Nogales international., 1931-04-01
Eleventh InstaNment

''Secn better days, and her slstel ooot
Ieceer's sweetheart wko works in beauty
narior. is stock girl in the MACK" stores,
The Five-and-Ten of San Francisco. A boy
whom she knows only as Joe Grant'
hut who is really Joseph Grant Mac
Kenzie Merrill, son of the owner OF the
Mack" is learning the business ~ s'ai :.
ing at the bottom. He doesn't hke tne
lob until he meets Maggie. And neither
of the,n realizes that they are falling IN
love with each other, at hrSt. Joe Is M
dressed, however. by Maggie's intelligence
and eoodhearteducss, and gives ner aoVice
.on the subject nearest her heart, how TO
live the ideal life. She makes suggestion
for better way of selling certain lines.
Te te!ls his father as if it were his own
idea. greatly pleasing the old man. lie
finds that the girls he used to know don
Interest him as much as Maggie does, ana
,hen Maggie discloses her love in a burst
" ;caIousv' he realizes that he loves her,
Ice is afraid that if Maggie finds cat who
he really is she will not have anything riiote
some other fellows car when he takes her 1tsr
home in his big yellow roadster. And on the
way they talk, at last, about marriage.
Toe that night reveals to his tatEer Tor
the first time that he has 6een ~0anint tsils IL
the store under an assumed nafhe' dao 'eil'
him about Maggie.
Toe's mother has him invite Maggie to
= 6ne dinner party at a fashionable res
Faurant There Maggie gets her trst
,ntination that he is something besides
boy in the store
NOW co ON WITH THE STORY
Quiet! He had never seen he. SO
oriet She had conquered her hrSt
suffocating rush of shyness, she was
sitting erect, and when he or his
mother or father spoke, she answered
Her look told him that he had be-.
trayed her, delivered her, Bound and
HELPLESS, to her enemies. L trusted
vou-I loved you when you were a
shabby, dirty errand clerk, beside me
IN a cheap store" said Maggie's eyes,
"and all the time you were my en-
blowers son, ready to make tun OF
me, ready to shame me-when your
moment came !"
She helped herself, awkwardly, TN
familiarly, to food, when 1t was pre-
sented at her left elbow on the big
matters. But he noted with real
nang of shame and concern that she
hardly touched it. :,
"Would you ask the help if | could
have some more water sne sax
once. And Mrs. Merrill said qult,t
audibly, if in an aside, "Oh, priceless !
Toe looked down, his face dark,
SMother-" he murmured, chok
ing.
A faint smile touched the Older
womans painted mouth, and she SAX
araciously: Il beg pardon?"
Water to Miss Johnson, Mrs
Merrill said, annoyed. 1t was tht
walters business TO see that tbs guest.
glass was filled, but Mrs. Merrill lei
illogically irritated with the guest Wh'
had had to call attention to the onls
sion.
And fork, please" Maggie added
She said it so low, with such EN-
barrassment, that nobody heard 1t.
"And a fork, please, Maggie re
peated, auGibly now.
"a fork fer my fish, she said, clear
ing her throat. "And a fork-whll
you're up" go,
"While you're up" Mrs. Merrill
lips twitched, as if unwillingly. He
sardonic, triumphant glance, as 1T ms
Joes wrctched, defiant gaze, expresse
a certain reluctance to laugh at his ur
fortunate little humble friend, but a
inability to resist the tremendor
temptation.
In such a situation as this to-nigt
she could score. Not very clever, n!
really a gentlewoman, she was stl
enough of each to snub and suppre'
Maggie Johnson. She enjoyed tt
chance. To feel herself this girls S,
perior, to cut her easily and careless
in a bored, beautiful, cultivated voif
gave Lillian Merrill real satisfaction
She had been, as girl, OF tn
miserable and superfiuouS class know
as shabby genteel.
At twenty-five, Lillian was shar
eager, beautiful, hungry. She tt
upon George Merrill with avldity;
was a comrnoner, but he was rich.
He was the first real man she h;
ever met, and to- her own surprise al
confusion she had come to like HI
very mitch, to feel a strange loyal
and admiration for her cominont
His indifference to her tamilys idea
and opinions was-well, simply Dreat
taking
In the more than twenty years
their marriage, George Merrill n
changed her somewhat. He was
good, simple fellow amazed at |
own success, proud of his wife, ado
ing his boy.
It was at about this time, when
her frightened eyes and nervc
voice, and by the two scarlet .spt
that blazed in her cheeks, Maggie
gan to show the effects of the surpr
and the strain, that George Merr
suddenly took a hand in the conVer'
ton.
He had been an almost silent spec
tor, so far, watching his wife and
son shrewdly, sending an occasion
glance toward the girl.
"You work in the Stores, M
johnson" =,
an Number Seven-on Eighth. Y
sir"
"How long have you been thei
You don't look old enough to hs
been there very long?"
The kind, deliberate voice stead
her. She breathed easier, looked h
in the eye.