roadste
nt Neither Of them seemed to notice him.
1d He looked for Carolyn at parties aft
.e that for the next month, usually goiI
en- home when he found she wasn't there. Al
eft he came into her office on every pOssih
r. pretext and developed a great interest
of personnel work Carolyn was not alwa
. curt. He found she had a funny lit
- chuckling laugh and friendly glance th
Il could warm any one. Every one liked h,
and every one was always trying to G
her attention.
ii "Why do you never go to parties al
TX mOre?" asked Lauren one day.
Hi Carolyn looked away. The sore spot "
still there, and it was stupid Of Laur
to press it.
"Why should II"
''To. give some Of the rest Of US a go
III time"
She laughed ironically, not her comic
able chuckling laugh, and Lauren felt
barrier go up,
III 81 stay on my own ground now" s
II said 81 know when I'm safe"
"Come with me to the dinner dance NJ
week"
"NO," said Carolyn, ''I won't Look he
Mr.. Bennett, you're on the wrong ira
You like me here because there's nOthi
else to like. It's the kind Of backgrOu
that sets me off. But at a party, in or
nary society, with a lot Of attractive gil
I'm just nothing at all. dwindle out. I
body would be in the least interested
nj ho I