"Two million three hundred and eighty-eight thousand five hundred," she said glibly, showing me her pretty teeth. Then I racked my brains for a difficult question. "Now," I said, "will you please tell me where Charles Towne was born?" "Do you mean Charles A. Towne, the lawyer; Charles Wayland Towne, the author; or Charles Hanson Towne, the poet?" she demanded. I managed to say that I meant the poet Towne. "He was born in Louisville, Kentucky," she informed me sweetly. She even gave me the date of his birth, too, but as the poet is a friend of mine, I will suppress that. "Is that all?" she inquired presently, seeing that I was merely gazing at her. "Yes, you adorable creature." The first word of that sentence is all that I really uttered. I only thought the rest. "Very well," she replied, shutting the book in which she had looked up the Townes. "Thanks very much," I said. "Don't mention it," said she--and went about her business in a way that sent me about mine. * * * * * Aside from its vastness and the variety of its activities, two things about Marshall Field's store interested me particularly. One is the attitude maintained by the company with regard to claims made in the advertising of "sales." When there is a "sale" at Field's comparisons of values are not made. It may be said that certain articles are cheap at the price at which they are being offered, but it is never put in the form: "Was $5. Now $2.50." Field's does not believe in that. "We take the position," an official explained to me, "that things are worth what they will bring. For instance, if some manufacturer has made too many overcoats, and we are able to get them at a bargain, or if there is a mild winter and overcoats do not sell well, we may place on sale a lot of coats which were meant to be sold at $40, but which we are willing to sell at $22.50. In such a case we never advertise 'Worth $40.' We just point out that these are exceptionally good coats for the money. And, when we say that, it is invariably true. This advertising is not so sensational as it could be made, of course, but we think that in the long run it teaches people to rely upon us."