The Sunday Oregonian., May 21, 1911, SECTION SIX, Page 4, Image 72

JpSnreri
How These Women MaKe Good in Places
Held in the Past by Men Intuition Helps
Them Manage People and to Get the Most for
the Least Money Achievements of Some
Local Buyers.
T hu bon only short time since
I the spot.lcht of public appreciation
an! curiosity haa ben turned 00
wvmea trercftnt th buyers far d
. pertinent atore. Twenty yeaxe ato
latr were no women buyers: today
they are e Irr port ant a factor as
vo,ta In ur thsr line of work and
the.r epoch taM J jt be can.
At first, dwq h.a ail the responsible
jvoett. rs In tie stores an J trn on
ef the lee Important places as clerks.
f fculonaJj a woman wouM be!p
man l-t a:"Hl. That aa iirp
tlonaJ. but it was how she aol her
opprttxiil;y. Of late the women are
oiijtln c the mn from ttietr plc on
e. Mr Tsy maiie up a Urc me-
Jority of th c;era, while many of the
4rs tf'parttneats are man aired and
tne srola bouc.'.t bT them. Thy seem
to He rrtl-ti!r!y fitted for (he trade.
Intuition h'pa Ihera to manere po
yle and to jprt the most out of them
fir the -. money. Above a.l they
lava a keen tnaicht Into what women
want. The mt strlktajr nampln of
womn buyers are the purchasers of
thtnss fr women surh a cloaks and
suite, iriillnery. rortftj. and trie like.
The amount of a buyer's salary Is oas
way f Rhovlnv her worth by hr Arm
and thMr salaxl rane from 9.09 to
t;i.Oo a year. avrdinar to the s!se of
the etoiea and tue buyer's particular
'value.
la lrtiand there are 1 women bay
era Too wt.f tin. I them la most every
department: cloaks and salts, corsets,
tnlilinery. lac a llrtlr.. e it-embroideries,
plctnr. Jewelry, neckwear, no
r(r, 1c facte' wear, books, leather
aooi, drusrs. one manages a popular
ta room. Mowt of thea women make
at least two trips to N'-w York each
year, while some iro to Farts tn order
tat fher may purchaae their merrhan
cltao from the very center of fashion.
Wlwre Women Win On I.
In each store the members of the
firm are lood In the praiae of the
hrewdncits mi three' women In con
ductlnic bulne,' It Is the opinion of 1
tnany that within the next 29 year
women wtll be buyer of ail aroods
worn by women and also be manufae- j
turers if women's wearlnsT appareL
Tw notable Illustrations of the I
adaptability cf women to the trade la'
e.iown by two of the srreateat mer
chants of oir time. First, the woman
who owned the Hon Marche in Farts,
the Tarveet department store In the
world. rarrytn from 80 to 10.00 em-r-toyeo.
This woman's husband died
when he was quite yoanc She took
over the business and made a tremen
dous surees of It. Before her deatb
aha formed a corporation and put the
btielneas Int It hands and thus It
stands today. Second. Is the wife of
the late owner of the "Bo ton Store."
In rhl tfn. She was formerly an em
PT V. F CHASRo
IN flfty-cls-ht years the establish
ment of J. Illrks. licensed Pawn
broker, had suffered many chana-ra.
generally for th worse. Its neigh
borhood had degenerated frero smart r
spertablllty to unabashed seedlnesa.
Th one oignlfled reserv of Its cur-
t.in"! windows Hicks had been
banker by proclamation In the begln-
rlns had given p:a. to th cheap al
lurvmnts of unredmed pledges,
frankly cfTered for sal. Within, dirt
and darav had mad their horns la
r.ry corner of Its neglct4 prroie.
(n thins; aloa had changed for th
better. Hicks himself bad been modu
lated by th great composer. Tim, from
a particularly vuie-mr. slf-aertlv
vouneT man cf Into a veteran of
Insular iraUnrH ami benlanlty of
aspect. lar.y due. It must be owned,
to a patriarchal beard, th most suc
cessful advertising meilium th buxlnea.
had vr known. 8-en through It
highly refracting nvrci'im. as through a
masinlfylng rlaaa. the smaileirt idrinc-i
vm4 aaunlDcnt. and th moat usur
ious rate ot inter.. t loomed up as ben.
f.rtl 'na through Its d--ctlv mlit.
la t yar muy thing had corns
Into the Int. shop and gon again.
Irv an, I Joy and death and blttrie.,
and ple!fs Innumerable, waning with
th year, from the dlaltv of watche
aoj vfvMlnir ring to tt e 1- gradutlon of
Eat-lrocs and th bl blankets. A wir
had been gtv.a Into bis car for a
reason, at om rr!l of Providential
unthrtft. but ha.1 been redeemed again
l.i da time, and taken out of bis
stricken haa!. A eon had com to
him In th ways of lire's business. A
bad loan. tUm and one that had cost
Mm dax. Vet. now that h too was
awn, th father would bav mad an
van mors liberal advance to have him
back. And It had somehow gradua.ly
come about, through some resultant
t.lat In th old man's mind. that, la a
g.aeral war. h preferred his pledges
tt his monev. that he relinquished
them often with mantfeat regret, and
the certain Immemorial Itenia of col
lateral uprn bta shelves, representing
money hop.!e.a'. y lout to him. had b
o'Ei Bverthiea th scare of rro
fcund satisfaction.
Su.n was No. J31 as It stood en
tered upon hi book.
Commercially regarded. No. 831 was a
green sii'a umbrella with a heavy metal
i.andl of considerable Intrinsic va'.ue;
sentimentally. It stood f -r Hicks' oldest
and dearest friend: psvcholoKlraliy. It
supplied him. other motives being lack
ing, with something to live for.
Its history was a almpl one, but of
quit exceptional Interest.
It had been pawned ons morning tn
th early years of his business llf by
a respectab'. elderly gentleman, who,
after some haggling, accepted for It the
sum ef four dollars. With this sum
and th customary ticket, he went out
of Hicks' establishment, and was never
citti seen thers or lsew-here.
.Nearly a year from th data of this
, transaction, and just before the zptra
' t'on of th term of th loan, a young
run had turned up. sad had Inquired
nh evl.l.nt anxiety regarding the
- i isd uiubrwUs. m AsscrlpUoa was 1
ploye tn the r Jo-re department of the
same store. From the day of her wed
dine she kept tn close touch with her
husband s afTalrs. A few years after
the marriage he dl'd. leavlnc her tn
f Mil chart of fcls enormous business.
Hr lucrrii haa been marvelous. Hli
baa extended the business and doubled
the Income.
Ajjutht-r case showtnc women In
manufacturer lines la the case of the
two women buyers from a bis; Chlrnita
house. They became tired of working
for their firm and determined to buy
a business of the:r own. They went
to New York and boticht out a small
underskirt manufacturer by the name
of Alaioney. In few years they have
become known from coast to coast and
many la rare stores all over the country
buy underskirts from these women.
Knotty Problem to Mvt.
It la hard to appreciate the icops of
the woman buyer's work, for ahe Is
beset by difficulties on every band. In
our srreat-sTrandmotherr time. II a
merchant bought a si -a k of shawls and
tier did noy sail well that year he
would not worry for sooner or later he
would dispose of them. Not so with
the merchant of today, for If she buys
suits to sell the followlnc Sprlna they
must be sold the faliowina; Sprlna or
not at alt. The suits ie buys this
Sprlnc may have extremely short Jack
ets and tlsrht skirts a 3d by tiuromer
lotLa" coats and pleated skirts may be
In vostue. On every hand she must
meet the demand of fashion. The prob
lem In her mind la to buy aroods ffcat
she can sell and ft the money out of
before the public la railing; for some- 1
thins; entirely different. On the buyers
rest the whole responsibility, for they
t irlven full authority In selecting
merchandise. They must take It as
seriously as tf their own money was at
take.
Ml.-a IxIa Bernard, a cloak and suit
buyer In one of Portland's lars;e de
partment stores, haa the distinction of
being one of the first women buyers
tn the United State. When she first
began buying she was a curiosity to
the trade and she was pointed out In
the sample rooms and the hotels as a
"woman buyer. Miss Bernard stood
her ground from the first and she
proved to be of superior Judgment than
many of the men buyers.
Chaninc Old Mc-risods.
It bad been the custom to take the
aulta aa they fonnd them. Buyers
would select a great many of a certain
style or some of each style. There
were two classes of buyers the one
who plunged on a certain line tn the
hope that It would please bis trade and
the one who took a little of each sort,
and thereby secured a mediocre assort
ment with no particular mode to show
distinctness of style.
But Miss Bernard and the first
accurate, and Hicks had no difficulty la
Identifying the article, and no reason
for denying Its possession.
"it Is most Important." said tne young
man. "for for family reasons, that this
article be redeemed. There Is no ob
jection. I presume, to my paying the
loan and Interest, on behalf of my my
relative, and taking the property out
of your hands.
"Non whstever." said Hicks, "pro
vided yon have th ticket."
"Surely that t. unimportant." urged
the stranger, "ao that you get your
money. Suppose ws say double the
amount, by way of penalty for my
carelessness In having lost the ticket.
"That won't do." said th broker.
"Supposing It turned up?"
"Hut It can't turn up." Bald th young
man earnestly. 1t Is at th bottom of
th sea with th man to whom you
gave it."
"How can you prove that to me
al, Hicks. "No. no. rr.y friend. I must
have my ticket."
"But the thing la worthless I will
pay you tn times th loan to safe
guard you against any claim twenty
times! (iood Cod! he cried excitedly,
"I must have tt. man: more depends
upon It than you know."
Hut Hicks was obdurate, and the
stranger, after having exhausted bis
stock of argument, entreaty and pe
cuniary temptation, finally went away.
VYhn he had gone, the broker took
down th umbrella from Its shelf and
examined It with a new interest. It
was an excellent umbrella, solidly re
spectable as to handle and stoutly
erireab! as to fabric, yet scarcely
deserving th valuation th young man
had put upon it. Lwubtless Its valu
was sentimental merely: and yet the
claimant had been strangely eager.
Thar was some mystery about It. Well,
la & days It miut be solved, for If.
a the young man had said. Its owner
and the ticket were both at th bottom
of th sea. the umbrella would become
his when the loan mat'jrei.
But the nukttsr turned out by no
means so simply. Two days before th
loan matured, the young man returned.
clearly fortified with a better knowl--
edse of the business and of bis powers
and privilege, paid the Interest on
the loan for another yev. and thus re
newed the matter for that period. Hicks
accepted the money with an o.l.l sense
of defeat and discomfiture, and when
his visitor had gone awuy with Ins
receipt he ajcaln took down the um
brella, spread It. and. seating himself
beneath Its superfluous shade, pondered
deeply upon Its mystery, but to no
sort of satisfactory result.
"At least." he said to himself as he
closed and replaced lt.v "possession Is
nine points, even If he has scored one."
In 11 months more, just as Hicks'
Imagination was beginning to hover In
close circles about his mysterious
pledge, the young man again returned
and renewed th loan as before, after
again trying vainly to negotiate Its
surrender. In another twelvemonth the
earn performance took place, and again
at the fourth and fifth anniversaries of
the transaction. Each year Hicks' visi
tor looked thinner and mors careworn.
snd his argument grew more languid
and perfunctory: but If his pursuit was
lass s-er It was not lsa persistent.
tiik stctdat otiegoxiax roinxArD, mat 21. 1911.
ae rc hanfc5 In Portland
it1 f : W I f . . - is v' '." . " '"r
omrn buyers did not fallow the
method of former buyer. "Look here.
they aald when they wer rerlewlnir
th samples dUplayed on moIoIn. "that
I s, very a-ood looklna; coat, but ths
skirt will not do at all. Maka us an
other skirt and we will tsks certain
number of tliewe.
This was yrrry startllns; to the sales
men, but what could they do ? Indeed,
there Is" such an air of finality about
statements made by women of this type
and they understand their business so
thorourhly that one ran only acquleare.
They tolerate no arguments.
The corset buyer haa a colloasal task
In these days of slender Azures and no
hips. She must entice her customers
with all tn latest devices for reducing
the Beure, she roust persuade them that
bar corsets can produce the sylph-Ilk
form now demanded by faslilon. That
no longer means that a g-lrdle will sup.
plr the demands of the stout and thin
alike. A corset Is a Tory Important
garment In a woman's wardrobe and
must be selected with the prreateat care.
The buyer or her assistant must per
sonally conduct all flttlna-s. In each of
the lanre department stores a woman
handJes the corset question success
fully. They are Miss Kstelle Kitchen.
Miss KUa Hob lie and Miss Nellie
Mlnoa-e.
Mis Hobbs Is really buyer for two
department, corsets and underwear,
as Is Miss Nellie .Ml nope. That each of
these women handles two departments
Is really remarkable, tor both depart
ments are larpe and difficult ones.
Underwear Is a changeable- as suits
and cloaks, for skimpy petticoats must
be worn with skimpy skirts, while del
icate laces and hand embroideries come
and fro with each new s;ust of fashion.
Making Good From Start.
'When Miss Hobbs be can to buy for
her store, she was really taken as an
experiment, as the members of her
firm were rather skeptical about the
capacity of women buyers. Her de
partment grew so rapidly that at the
end of the first year the firm was
amased. They sent a telee-ram to the
and each annual recurrence of the date
found him promptly on hand to protect
his mysterious Interests.
Between whiles ths pawnbroker
never saw him or heard from him.
but there was scarcely a day that he
did not think of him and of his pur
suit, and scarcely a week that, in an
ecatary of baffled curiosity and greed
- for to his Inflamed Imagination the
simple gamp had become the key to
treasures untold he did not take down
the article and re-examine It. rap It.
sound It. rattle It. feel Its fabric Inch
by Inch, and, upon occasion, curse its
silent secretlveness In good set terms.
Its metal head was large and heavy,
solid, apparently, to all tests that he
dared make, and cast or carved at the
top Into th semblance of a grotesque
head, with staring, deep-set eyes. Cut
or otherwise Invsde the substance of
stock or handle he dared not. as
matter of professional scruple; and
finally, noting that his frequent hand
ling was causing signs of wear, he
was force for the same reason, to
deny himself altogether the futile
pleasure of touching It. save upon rare
and eagerly anticipated occasions But
he hung It on the wall above his desk,
and there It stood before him day by
day. a beacon and a goal, a beckoning
hand, a bow of promise. Twice he was
sick to death, but they brought the
umbrella to his bedside, and he
straightway got well. He came back
forlornly from his wife's newly made
grave and sat down before his tails
man. and was presently consoled. His
son robbed and shamed him. but he
knew a way to be heartened and up
lifted. The Infinite possibilities of the
umbrella spread themselves abov him
and shielded him from the storm of
circumstances.
Thus time went on, the young man
still coming doggedly year after year,
every season oMer and grayer, soon' a
middle-aged man. by and by an old
man, older than his years, shabbier
than once and feebler, but still un
failing tn patience. He was always
safely In time with his payment, but
occasionally a little later than usual,
because, perhaps, he hsd to journey
far, or because money was scarce, and
ne nan trouble to get even the Door
sura needed to protect the pledge.
Meanwhile the broker lived In a state
of eager anticipation, the more con
trolling that It was utterly undefined.
Kacn year was to him a crescendo of
hope, ending in sharp disappointment.
His Ufa and Its affairs went on merely
as the left-hand part or accompani
ment to me air provided by the dis
puted umbrella.
Thus more than half a centurv went
by, and as the SSth anniversary of
wnai nan now come to be the chief
event of his life approached. Hicks felt
a livelier hope than usual stir within
him. His annual visitor had seemed un
usually feeble at the time of his last
visit, and the chance that he could
have survives: appeared comfortingly
remote. A conviction that at length
the mystery of so many years would
be somehow revealed to him pene
trated the old pawnbroker's mind, and
as the critical date approached he felt
an almost youthful eagerness of an
ticipation. As a rule his visitor had
turned up a day or two earlier than I
store In the Middle West where they
had secured her services. . It read:
"ff you have another Miss Hobbs.
send her at once."
Now this store employs twice as
many buyers ' aa any other store In
town.
When I spoke to Miss Hobbs about
her marked success."Bhe said. "Oh. you
see I am a crank on corseta Therein
lies the socret of a success In any line.
What woman In Portland does not
know Miss Minoge or Miss Kltchln or
Miss Hobbs? They have overcome the
difficulties of multitudes of worried
women, and like the fairy godmothers
of old. given them their hearts' desire
a trim figure.
The Art of Selling- lists.
In th millinery departments the
search for fashion has no limits. It
takes a keen merchant, a successful
speculator, and withal a particularly
snrowa inaiviauai to nanaie nats. jaiss
Bertha Wagon blast haa all these re
quirements. She haa Increased the
business in her department decidedly
slnr going Into It. She had been buy
er In a wholesale house before taking
her present place. Her personality is
pleasing, she haa an easy manner and
a very direct one. I waited while she
discussed sailor hats with a salesman.
Her conversation was short and to the
point. When ha was dismissed she
turned to me.
In tares minutes she had told me
what I had come to find out, given me
the requested photograph, and If she
had added. "That small white hat does
not become you; you should be wear
ing this large black one Instead." I
feel quits sure I should have had the
black at any cost. There la such a
nice air of directness about her that
smoothes all difficulties away.
Art embroidery la a very Interesting
department and Is usually handled by
women. Miss Jean Milne has charge
of one of these departments. She Is a
Scotch woman and learned her art In
Scotland. She came to Portland about
10 years ago and went to the store
where she Is now buyer as clerk. Her
JttZ -
strict training in Scotland made it
easy for her to work to the head of
the department.
Mrs. Anna Dltmar Is another buyer
of art embroidery. She haa a particu
lar ability that finally brought her Into
her present work. Formerly a book
keeper, she always possessed a rare
talent for designing embroidery pat
terns at which she spent all her spare
time. Some one became Interested in
her and helped her to secure a place
In a needlecraft shop. From there she
came to her present poeltlon. She Is
devoted to her work and says she never
wants to girt It up. Mrs. Dltmar Is
one of the three married women buy
ers of Portland, and while she admits
that ber work is fascinating yet It does
not take away her love for home.
Following Fads and Fancies.
Novelty jewelry makes up a very
important Item In the finish of a oos-
turns or the setting off of a hat. Take
for example the fad for coral this sea
son and the beads of all sorts. The
buyer of novelties has all these fads
to consider.
Mrs. A. E. Roeslter, who has been In
one store for 1 years. Is a buyer of
novelty jewelry. She began as a clerk
and worked up. At present she buys
all the novelty jewelry, besides the cut
glass and table silver.
A woman who la particularly fitted
for her department Is Mrs. Anna Older,
a buyer for Infants' wear. Her success
has been easier because she Is mother
of two children and customers find In
her a sympathetic adviser. When she
first took charge of this department
It occupied an obscure corner of the
store. Now It occupies a good part of
one floor.
Subtleties of Xeck-wear.
Miss Lillian North, a buyer of neck
wear, must take great chances In se
lecting her stock, for nothing changes
style as abruptly or as often as neck
wear. She must know months ahead
whether the public will demand sailor
shape collars or mannish tailored ones;
TI4L ABSORBING ACCOUNT
OF A HARD BARG AIN .
whether customers will call for Irish
lace or Persian silk.
Pictures are a more staple article,
and Miss Isabel Oilbaugh, a Portland
girl, has made them her study. She
has been In this department for six
years and has served as buyer for four
years, which is looked on as pretty
rapid climbing.
Another Portland girl who Is now a
buyer Is Miss Leone Webber, head of a
big drug department. She Is a gradu
ate of the Oregon Agricultural College
Pharmacy department, and has been
out of college six years. Unlike most
buyers she can select most of her mer
chandise at home, yet she must make
at least one trip a year to buy import
ed perfumes and Christmas novelties.
Embroideries and laces require
thought and decision before being
bought or the merchant stands a good
chance of having to sell them for less
than cost to get rid of them. I found
Miss Fannie Hauley going about her
task very amiably, although she ad
mitted some of the buyers suffered with
"nerves" after a hard season. Miss
Hauley also is a Portland glrL
Miss Rose Cox. tn the lining depart
ment, told me very modestly that her
department was small compared to
millinery and some of the others. Nev
ertheless, her department was - very
busy and it struck me that a great
many people considered it highly im
portant to have linings in their dresses.
She had the right kind to draw them
there.
Miss Mabel McCleary came to Port
land from Peoria last June to take
charge of the leather goods for her
store. She has not always been a buy
er. She began working In stores at
the age of 14. and as she Is a very
clever girl she understands her business
thoroughly by this time and is a suc
cess. Selecting the Right Books.
The realm of books Is ruled by Miss
Kate Armsby. "Of course, no depart
ment could be more Interesting than
mine," she- told me. When I asked her
was necessary, but this year he had
not appeared on ths morning of the
final day.
By the terms of the loan the owner's
rights expired at noon, and as that hour
approached Hicks took down the um
brella with an unsteady hand and de
liberated upon a plan of investigation.
He had amply provided himself with
tools, and only awaited liberty to use
them.
One.' Two! Three! Four! Five! Six!
Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten! Eleven!
Twelve!
Hicks had selected a cold chisel from
his layout, and was poising a hammer
to strike, when a shadow fell upon his
desk, and a familiar voice said:
"Yes, you've beaten. I haven't the
price. I've tried hard, but when one
hasn't money to pay for food, even big
ger things must go."
Hicks paused in his work and looked
at his visitor. He was pale and emaci
ated, and could hardly stand from
weakness. What little life was left
him burned liufels eyes, with which ho
eagerly devoured the article the two
had so long contended for.
"Let me show you," he said. "There
Is an easier way."
He took the umbrella from Hicks
and. Inserting an awl in one eye of
the carved face on the umbrella head
with this leverage easily unscrewed the
top, to the pawnbroker's amazement
and disgust. The cavity thus discovered
contained only a piece of folded paper,
yellow with age. Upon this Hicks
pounced with a kind of whine of ani
mal greed and satisfaction.
But the strangers' hand fell upon his
with an energy of which his feeble
body scarcely seemed capable.
"Don't touch it!" he cried. "For God's
sake don't. It is nothing nothing to
you; to me It is so much. No." he
urged, as Hicks strove to withdraw his
prize. "Not yet, at any rate. Not until
you have heard my story."
He sank into a chair, his hand still
grasping Hicks' 'wrist, and went on
passionately:
"It belonged to her father this urn
brella. He was my employer, and a
rich man; and I loved his daughter, and
she loved me. But he found it out. and
forbade me his house forbade me to
think of her. But I wouldn't give her
up. and she wouldn't give me up. and
so we used to write one another every
day, and send the letters back and forth
In this umbrella handle. The old man
always carried it. wet or dry. and I
used to watch my chance during the
day and unscrew the top while he was
out of the office, and put In my letter,
and she did the same at home. It
seemed a great joke then to make him
our postman. -"Good God! What a joke
It turned out."
Hicks sfbwly withdrew his hand,
leaving the yellow paper between them
on the desk.
"Business went wrong," continued
the stranger, after a pause. "The old
man got involved worse and worse,
tried the wrong way out of It, and had
to skip. He realized on everything he
had even this, as it turned out and
left between two days, taking her with
him. They sailed for South America
on the Ginevra you remember she
was never heard from never even spo
how she knew what books to select.
shej said: "Naturally one must read a
lot;' I must know my authors. But first
of all, I must konw what my trade
demands."
Mrs. J. B. Spencer manages and buys)
everything for a popular tea-room.
She has been prominent In women's
clubs and women's affairs ever since
she came here. She was a very suc
cessful housekeeper,, so It is not sur
prising that she knows what to put
on the menu to please and refresh tired
shoppers.
When the buyer has completed her
quest of fashion and merchandise and
has started safely homeward, she has
by no means finished her task. It has
just begun.
Handling the Selling End.
There are the Spring and Fall open
ings to think about. She must present
her new styles In the proper way to
her customers. They must be lured
with "sales" to get them into the store.
The goods advertised must be actually
shown, must be fully as good as boast
ed. She must have suitable names for
all the new shades; there must be
"Alice" blues, "Helen Taft" pinks, and
"coronation" purples. Besides, she must
see that she has efficient saleswomen
to help her sell these goods.
It Is the most efficient of these sales
women that develop Into buyers for
promotion arrives at no one point of
the compass, but comes through hard
work, pure merit, shrewdness and tact.
The clerk who does not stand and pat
her false hair or talk to the next clerk
about the "swell" man she met last
night, but the one who helps her cus
tomer select goods and Is patient and
Interested, whether the customer is
elaborately or shabbily dressed, that is
the clerk who will be the buyer of to
morrow. She gets the best training in
the world as to women's needs. So It
is reasonable to expect more and more
women buyers each year, as the depart
ment store owners predict.
LOUISE BRYANT.
ken. And never a word from her it
was all so sudden I knew that but
something might have been done I
couldn't understand. I guess I went
pretty near out of my mind. My body
Just went round without me, somehow,
for months, doing the old things with
out my knowing anything about It,
when all at once I thought of the old
'umbrella route,' as we used to call it.
It was a chance. Perhaps she didn't
have any other. All their things had
been scattered by sale, but I hunted
and hunted. There were a hundred
chances that he had taken it with him,
but I took the one that he hadn't. By
and by I thought of the pawnshops, and
went the rounds. I guess yours was
about the last, and when I got my
eye.3 on the old thing, it was like com
ing home. But the ticket stuck me.
and I couldn't tell my story to such a
man as you were then. You've changed
a good deal in 58 years."
He paused, and looked longingly at
the letter.
"That's what I wanted. I knew It
was there. Her last letter to me. The
last one she ever wrote. It made me
wild at first to think that If I could
only get my hands on the thing for a
minute. I could have it out. But you
never let me touch it. What'd you
think tt was money?"
Hicks nodded.
"Money!" cried the other. "I've want
ed money pretty bad, but never the
way J wanted that letter. But I couldn't
seem to tell at first, and by and by,
when I got to know It was there,
waltin' for me, it didn't seem to mat
ter much, so that I could keep It safe.
And I have!" he cried. "And here
It Is."
"Fifty-eight years," exclaimed Hicks.
"You damned old fool! Why didn't you
tell me this 58 years ago?"
And pushing the letter toward his
companion, he turned away.
With a little weak moan of satis
faction the stranger seized the paper
and carefully opened It.
It may have been five minutes before
the old pawnbroker ventured to turn
and look at him.
Ho sat just as he had left him, hud
dled together in his chair, the letter
In his hand, his chin on his breast
dead. (Copyright by the Short Story Publish
ing Company.)
Righteous Indignation.
(Success.)
. "So you want a divorce, do you?"
said the lawyer, peering over bis
glasses at the worried little man in
front of him.
'Yes. sir. I've stood just about all I
can. My wife s turned suffragette and
she Is never at home."
'It is a pretty serious thing to break
up a family, you know. Con t you
think you had better try to make the
best of it for a while? Perhaps it's
only a passing fad."
"That's what I have been doing, But
there are some things a man can't
stand. I don't mind the cooking and I
haven't kicked on washing the dishes.
but I do draw the line at running pink
ribbons in my nightshirt to try to fool
the children."