Nogales international., 1931-03-11
Fifth InstaIlnlent

aSs;gned TO work as her helper in the stock
room. He seems rather dumb, but Maggie
helps him through his first day at the store
and shares her lunch with him in cubby-
hole of place that belongs to mattress
factory next door to the Five-and-I en-
They are looking over some cheap picture
cards. One of them has motto that strike
Ataggies fancy. The way to begin tn the d'at ldeat
tlat and Joe is surprised that the girl has
higher standards than he had suspected
When he goes home that night he is think,
ing about Maggie. And hls home is S tnS HTme Tnns
Cent Stores, though Maggie does not suspect
that he is the boss son.
Maggie, at home, begins to suspect
that her mothers complaints are due 10
upon material things, while at the store
she continues to surprise Jos. by her ap-
probation of the realities Of life.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
"k. lot of it's bluff" he said carr
lcssly. But he liked her blind admlra-
ton, nevertheless. -,
Does your mother work" she
asked him one day.
"My-?" He started, considered.
"Not now," he said. "She split a
Board the other day" he said, after
thought.
Maggie saw nothing unnatural in
this. She visualized sturdy, bare
headed old woman helping with the
family supply of kindling. 80,
"What does your father do, Joe {"
"The only real work Dad does nov
is on a golf course, at country club,
Toe answered scrupulously.
"a gardener? she asked, widening
her eyes. "a caretaker?'
1t was shame to tease her, but then
she was such a simple little dumb
bell, Joe reflected. Grirny little tace,
gritny little hands, mud-coloured apron,
and boots size too big.
Maggie was talking. =,
q but she was quite swell.
/ She didn't have much money, mind ju,
but he did. Mackenzie was in the
business then, an they say he named
his son for him"
There was familiar ring about
these facts; could she possibly be
speaking of her employer and OF his
father?
-. hat on earth are you taking
about" he asked blankly.
MERRILL she answered readily.
Mackenzie was the brains, they say
he was the Mack but he's dead.
But Merrill is the soul of honour, and
he not only has the faculty OF drawin'
good men about him, but he has made
small fortune out of the Mack, took
care of most of her family, an has
KEEP sev'ral of her relatives out of Jail
for what they done profteering in war
time as well y
Joe was staring at her, oddly, a
slow smile spreading on his face.
Who taught you that piece"
"Evryone knows that"
"Is-that-so?" He grinned. Rela-
tives of his mother kept out of Jail,
eh? That was probably Uncle Irv-
ing and young Irv.
He looked at her, musing in his
turn.
I'D like to walk Maggie in on the
old man some day-or better yet, walk
him into the store and introduce Mag
gle as the fine, independent girl he's
always talking about" Joe reflected.
I'D say, You keep suggesting that
l get out somewhere and meet real
girl-well, she's real, Maggie. And
she's going to step right off the floor
OF the Mack into the position of your
only daughter-in -in-law 7"
81 might bluff it, anyway" his
thoughts ran on. "Maggie'S such a
little sport, she'd enjoy playing the
part. She'd make up for it and carry
it off like Comediehne
But he couldn't play any games with
Maggie. The poor kid was falling in
love with him fast enough as it was.
'It's probably her first crush" Joe
thought watching her not without a
sort of generous pity. She'll have it
bad. But it won't hurt her, it never
hurts anyone"
She was far enough from any ap-
| probation now, at all everts, as she
chartered on of everything she found
interesting, sometimes making him
laugh, sometimes-oddly-giving him a
prick behind the eyes that owed it.
self to a very different sensation. Mag
gle had never thought of love, for
herself.
Her own affairs, indeed, were en-
tirely secondary.
But she betrayed herself to Joe
with almost every word and glance.
'I'll tell you what, joe l like you
better than anyone else except my own
famlyw
Don't like me as we'll as your sis
ter, huh?"
"Well, like some things about you
as we'll as I like anythin' about Liz, I"
she might finally decide.
The little figure drooped against a
length of drab-painted brick wall, the
small, hard-worn hands were clasped
in one of her rare moments of idleness,
and her absently staring eyes wore an
unusual expression of sorrow and
doubt. Joe's heart pricked him.
Il hope you're not beginning some
thing that you can't finish. Maggie !"
~ 4 n.