The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-11
BY G. c. COLER


 Gee, you looked perfectly stun- ming walking down 5th avenue this morning" said the head milliner of Stones department store to her pretty young assistant Linda West. That new seal coat you were wear ing must have cost you plenty"
 Thanks, Miss Martin" replied Linda gratefully. You know, it took me two years to save enough money to buy that coat, and only for the depression prices 1t would have taken two years more, I guess"
 Linda's small salary could not begin to buy all the pretty things she longed for. Until recently she had been satisfied with bargain counter" dresses and cheap hose, but now it was different-She had a boy friend and must look her best.
 It took weeks and weeks to save enough money to buy 8 new hat or purse or gloves. It seemed that her whole life was spent waiting for, pay days.
 Linda, like all her companions at Stones, did her shopping in the basement of one or another of the larger stores. She wouldn't have known just how to buy except in a crowded bargain basement, where one could try on hats, dresses and shoes without being rushed into a sale. Besides, one never felt self conscious when lost in 8 crowd.
 One lunch hour she hurried down to the basement to look for gloves. Selecting pair, she stood impa- tiently, shifting from one foot to the other, waiting for a saleslady to ring up the sale. A. last, fearing she might be late, she thrust the gloves between her purse and mag azine and left the store without pa- ing for them.
 "Oh boyl" she sighed to herself, when she reached the street above. Why waste a perfectly good lunch hour waiting for someone to take your money, when you can get things for nothing?" She chuckled to herself. That gives me an idea"
 It was just as easy during an- other lunch hour to select a high priced hat and leave the old one in its place on the bargain table. No one would be the wiser until closing time, then who would sus- pect Linda West, the little clerk in the hat department at Stones?
 The attractively embroidered Bel field tag that was sewed in the lining of the new hat was ripped out that evening, and neatly sewed on the lining of the new fur coat, replacing the modest tag that read "Stone's," of which, the owner had been a little ashamed. She proudly viewed the completed job. "Ah, that will make the girls sit up and take notice; nothing cheap about Linda West - no siree!" The Bel field tag gave the fur coat an added value, she thought. At times when she walked proud ly down the street dressed in vari- ous appropriate accessories, she felt invisible fingers pointing to her: | she almost heard voices hiss, Sneak thief! sneak thief"
 Then she would recall the times at the store when she had seen
 young girls led up to the Gffice te
 be questioned, for stealing. She
 remembered how they had looked when they were dragged out and put into the police patrol. Then she pictured herself enacting such a scene; pictured her companions faces when they learned just why l she was absent from work. She determined to be doubly careful in the future.
 You must be working on a night shift some place, Linda," leased one of the girls at her table. "A new hat, purse and shoes-What do you do with your old clothes?" Linda blushed scarlet; her hands trembled. Those invisible pointing fingers were bothering her again. "Oh, one can always have charge account; and these days stores aren't so particular about a person paying promptly" she explained. Have you noticed, Linda, that the new fur coats have belts now?" asked Miss Martin.
 "Yes, I have" sighed Linda. That's another thing the depres-