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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1903)
THE ILLUSTRATED IlEE. June 28, 1903. Kissing hint again, she tore herself away from hltn. "Send Armstrong to me," were his part ing words to her. Armstrong entered the room shortly after Frances had left It. "This will never do," cried the Boot claerlly. "The dot-tor Is In despair over the timo your sister spent with you, and he Is ut this moment chiding her. Me he has threatened with direst penalties. If I exceed a scant minute. So I shall Just luive to bid you farewell and be off, wish ing you quick recovery." "Armstrong," said the boy, huskily "My sister must tuke to the Oxford roud anil remedy my default. Will you be her comrade there and back?" "As faithfully as ever belted knight at tended fair lady," replied Armstrong, his ey.s suddenly abaze with Joy. "John will attend her, and I am sure your good sword will protect her if need be." "You may take oath on that." "I give you the pass which Is safe con duct for you both, and I think it will serve to cover John as well. If not, your own might shield him as far as Manchester." "My own will shield mo as fur us Man chester, and this will more appropriately, convey your sister and her servant." "Yes, yes. That, of course, as It should be. My head is spinning, and my thoughts ore astray." "After Manchester we will manage some way. He not uneasy about that. I give you the word of a Scottish gentleman I will care for your sister as if she were my own." Armstrong took the pass, which was now ominously stained red. He grasped his supposed friend by the hand and bade him farewell, and wished him quick healing Wentworth's throat choked, for a feeling of strong liking for the man almost over powered him, but a stlngling sense of his own perfidlousness held him silent. Ite mors was already biting worse than the wound In his side. The stranger turned for a moment at the door, waved his hand, and called to him to be of good cheer. A sob broke from the lad's throat, and weakly he cursed the exigencies of war. CIIAPTKD XIII. IleivHched. At 9 o'clock the next morning the girl, Armstrong and old John, her servant, rode to the south. Armstrong rode close behind the girl, nnd for an hour she never turned her head. At last lie pressed his horse How HAT becomes of the saleswoman you lay off in hot weather?" Tho question was addressed to the superintendent of the employed In a large department store. Hli W reply came without hesitation: 'Judging from present indications a large number will marry. It seems to be a marrying year. W-j have two booms in weddings each year when we reduce the force in midsummer and after the holiday trade begins to fall oft. This is easily ex plained. A girl naturally prefers to be married at the end of her business season rather than at the conclusion of her vaca tion, because, In the first case, she has wha lever money she niey have saved to spend on her trousseau- "Not that the girls we prefer to let out are always the ones who marry, but thoso who do marry leave vacancies for the less competent girls, who otherwise would be laid off. "One of the most complicated tasks that confronts a conscientious superintendent is tho arrangement of the vacation schedule. Some firms make this out exclusively from their own point of view. Others consult the employees, giving them the preference as to the weeks of rest suited to their personal or family conditions. The most pitiful cases we have to deal with are the men or women of family who cannot afford to take any vacation and are too proud to confess the fact. "Every firm of standing gives Its em ployes two weeks' vacation on pay, and if the force Is to be greatly reduced during the hot weather the less desirable em ployes are requested to take two, three or even four weeks more. "This naturally entails actual distress for the low-salaried girls dependent upon their own efforts, who can barely live on their weekly stipend. Thus It often happens that a girl who is reasonably sure of being laid off seeks other employment during the summer sensm. "Clerks seeking out-of-town employment may be divided Into two distinct classes the high grade, desirable saleswoman who Is eagerly sought by shopkeepers In fash ionable summer resorts, and who carries with her from the city a certain amount of trade and the girl who will accept a nominal wage for the sake of summering St some cheap nearby resort. "The first class includes clerks who can handle lingerie, neckwear, trifles for wom en's wear and smart adjuncts of the toilet for young society men, hair dressers and manicurists In fact, the diss that caters to the whims and extravagances of what Is known as the smart set. You generally find that these girls axs graceful, well forward and engaged tn conversation with her. Hut to all his inquiries she returned monosyllable answers, or none at all. He thought that her taciturnity arose from brooding on her brother's suffering, and wished he could call to his tongue some consolatory phrase, but his usually ready wit seemed to have deserted hltn. "This Is not unlike some parts of Scot land," he siid at last, in an Ill-fated at tempt to revive a conversation which he did not recognize as dead and beyond his power to resuscitate. Tho girl re'ued In her horse, and Hruce stopped through sympathy; old John halting, that the re spectful distance that he kept might not be decreased. Frances held her head high, nnd there was a sparkle of determination in her eye. It was best to begin right, and she would put this persistent man In his place, a task already too long delayed. And per haps the putting of him in his place would lessen the clamor of her own conscience. "Sir, did my brother tell you who I am?" she asked. "He told me his father was the late earl of Strafford." "Yesterday I was grateful to you for the aid you afforded my brother, as I should have been grateful to my servant If he had occupied your place, but I should not have forgotten the distance between that servant and myself. Strafford's daughter does not recognize you as her social equal. 1 ask you to take the position I set for you when I began this Journey." Armstrong's face became very red, and then all color left it as this pronounce ment went on. His hack stiffened and, al though he spoke with measured calmness, Uhere was a thrill of cold anger in his words. "I am William Armstrong of Ollnochle Towers, Lord of the Ijinds of Langholm, Dalbetht, Stapll-Gortown, Shield and Del blane. I can trace my lineage as far back as anv noble in England, and came to my anctstral thieves as soon as they. In courtesy we Armstrongs are the equals of any Knglander, and In battle we have never turned our backs on them. The castles of my clan line the Hiver Liddcl, and when I rldo with my friend, the carl of Traqualr, I ride by his side and not with his followers." "Sir, you overwhelm me with your gran deur," said the gM loftily, rejoiced to find herself In what promised to be a quarrel. Sho was human, and thought it would prove easier to rob nn enemy than a friend. "I thought the crowns of Kngland and Scot land were united, but I see I was mistaken. I travel with the king of Scotland, and he "Laid Off" Store Girls Spend Summer formed and pretty and they have a cer tain air of well-bred distinction that stamps the shop. "Itcgular cottagers at such resorts as Saratoga, Newport or Bar Harbor can tell tales of Cupid's partisanship of these same pretty clerks. Hardly a season passes that some scion of a wealthy family does not paralyse his family by falling in love with One of the pretty faces behind the count it of a summer resort shop. Some of thesa girls have social ambitions and are not above angling for a wealthy suitor. They live quietly, board at some well-known cottage, dress In quiet but elegant taste, and land their fish before the summer passes. "Kvery large city has Its cheaper re sorts, corresponding to Coney Island, where tiny shops and booths spring up like mushrooms. There are the lake re sorts near Chicago, Detroit and other in land cities. St. Louis and Denver have their parks, with Innumerable shops and booths, and a wideawake clerk can not only earn a small salary during the sum mer, but can increase her value to her winter employer by learning to cater to a more varied class of customers than she meets in the regulation store trade. "Between these two classes there is a smaller division composed of young men and women who regularly spend July and August at the seaside resorts, working for I. $10 or $12 a week. They might get plenty of work In town, because they are good salespeople, but they want to be at resorts like Long Branch, Asbury Park, Atlantic City nnd Capo May during the hot season. Their hours are longer than In town, but they have every other night off, and can enjoy the bathing, the board walk, the hops and other pleasures of a summer by the sea. You will And scores of them working as clerks at the smnll hotels. Some of them go back year after year to the same shops, the owners of which need extra clerks during what is known as 'the season,' July and Auguist only. "Another feature of shop life today which helps the poorer clerks is the employment of girls who really do not neod to work, but aspire to financial Independence. For instance, we have in our suit department two sisters whose father left his widow comfortably well off. The mother is n bit 'near,' as New Knglanders say, and the girls ask nothing of her save their room and board. They draw $15 and $18 per week respectively, and are excellent saleswomen, because they have an air of distinction which sells goods for us. They dress simply, but In good teste, and save their salary, so that, as soon as our best trade Is doubtless on his way to Oxford to con fer with his brother, the king of Kngland." Tho Indignant man made no reply, but urged his horse to the front, and she, see ing that Old John would approach no nearer, also went on, and thus the three kept up their new relative positions all day long. At last the nearly level rays of the sun glorified the towers of the old M nstcr, and the walled town was spread out before them. They came to Hootham liar, ami here, for the first time, a man-at-arms questioned their right of way. Armstrong Silently presented the blood-stained pass bearing the signature of the Man of Iron. "Kilter." The trio went up the clattering streets to a house of entertainment once called "The King's Head," but now named "The Fairfax Arms."- Armstrong ordered the best apartment for the lady and then made his way to a mercer's shop. "My garments," he si' Id, "are much stained and I would renew them. Hut I would have you garb me as a shepherd in yon rusty browns and drabs. Have you no clothing lit for a gentleman?" The merei r looked sharply at him, hesitating for a moment, and then, satis fied with bis scrutiny, replied: "I can show you some goods that you may buy at your own prices and also at your own risk." He brought forth from their concealment rich garments of cavalier fashion, which he handled as if he feared them. Tho gloom of evening was on tlic town when Armstrong emerged, brave in superb attire, with filmy lace fluttering at throat and wrist. He had not gone twenty feet before a stern officer planted himself square In his path. "Who are you?" came the curt demand. "A friend who has been looking for you. The shops are closing and I am purposing to buy a pair of pistols like the one whoso butt I can see in your belt. I may need your help to open a gunner's booth for me." "You speak lightly." "There Is need of that when It grows dark." "Fellow, you shall come with me and ex plain yourself." "Not so. You shall come with me and do my explaining. And as the day Is fading, read that while It still holds." Armstrong handed him the pass and the officer scanned it suspiciously. "To Oxford," he muttered. "If you are not on the road between Carlisle and Ox- falls off, they can afford to take a vaca tion. Last year they went abroad. They always take six weeks or two months, and girls who command smaller salaries and might be laid off during tho summer are retained to fill the places of these two sisters. "Milliners have the longest vacations. They are usually laid off on the first of June. But they need not be Idle, because Boon after this dato wholesale houses open their fall campaign. A good trimmer can always secure work in the wholesale dis trict until we are ready for her in August. A good saleswoman in the millinery de partment can also find employment among the wholesalers, who like a pretty girl to show off models and even to take orders when their out-of-town buyers come In. "We are always glad to give our em ployes an out-of-town recommendation dur ing the summer, not only because It re lieves the congestion In our own forces, but because travel, new trade nnd varied experiences usually broaden a young woman and bring her back to us in the fall a moro valuable clerk. Hut we do not like to have our young girls take posi tions in resorts like Coney Island. Some times they come back to us In a short time, begging for work and thoroughly dis gusted with the loose life led by the reg ular habitues of such places. Others do not come back at all, but And their way to tho stage of the so-called music halls which disgrace these resorts. You would bo surprised to learn that many a girl of 10 years or a little more, whose parents ought to know Utter, will consider it a veritable triumph to secure a position in a cigar stand or as the presiding genius over a Japanese bowling alley. "The shopper, with a mind Intent upon personal needs and bargains, seldom real izes the dramatic and romantic possibili ties of a big store like this, with its hun dreds nnd thousands of employes. Fre quently little stories come to light showing that more than mere bartering goes on across our counters. "For Instance, a good hand in the mil linery department is apt to be spotted by wholesalers, who are ready to talfe a little flyer into the rummer resort market. Many shops run at resorts during the sea son only are backed by wholesalers, or are In charge of women who work for them on salaries. "Only last week a salesgirl In our milli nery parlors, who has good executive ability, left for an Atlantic shore resort with a stock of ready-to-wear hats pro vided by a well-known wholesaler, who found himself rather overloaded when the 11 ford, you nre at least In the rostume foe the latter sink of iniiiuily." "Yes, and I have the pass to bring m there. Ui you dispute U!" "No." "1 am glad of that, for you would com Into collision with Oliver t'romwell If you did. Now give me your aid toward fire arms." Tho officer turned with him and walked down the street. leiit at the door of the gunshop and saw the desires of the stranger fullilled. Then he accompanied him to the door of the inn, bidding him goodnight and disappearing down the un llghted street. The young lady was partaking of the repast prepared for her In the private parlor set aside for her use, said the land lord In answer to his guest's Inquiry. On being shown to the door Armstrong knocked on the panels and was admitted by old John, who was In attendance. The girl looked up In no surprise, but gave him only scant greeting. "Madam," he said, with a courtly bow, "I crave your pardon for my unseemliness of temper. I am at liest but nn uncouth person accustomed to ordering my men and Inaecustomed to censure. I am no squlro of dames, as you have seen, but 1 am deeply grieved that I fell so far short of the courtesy which Is your dun and I trust that you will forgive my lapse of manners. He waited silently. Then, there coming no reply, he continued: "I had hoped that we might part good friends." "Part!" she cried In sharp terror, nnd her wide black eyes flashed full on bis. "I fear I overrated my power of serving you," be continued. "Manchester anil not Oxford Is my destination, and I shall make for that town tomorrow before you are nstlr. This pass is a most potent docu ment and will open every gate." He placed the paper on the table and bowed to withdraw. As he turned to the door, old John and the servants came In bearing dishes and the silvery voice of the girl rang out. "There," she cried. "Let us postpone this discussion until after supper. Sit down opposite me. Put this pass In safe keeping till 1 ask Tor it. You will surely not U no cruel us to desert me on the first stage of our Journey?" "Madam," said the bewitched man, "I shall do with delight whatever it Is your pleasure to ask of me." (To lie Continued.) .J season In town was past. "A Kill In our suit department with an cyo to the main chance has taken part of our summer stock, with a couple of capable dressmakers, to another resort, and will probably do well with her enterprise, The girls who are going with her to sew will have all they can do, for dressmakers are always in demand. They are planning to take alternate days or evenings off, and will no doubt have a pleasant as well a a profitable summer. "There has never been such an oppor tunity for tho girl of ability to get ahead. Capital needs brains, nnd employers need executive ability. "Occasionally rich customers take a fancy to clerks nnd give them summer pleasures. One of New York's wealthy women has several summer homes, and to one of these she sent a party of working girls for two weeks last summer, with a housekeeper as chaperon and nn ample force of servants In attendance. One of our girls was In the party and reported most delightful treat ment. "Girls who do office work secure out-of-town positions as clerks or bookkeepers la summer hotels. A girl who played In our music department last winter, 'demonstrat ing' the new popular music, will play for the hops at a small seaside hotel this sum mer. "You will say that all those girls are plan ning to work during the summer. That may be true, but you must bear in mind that a girl who works all winter on a paltry salary cannot afford to lay off many weeks In summer. Women are ph'losophlc crea tures, after all, and scheme to convert a change of work into a vacation. The girl who simply stands behind the counter dreading the day when she will be laid off Is not the girl who lands a summer Job. The fortunate girl Is the one that ever lastingly hustles, making friends among customers, employers and representatives of the wholesale houses, who are always on the lookout for an able young woman. A summer Job may lead to a better position with us in the fall, to an independent busi ness career, backed by some wholesalers who have the true gambling Insiict or to matrimony. J L' LILT VANCY." The Tables Turned "Who Is that crafty-looking man to whom Ms fellow citizens nre taking off their hats?" asked the baking powder drummer. 'That's Henry K. Rharp, the feller that passed a counterfeit $r bill off onto a clrcua man," replied the landlord of the Prunty town tavern. Puck.