For Gold or Soul? The Story of a Great Department StoreSheldon, Lurana
General
For Gold or Soul? The Story of a Great Department Store
Sheldon, Lurana
Department stores -- Employees -- Fiction; Dime novels; Love stories; Young women -- Conduct of life -- Fiction
"Perhaps you are right," said Miss Jennings, slowly, then as the
customers were gradually drifting back into the store she went forward
to wait upon them with her usual indifference.
For the next half hour Faith was very busy. The excitement had passed,
leaving no trace behind it.
At exactly six o'clock a big gong was sounded. Faith was so tired and
nervous that she almost cried for joy when she heard it.
"It has been the hardest day of my life," she said to Miss Jennings as
they reached the cloak-room.
"Well, you'll have many such if you stay here long," was the reply.
"There are nothing but hard days for the slaves of Denton, Day & Co."
There was a crowd of women and girls waiting at the lavatory basins, and
as Faith caught sight of the towels she turned away with a shudder.
"You'll have to go home with dirty hands, Faith, but you musn't mind
that; we wouldn't get out of here until midnight if we waited our turn
at those basins."
Miss Jennings was putting on her hat as she spoke, and as Faith started
to look for hers the clerk whom young Denton had called "Mag" came
slowly up to them.
"Heard the news, eighty-nine?"
She asked Miss Jennings the question, but she was looking straight at
Faith. There was a gleam in her eye that was very unpleasant.
"What news, Maggie?" asked Miss Jennings, noticing the look at once. She
knew the girl's disposition, and almost dreaded what was coming.
"Old Forbes was robbed of five hundred dollars! Some one stole it from
his desk early yesterday morning. There's pretty good proof already as
to who was the thief. I wouldn't stand in her shoes for double the
money!"
She was still watching Faith with her eyes half closed. Miss Jennings
was too shrewd to be deceived a minute as to her actual meaning.
"Well, you'll save yourself trouble by keeping your mouth shut," she
said, crossly, "it dont pay to meddle with such matters as that, Maggie,
especially if you happen to be living under a cloud yourself. Somebody
might take a notion to turn the tables on you, you know. I'd as as soon
be a thief as some other things I might mention."
There was a sneer in her tones that was unmistakable. Faith turned just
in time to catch its full meaning.
"Oh, you needn't preach!" cried the other angrily. "Any one can see
you're fairly green with envy, eighty-nine! You'd give a whole lot to be
able to flirt with the boys, but, as Jim Denton says, you are too pale
and skinny!"
"For shame!"
It was Faith who spoke the words. She was facing the brazen-faced girl
with her eyes blazing angrily.
"How dare you speak like that to a poor, sick girl? Have you no heart in
your bosom, no decency or conscience! It does not seem possible to me
that girls can be so hateful toward each other. Are we not all sisters,
who have been commanded to love one another?"
There was silence for just a second as Faith finished speaking, then a
loud, coarse laugh broke from Maggie Brady's lips.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account