Evening star., 1928-06-21
They Call II Luck.


H EHTND her back the saiesgirls in
* s 'I ;s ss :sss;::a s:: 81 q !, is
bony red hands fumbling aWk-
wafdiv among the tiny party tavors.
Whenever there was a moments respite
from the demands OF Querulous CUSTOM
erS two or three titterlng young faces
clustered to share the sport. To each
alone it wasn't particularly funny Wneh
some one spilled an armful OF paper
hats or forgot TO punch the time CLOCK,
but together il was ,rreSlStibly comical
Gloria Smithers was conscious that she
was the butt of the section ana the un-
fortunate knowledge made her faltering
advances of comradeShip all the more
hidicruus TO her fellow workers. And the
pain of their sly rid!cule rendered her
doubly stupid. Just yesterday she mad
made out a charge sales Silp III her
caSh-book and was finally LET OIL by Mr
Cameron with the admonltion that If
it happens lust once again. young wom-
an YOU will be, dismissed" She could
still feel the ICY fingers of her shame
creeping around her throat. With work
so hard 10 get and her sister Liddy
needing the money SO badly for the
baby. she Shu6dered to think what the
loss of her place would mean.
BY noon her feet throbbed like pair
Of angry carbuncles and the vision of
the steak and potatoes she longed for,
instead of her meager sack of cheese
sandwiches kept floating before her
weary eyes. About half of the sales
girls were already at early lunch and
the rest of them busy when an agitated
f1oornian came briskly. followed by the
shrewish Mrs. Daniel Bates, who as the
wife OF the general manager of the
store was regarded as the ultimate hor-
ror in customers.
Miss Smithers. if YOU please! Mrs.
Bates is in a great hurry" With look
OF commiseration at the unlUcky Gloria.
whose Scrawny neck was ingloriouslv
turning a dull brickish hue. the young
man fed back TO his post in the main
aisle
What was 1t Mrs Bates was saying?
Something about tigers. Desperately.
Gloria tried 10 concentrate as her eyes
dumbly followed Mrs. Bates pointing
finger.
Haven't you something else in min
iature tigers TO use as table favors?
Let's see that one" The modiShly
gloved hand tapped inpatiently on the
glass show counter while the trembling
red one felt cautiously over the papier-
mache automobiles. biSQue brides and
groon1s. chocolate cigarettes and Sundry
other expensive frivolities toward tiny
gayly striped plaster of paris tiger.
"A dozen OF those will do-and
dozen of those small book nut cups
and. guess, dozen rose-painted place
cards. Send them by O'Clock to my
apartment. 1920 Magnolia street" Mrs.
Bates. with a disarmingly kind smile
concluded her order and added impul-
sively. You'd be lovely. child, if you
weren't so thin and frightened" Then.
as II remembering discipline. she ab-
ruptly turned away.
Blinking back her weak tears of
pleasure at the unexpected kindness.
Gloria reached blindly for her sales
book, knocking of as she did so the
little tiger. smashing it into hopeless
heap on the floor. ''Oh, dear" she
moaned. dropping on her knees beside
it, Took what I've done now. Well, it
can't be helped, I suppose. What per-
fectly rotten lucki" Getting up she ran
to the stock case to see how many Of
the tigers were left on hand. One. two,
three, four Oh. dear, only III What
could she do? There were no more in
the store, she knew. And Mrs. Bates
said they had to be at her apartment
by o'clock. Why, she'd have to hustle
now to make the 80 delivery. which
Was the last one to get them there on
time. Well, she'd be fred all right. And
how disappointed Liddy would be, when
they needed the money so much. ANY
way" she thought, 'if don't tell Mr..
Cameron now III have another days
pay before Mrs. Bates can have me dis
charged. Gee. It's shame TO spoil her
party and with her so nice and alum
less" Gloria, listlessly scanning the
shelves, caught sight Of few velvet
lions In neighboring cubicle. Unless"
she whispered, "a lion would I'LL out the
dozen. It's not 50 good. but it's at least
something like what she wanted" TAX
ing the II tigers, the lion. dozen nut
cups n the shape of small books, she
ne8itated What kind of place cards
was ii that Mrs. Bates had ordered?
Some kind of flower, daffodils or roses,
she felt pretty sure. Oh. dear, why was
she 50 tired and hustered that she didn't
have sense enough to write 1t down at
the time the way she was supposed to
6o2 Dadodils. she thought it was.
After the package had gone Gloria
felt as though her heart were sinking
like lead in her stomach. She remem-
bered now with CHASTITY clarity that they
were rose-painted cards that Mrs. Bates
had ordered. Luck certainly seemed
against her. for even IL Mrs. Bates
might overlook the lion, to have the