The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-10-26

DIG Ldu Hdu one year III COlle2e
and she had taught herself how to
use the typewriter. She might have
got some sort of office job, or man.
aged to find employment as a gov
erness. But somewhere she had
heard that there were golden oppor-
tunities waiting for clever girls in
department stores. They became
buyers, drew enormous salaries,
wore lovely clothes and went to Eu-
rope.
But after a week at the ribbon
counter at York's her aspirations
toward a buyers career were be-
coming a trife dimmed. Clever
though the ribbon buyer undoubted
ly was she was more than clever
and Hortense felt that the other
traits had more to do with her sue
cess than cleverness.
Still, Hortense was not entirely
discouraged. She kept her bright
blue eyes open-did her best to
make a good sales record and
racked her brain for bright ideas
which being communicated to her
chief might lead to promotion.
GIVE had bright thought" said
she one morning to another girl be-
hind the counter. 81 think I'll tell
Miss Gray
The other girl looked at her with
mingled contempt and amazement.
Don't spill any of your bright ideas
to that hyena," she advised. "If
it's any good she'll swipe it, and
the chances are it's no good anyhow.
New girls always have bright ideas
for a few weeks. You'd die if you
could hear some of them"
well, this really is an awfully
good idea," Hortense defended her
self. but l won't tell Miss Gray
if you think she'd swipe it. I'll go
right to the seventh floor with it. "
Such a notion was manifestly too
absurd to bother to protest, so Miss
O'Brien went right on arranging the
counter display. Being extremely
green Hortense made her way, past
various outposts, directly to the door
marked Mr.. Oliver York, Private.
Mr. Oliver York, son of the founder
of the store, was a person whose
name was usually not even men,
toned above whisper bymere sales
girls during business hours.
Hortense stood in the broad pas
sageway outside the door, and five
minutes later when it opened and
genial-looking, tall young man
emerged she went up to him with
out embarrassment and said:
"Is this Mr.. Oliver York? Well,
I'm a salesgirl in the ribbon depart
ment. And I've had bright thought
I want to tell you about"
For a fraction of minute Mr..
Oliver York looked dumbfounded-
possibly annoyed. But glance into
the clear blue eyes of the unembar-
raised young woman before him al
tered his feelings. He glanced
quickly up and down the passage
way, saw no one, and with courtly
bow opened his office door and asked
the girl to enter.
$50 you are working in the ribbon
department, he said-and then
thinking of a problem that had been
discussed in conference that morn
ing he forgot all about the bright
idea the girl had and asked her why
it was that the personnel of the
sales force changed so often.
And so it began. Hortense did not
say that the personality of depart
ment heads and buyers possibly had
something to do with the matter. In
fact, she offered no solution to the
problem. But it wouldn't have
mattered if she had-because Oliver
York was gazing into the sky-blue
depths of Hortense's eyes and some
where out of his past reading flashed
the line: "None ever loved, but al
first sight they loved"
Il came up to see you to tell you
about bright idea I had-for sell
ing ribbons" said Hortense.
But Oliver, remembering that he
had a twelve o'clock engagement
downtown, had no time to waste
1t was important not to lose an op-
portunity to see those clear blue eyes
again. "You keep your eyes open, u
he said, land meet me tomorrow
say at four. We can talk things over
might meet at SANKEY'S for tea
I'll have you excused. Now must
hurry Off"
well, did you tell 'em about your
bright idea?" asked Miss O'Brien,
when Hortense returned to her post
after her very brief luncheon.
mo-" said Hortense with a twin.
kle in her eyes. "Mr. York had ar
important business engagement
But he asked me to have tea with
him at SANKEY'S tomorrow after
noon"
Miss O'Brien laughed approving.
ly. This new girl had a sense Of
humor after all. But later in the
afternoon when the buyer, bearing
an office communication in her hand
snapped out to Hortense that she
would be excused at half-past three
the next afternoon, Miss O'Brien did
feel a little puzzled.
Two days later Miss O'Brier
greeted Hortense with a grin.
well, did you tell Mr.. York your
| bright idea7D sha asked