Nogales international., 1931-03-28
Tenth lnstaIlment

carrier her mother lazy WOIiiaH wig l'aS
seer better days." and her sister boot
5cgger's sweetheart who works in beauty
Carior. is stock girl in the MACK" stores
5he Five -and-Ten of San Francisco. A boy
whola she knows only as Joe Grant'
hut who is really Joseph Grant Mac
FsMack." is learning the business by start
tnq at the bottom. He doesn't like the
Job until he meets Maggie. And neither
Of them realizes that they are taihng IN
iove with each other, at hrst Joe is I'M
pressed, however, by Maggies intelligence
and eoodheartedness, and gives her advice
an fhe subject nearest her heart, how TO
Sive the ideal life She makes suggestion
DOR better way of selling certain lines.
He tells his father, as If it were his own
sdea greatly pleasing the old man. lie
finds that the girls he used to know don
;utercst him as much as Maggie does. ana
.xben Maggie discloses her love IN burst
OF jealousy, he realizes that he loves ner'
Zoe ;s afraid that If Maggie finds out who
he really is she will not have anything more
10 do with him. So he pretends that It IS
some other fellows car when he takes her
home in his big yellow roadster. AND on INC
xvav they talk, at last, about marriage.
Toe that night reveals to his father for
shS first time that he has been working IN
the store under an assumed name, ana Tells
him about Maggie.
"Joe, do you and your father talk
about things?" she asked, as II she
liked the picture.
"Not much. But lately we have
been. more" he answered truthfully..
Her ewes were flashing, and the
beautiful little face that had been SO
male when he entered was shining with
its loveliest radiance now.
Oh in
arms.
"Joe-dont"
'iMaggie-you belong to me. We
love each other"
Instantly the little arms went about
him, frightened, the small head, with
its crown of gold, was pressed, with
1i1e little loving, jerking digs OF
,I,ilds head, against his heart. Joe
kissed the top of her head and the
rosy ear that curving flament of
gold hair left free, kissed the eyes
ri,at were flooded again with tears,
and the sweet fresh mouth that was
ready. now, to return his kisses.
And to Ma was first announced the
engagement of marriage between Mary
Margaret Petheridge Johnson, spinSter,
and Joseph Grant. -.
In his mothers dressing room, be-
fore dinner, he had told his parents
the whole story frankly.
Mrs. Merritt took the successive
shocks heroically. Her son. working
in one of the Stores2 Joseph Merrill
a stock clerk? And in love with one
of the humblest of his co-workers?
All this had been before dinner.
Now it was late at night, and Joe,
coming in quietly from dinner and
cards with some of the members or
his own set, found himself summoned
to his mothers room again.
She was in bed.
"Sit down, dear. Sit here on the
edge of the bed, if you like" she said
comfortably, "Pve been thinking OF
your affair all evening"
i"Dad tells me that some man named
Baker or Bradley was going to Japan
for the firm next Saturday" she be-
gan again.
ooh, Brewer, you meane"
Brewer. Well, Brewer isn't going
In fact, he's leaving the Stores, | be-
Iieve. What 1 suggested was, that yo'
go for the firm to Japan. 1t woult
mean very sensible chance to wait
little. to get a new perspective on thl
engagement and this girl, and Dad
idea was that it would be very easy
way to break off your present rela
tionship with the Stores"
"Now, Joe, why not get your pass
ports, and take up Brewers tickets
in less than six days, you'd be at sea
and have time to think all this out, an'
get your mind cleared about it all
Tell your Mary Margaret that yo'
are being sent away by the firm
she's very young, she's extremei
young, and if-when you come back
you both feel the same way, there
be plenty of time to make plans then.
"You see, Joe. marriage is NOR
than falling in love, You want to b
proud of your wife, as the years 6
by. A girl who belongs to an entirel
different class of society not onl
makes her husband unhappy make
him the butt of ridicule and pity fc
his friends. but she herself is bitterl
unhappy too. She doesn't know ho'
to amuse herself, she has no rt
sources.
1t went on for a long while. Ar
for long while he listened. Then ST
said, more lightly:
Now run along to bed, dear. We'N
had enough of this for one day. b
to-murrow-think it over. It's lat
Joe. Get to bed quickly and go rigl
to sleep, dear"
He obeyed her as far as getting
bed was concerned.
But sleep was different matter.
Then it was Monday again, al
4here was pleasant fresh hustle
girls busy in the Mack.
The front door and the side do
were propped wide open, and fre
damp air blew through the place tn
would be hot and close and jaded
soon. Joe. on the mezzanine foc
stopped up there for minute al
stood looking down at the confus;'
and activity OF the store.
And presently, with ali odd, sha
twist to his heart, he saw Maggie.