Smyrna times., 1930-06-04
Her GirlhOod Dream
Fulfilled
By H. LOUIS RAYBOLD

- realize that, at the time he left
Dightonville for the city, he was
greatly looked up to by all the
small girls in town.
His reputation as the star foot
ball man on the local high school
team, the swagger way in which he
strode about the streets, his charm
ing profile as seen at the movies or
Sunday school entertainments, had
enshrined him in a dozen youthful
hearts, the most faithful of which
was Sally Marbury's.
Five years i'll the city modified
Bradley's swagger but did not
change his profile nor erase his
memory from Sally's dreams. Not,
however, that he remembered Sally!
Even when she was most worship
ing from the side lines or across
the aisle, he had been unconscious
of her very existence.
His success at football had not
followed him in business. One job
after another had been tried out
and he was embarking on his
fifth venture when the letter tell
ing of his uncle's sudden death
back in Dightonville reached him.
"Now he has left you,'' wrote his
old friend and lawyer, "the house
he was born and died in and the
store that gave him his living"
He got out of the DightonVille
train the following afternoon. His
throat tightened when he crossed
the threshold of the old white
house. After all, it had been his
home for years.
1t was when he went down to
the store, however, that he was
seized by an idea.
He hadn't made good in the city.
Suppose he took over this down
at-the-heels emporium with its out
of-date stock and cobwebbed win
dows and tried to maze success
of it.
To be sure, he knew nothing
about the dry goods business. He.
would have to have an expert
enced clerk.
Next morning there appeared in
the Dightonville Star an advertise
ment: "Wanted-A clerk in Rich
ards Dry Goods Emporium. Expe-
rienced only need apply"
That afternoon a special de-
livery letter reached him. 1t
read:
Dear Mr.. Richards:
81 am applying for the position
Of clerk in your store. CBy the
way, don't you think it would sound
more modern to call it a Depart
ment store instead of an Empo-
rium?)
IF you will hold this position
open for three days, or even two, /
will be at liberty and will call on
you.
Il am sure you are going TO be
a success.
yours truly,
IS. MARBURY."
That afternoon Bradley went
across the street to the one other
store in town handling the same
sort of stock as his uncle. Brad
ley's old classmate, Dick EndicOtt,
now owned and ran it and Brad
ley was anxious TO strengthen re-
lations before any spirit of rivalry
should affect it.
He was leaving, after a pleasant
chat in the office with Dick, when
he passed a strikingly pretty girl
looking up at him from her type
writer. Their glances met and the
girl blushed furiously.
Three days later she walked into
his store and applied for the job
as clerk. She said she was the
S. Marbury who had written TO
him.
But Bradley shook his head. I'm
very sorry" he said, and meant it.
but / don't want to start business
by hiring my neighbor's clerk"
For moment Sally seemed
startled. Then at a loss for what
TO say. Finally, Il was going to
leave anyway" she declared. MIR.
Endicott knew 1t. | assure you he
will be glad rather than sorry !"
Somehow or other, Bradley got
the idea from the tone Of her voice
that she had been discharged The
thought gave him a fellow-feeling
of sympathy. He had been dis
charged and knew how she felt. He
gave her the job.
In the few days that followed
Bradley frequently parted himself
on the back for having had suffi-
cient perspicuity to hire a clerk
with experience" Instinctively,
she seemed able to gauge the needs
of her townspeople and TO advise
Bradley in his buying accordingly.
But not until Sally had been
working for him for some time was
he able to pin her down as to the
extent of her experience.
They were standing one day in
the doorway of the store and from
some nearby garden drifted the
scent of lilacs.
How long" asked Bradley. "did
you work for Dick?"
She didn't answer for n minute.
Then, Three days." she said
meekly.
Three daysi"
"Oh, I'll explainl When | saw
your advertisement I made up my
mind to land the job. | hadn't a
speck of experience. but Dick mar
ried my cousin and ! teased him
into letting me work three days for
him so that technically l could be
eligible"
Bradley regarded her curiously.
How lovely she wasl But why had
she, an only child of a well-to-do
father, been so anxious to work for