The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-04-28


thia had to come home herself in her
junior year."
Had to? / thought she came be-
cause she was tired Of it,"
Elsie looked belligerent. Cynthia
never gives things up because she's
tired! If she did, she'd give this store
up in hurry. The way that girl
works" She caught herself up
abruptly, realizing how freely she had
been discussing her employer with
stranger.
That's all right" Geoff treasured
her. "I'm a friend of her mother. Tell
me more about the shop. If you don't
mind. I'm deeply interested"
"Why, you see, Cynthia wanted to
do something when she came back
from college. SO she started the Odds
and Ends. She had a little money
left her by her father-she put it all
into this shop. At first she did every
thing herself: had her lunch brought
& in, went without dinner until after
she'd closed up. Then business picked
up and pretty soon she asked me If 1
wouldn't like to help her. You bet
did, too," said Elsie with convincing
simplicity. "There isn't much
wouldn't do for Cynthia, If 1t comes to
that"
$50 the shop really pays for itselfT'
She gave him an odd look. sit has
to-" she said briefly. eff you know
Cynthia you know it's a live-or-die
proposition with her. She doesn't go
into anything lightly"
II should say not" Geoff declared.
"We've got to make enough" she
chartered on, ito see us through the
dull season that comes between the
tourist trade and the Christmas sales.
November is a total loss as far as gift
shops are concerned" Her eyes trav-
eled to banjo clock that licked on the
wall. "Cynthia'll be back any minute
now, and she'll tell you anything you
want to know about the Shop
Geoff said guiltily that he couldn't
wait; selected particularly hideous
and expensive ''desk set" and escaped
with it before Cynthia's return. His
purchase gave him some little trouble
before he finally prevailed on a wait
ress at the cafe where he ate his lunch
to accept it.
His visit to the shop had cleared
up one thing that was beginning to
trouble him. A dim idea that the fam
lily might be in some manner dependent
upon the profits from the Odds and
Ends had haunted him for several
days. But several things contradicted
that theory. Every month, for exam
pie, Captain Cary slit a certain gray
envelope and extracted a check.
Royalties from a little patent of
mine," he always said with open pride.
Sometimes he handed it to his daugh-
ter and bade her buy herself "some-
thing pretty" with it; sometimes he
tucked it away in his wallet.
Then, too, Miss Mona sometimes care
lessly referred to her husbands "es-
tate" That word meant to Geoff the
large holdings which had come to his
mother and himself from his father.
There was no evidence of want in the
house where he lived Miss Mona wore
the prettiest of clothes, the food was
abundant If somewhat plain, Cary's
'light-hearted Indifference to his jobs
did not indicate financial stress.
But still, Geoff told himself, that
might be the explanation of Cynthia's
penuriousness. He almost hoped it
was. He hated to think Of a girl
so young being so grasping. But after
his talk with Elsie he was more than
ever convinced that ambition combined
with stubborn determination to have
her own way was the motive back of
Cynthia's appropriation Of Tenny's
board money and his own.
you're a throwback," his mother
had told him more than once "Down
in your heart you disapprove of the
modern woman, especially the woman
in business. You'd like to have all Of
my sex dependent on yours for spend
ing money. Your idea of woman's
whole duty is making herself attrac-
tive to her man."
Geoff had laughed but he knew that
there was some truth in what she said.
Miss Mona came very near to being
his ideal of womanhood. She was
so gentle so sweet, so sympathetic. She
was feminine to her fingertips. with all
the little arts and graces of bygone
generation.
Miss Mona listened with f1attering
attention to what he said of his labora-
tory work, though he knew the chem
ical terms were so much Greek to her.
She was everything he had longed for
and missed in his mother, in short;
and the contrast between her and
Cynthia increased his antagonism
toward the girl.
"Darn it! Why can't she be like
Miss Nona?" he fretted. "She gives
me a pain with her checking up every
thing poor little Tenny does, her
cross-questioning of Cary, even her
implied rebukes of her mother! Fall
in love with her-rd as SOon-SOoner!