Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-05-24

had she-Geof would have liked to
believe this but somehow he
couldn't-had she known where to
buy it and done so because he had
spoken OF 1t?
Both explanations afforded little
satisfaction to the tall young man
who stood gripping the volume and
staring vacantly at Cynthia's clerk.
He came out of bis trance pres
emily, restored the book to its place
and went forward resignedly 10
justify his presence b, a purchase.
Elsie was busy, he was glad to see;
too busy to wait on him. That
spoke well for the business of the
shop.
Are you always as busy as
this?' he asked when she was free
to attend to him. She shook her
head. ITS the final squirt Of the
tourist season. People on their way
home stop In to buy souvenirs. I'm
just a clerk here. G. C. owns the
shop"
&C. CT"
Cynthia Cary Aylesbury. We
used to call her @. c. In high
school,"
you're a schoolmate Of hers,
them"
"0h, yes. | even planned to go
East to college with her but things
happened and | couldn't; and poor
Cynthia had to come home herself
In her junior year."
Had to? thought she came be-
cause she was tired of IT."
Elsie looked belligerent. "Cyn-
thla never gives things up because
she's tiredl If she did. she'd give
this store up In a hurry. The way
that girl works" She caught her
self up abruptly. realizing how free
ly she had been discussing her en-
ployer with q stranger.
That's all right" Geoff reas-
sured her. I'm a friend Of her
mother. Tell me more about the
shop. II you don't mind. I'm deep
ly 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 lit
tie money left her by her father
she put it all into this shop. AT first
she did everything herself. had her
lunch brought In. went without din
ner until after she'd closed up.
Then business picked up and pref
ty soon she asked me If | wouldn't
like to help her. You bet | did, too,n
said Elsie with convincing simple
ity. eThere isn't much | wouldn't
do for Cynthia, IL 1t comes to that"
$50 the shop really pays for IT.
self7"
She gave him an odd look. 1T
has to-" she said briefly. IF you
know Cynthia you know It's a live
or-die proposition with her. She
doesn't go into anything lightly"
Il should say notl" Geoff de-
clared.
"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 Travelled to a banjo clock
that licked on the wall. "Cynthia'n
be back any minute. now, and she'll
tell you anything you want to know
about the shop"
Geoff said guilty that he couldn't
wait selected a particularly hid
eous and expensive desk set" and
escaped with it before Cynthia's re-
turn. His purchase gave him some
little trouble before he finally pre-
vailed on a waitress at the cafe
where he ate his lunch to accept 1t.
His visit to the shop had cleared
up n thing that was beginning to
trouble him. A dim idea that the
family 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 example, Captain Cary
slit a certain gray envelope and ex-
tracted a check.
Royalties from a little patent Of
mine" he always said with open
pride. Sometimes he handed 1t to
his daughter and babe her buy her
self something pretty" with 1t;
sometimes he tucked 1t away In his
wallet.
Then, too, Miss Mona sometimes
carelessly referred to her husbands
estate" 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 prettlest of
clothes, the food was abundant If
somewhat plain, Cary's light-heart-
ed indifference to his jobs did not
indicate financial stress.