The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-11

the farm and she was the reason why Susie decided against going home. Martha was shrill and posi- tive and Q nagger. Her disposi- ton had not improved when pros perity went out the window. Susie could neither put up with Mar tha's tyranny herself, nor could she endure to Q daily witness to her fathers unhappiness. So she stayed on in hopeless apathy.
 It was in the early fall, Susie had lust passed her 23rd birthday, ale though, in her sagging maturity, It would have taken the family Bible to substantiate this fact, when the fates made their first definite move And even then no one could have seen that the move in any way con- cerned Susie.
 This first step took place in the office of Harker's department store, Chicago. Harker's, in the past five years, had steadily im- proved and was rapidly taking It's place as one of the leading em- poriums. John Harker, long a si. lent junior partner, had gained complete management of the store au the almost simultaneous deaths of his father and uncle, the staid, unimaginative senior partners. 1m- mediately changes began to occur at Harker's. A modernistic front, all cormium and bent glass, out dated fixtures replaced with the latest mode, practically all the stock dumped into @ modern, bargain basement. New branches with im- ported goods, the highest paid ad- vertising man in Chicago, the high est paid chef in the tearoom, the highest standards of merchandising In each and every department.
 For two years Harker's went monthly more deeply into the red while waiting for Chicago shop pers to wake up to the fact that the new store was ultra -modern, The tide turned slowly, John Harker and Clifford Kane, his ad- vertising head, watched each step. Now, after five years of ceaseless effort, Harker's had become the place to buy mink coats, Paris evening gowns, Irish linens, the accepted authority on hair styling and home decorating. If an article was nice, If 1t was exquisite and exclusive, Harker's had 1t and gradually profit to the owner had taken the place of loss.
 Perhaps, in looking about for strings to pull, the fates decided on John Harker because they knew he was e step ahead of his time, be- cause he obtained results with a bulldog tenacity without counting the cost. Whatever the reason, John Harker sat at his mahogany desk one morning with seevral leading magazines open before him. John was a handsome man In the late forties, 6 big man with iron gray hair, keen eyes and an indomitable energy. John was a widower, @ fact which had been carefully noted by many Chicago women, but which they seemed unable to do anything about. He had two fine boys in col- leke and -- he had vision.
 After perusing the magazines for half an hour he sent for Clif- ford Kane, head of the advertising department, and Jeff Bowman, Kane's promising assistant. They answered the call immediately, Kane, small and quick, Jeff Bow man big and rangy and red-haired, A slight enmity existed between the two advertisers, Kane ignoring his subordinate, Jeff eager and frus- trated.
 Boys" John Harker remarked when they were seated, "we're missing a good bet"
 What do you mean, Chief?" Kane asked, instantly on the de- fensive.
 Harker pushed the magazines across his desk. "These make-the- most-of yourself contests for home- ly girls" he said. "The idea is going over big in New York. Why hasn't someone in Chicago thought to do it? Why haven't you, for instance?'
 Kane glanced casually at the advertisements and articles, the letters written by unattractive girls, the before-and-after pie lures. Jeff waited patiently.
 . "The thing isn't plausible" Kane said at last. "Homely women