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LOTTIES
BARGAIN.
By EDNA BLEEKMAN.
Copyrighted. IW*. by AHoc!ltd
Literary Pres*.
Perhaps it whs because Wisner ><
the proprietor of the only dry good. l
•tore in Under vale that I/ottle Vincent
was attracted to him. perhaps because
Lottie was uu inveterate bargain hunt
er, and propinquity is a powerful aid
Af Cupid. . „
j| r*- '
i.v a matter open to jt.’gument and
not worth the arguing. The main
point at Issue is the fact that Lottie
was attracted and that Sidney Winner
repaid that regard with interest.
Undervale hud reached that stage of
growth when the •general store” had
commenced to resolve itself into its va
rious component parts, not to he re
united until at some far distant day,
when the department store retreated
the original shopkeeping on a larger
wale and agaiu one could purchase
dress goods and salt tii-b, groceries and
harness under one roof.
It was Wisncr who had seen that the
time was litre, aid the Boston store
was the result. He rented one of the
rooms In the new Benson block and
with new stock aud fixtures gave the
place tile asjrect of a city establish
ment. Undervale was delighted wiib
the change, none more so than Lottie.
She was a born bargain fiend, and as
her parents were wealthy •■lie had tire
money to gratify her passion, with the
result that from the first she had been
Winner's best customer.
Even after the business reached a
point where he was able to put on two
clerks he made it a |ariut to wait upon
her himself.
Lottie delighted In her personally
conducted shopping tours, and from
visiting in the store Wisner passed to
visits to her home.
Wisner also began to watch his hank
account grow. From the first liis store
had prospered, aud he determined ibat
when Ills profit and loss account show
id a fair balance on the proper aide lie
would put his fate to the test.
Homer Vincent was president of the
hank and trust company, and Wisner
wanted to he able to make a good
allowing when lie went to ask for Lot
tie’s hand, though he could not hope
to equal the Vincent fortune.
Fie had not long to wait, for the new
•tore prospered mightily, and the time
•ocn came when Wisner began to re
hearse the speech he should make to
Lottie's father when he should first
have spoken to Ixtttie.
It was a simple matter to prepare
his speech for the elder Vincent, He
Maid it over until he believed that he
must repeat it in his sleep. The trou
ble now was to speak to little.
He knew that Ixittie would not he
won by the simple suggestion that
they get married. When the Clem
mons Comedy company ployed their
semiannual engagement at the rink
Wisner shut up shop and took Lottie
to the performance every evening for
the week. Lottie's keen appreciation
of the romantic leadiug man dashed
his hopes.
He never could hope to make love
like Ralph Rase war of the Clem
mons company, and that was the mod
el Lottie most admired. He had a
vague idea of taking a course in a
dramatic school, but be could not
spare the time from his business, so he
contended him Self with studying the
methods of the leading men of the
tenth rate companies that visited lln
dervale, and the more be studied the
more hopeless he grew 7 .
Leading men were tall and slender
and had dark, romantic eyes. Winner
was short and Inclined to plumpness,
and bis eyes were shrewd and gray.
He could not 101 l over Ihc hack of a
sofa and look Into Lottie's eyes as she
raised her timid orbs to his.
That was all right on the stage, but
Lottie’s gaze was disconcertingly
frank at times, and, anyhow, lie would
have to stand on a footstool to gain
the proper height, and lie was positive
that at the critical moment he would
fall off and spoil it a!!.
Lottie herself was just a fbade too
rounded in tier curves to he called
willowy, and she, too, was below the
medium height.
Taken by the large, it seemed an
impossible task, and the advent of
each theatrical company seemed to set
a higher standard by which his feeble
efforts were to be judged.
Hubert Bonnington was the last
straw. Lottie came away from the per
formance of •‘Won by a Vendetta” de
claring that after having seen Bon
nlcgton all other lovemaking would
seem tame and flat by comparison.
Wisner went home to spend a sleep
less night with despair for company,
and not until the dawn broke did there
come a ray of hope. The company was
playing not forty miles away on Satur
day.
. He might get Bonningtcn to let him
over and take some lessons. He
to the store to see that it was
Nl and then he hurried to the sta
vMtcb the company when they
from the hotel.
~,< jirstUe.
arrive ofr'YEe station platform, and
Winner made an Immediate attack.
Around the coiner of the depot be
poured out the story of bis troubles,
and. to his credit, BoDniugton did not
laugh.
“My dear boy.” he said kindly, “if
you’re the right man and she’s the
right girl you don’t need to study love
making. Jts never that way in real
life. You watch a chance aud take her
off her guard. Then do and say what
ever comes Into your mind, and she’s
yours.
“You could study for years, and
you’d forget everything that you bad
learned when It or me to a showdown.
They wouldn’t stand for real proposals
on the stage, and the reason we make
love so well is that we don’t care for
the girl. That’s how we can give all
our at tent ion to (he iovemaking.
"When the right time comes you’ll
know ft, aud you won’t get down on
your knees and say ’Be mint-, be mine!’
You’ll just gather her in. end it’s all
over before you realize it.”
Bouningtou accepted the cigars that
Wisncr thrust upon him. and Wlsner
went back to the store happy fn the
possession of expert opinion. He puz
zhsl over the comment through the
day. and when Lottie came in to see
about some dress lining he gazed hun
grily at the flushed face and wondered
when the right time would corue.
Apparently it was not the right time
yet, for Jxdtie left the store with a
bundle tinder her arm. and his nearest
approach to sentiment bad been to
cut the price of the lining 2 cents a
yard.
He thought of a dozen clever
speeches he might have made, but not
until she had gone.
lie was still thinking them over as
he dressed the window that evening.
Wisner made a point of frequent
changes In the display, and every Fri
day evening lie fastened a canvas
screen outside (ho plate glass and
changed the dressing, running out
many times to observe tlie effect be
fore lie pulled down the Inner curtains
and took down the screen, content
that the Saturday shoppers would he
attracted by his display.
He had just commenced to dress the
window after removing the eld stock
when one corner of the screen was
lifted and Lottie’s smiling face was
seen through the glass.
Wisner smiled and nodded in reply
to her greeting, and he was about tc
beckon her to wait until he could join
her on the sidewalk when his hand
struck the stool on which rested the
new price tags. He caught up the top j
one and pinned it on his coat, striking
an attitude In imitation of the dummy
forms.
Ixittie laughed at the sign, which
read, “A Real Bargain at the Price,’*
and the end of the screen dropped.
For one awful moment Wisner
thought that she had been disgusted
by the clownish appeal.
He could not know thut even eyes
that are gray and unromantlc eau tell ;
their story of love. Lottie bad read j
their plea, and a moment later Wisner |
heard the store door open and close
again, and a moment later Lottie's
fuce appeared at the door to the win
dow.
“I think I’ll take that bargain. Sid
ney,” she said as her cheekß were
dyed a deeper red. “You cau wrap it
up, and I’ll take It home with me—to
talk to father.”
The bargain sprang from the win
dow, but it was half an hour before It
wrapped itself up—in its overcoat—
aud was takeu home to talk to Homer
Vincent.
“I thought you couldn’t resist a bar
gain,” he jubilated us they hurried
aioug the street.
Lottie gave the strong arm a little
hug. "You’d be dear at any price,”
she cooed.
Rtportorial Persistence.
Once a reporter went to a certain
residence in New York to get details
about the master of the house, who
had just died, Jn order that an obit
uary notice might appear in the news
paper which be represented. Such de
tails, as a rule, are easy to get. The
reporter, therefore, was intensely sur
prised when the widow of the de
ceased. with scarcely a word, slammed
the door in his face.
She retired into the house. Present
ly the doorbell rang furiously. She re
fused to stir. Again the doorbell rang,
more furiously than before. Still the
lady of the house would net stir.
“1 have told him that L don't want
to say anything about my husband,”
she thought to herself, “and he has no
right to be so insistent.”
So she sat still while the doorbell
rang again and again and again.
At last she could stand it no longer,
so, opening a window over the front
doe r, she poked her head out and re
marked severely:
“Young man, I do not desire to say
anything to you Kindly do not dis
turb me any more. Go away, young
man."’
‘‘l can’t!” roared the reporter, be
side himself with exasperation. “You
have shut my coattails in the door!”
The greatest of ail human benefits,
that, at least, without which no other
benefit can be truly enjoyed, is inde
pendence.— rrke Godwin.
HOUSE
And 2 Acres of
LAND
on Wright Street,
known as the J. W. Wright
place, for
$1,850.00,
PANNELL
House and Lot
on South side of Stevens
street. Lot 76x210. A choice
lot at lowest prices. Call
and see us.
Vacant lot on Broad
street 70x100 for $200.00.
♦
$1650.00
House and lot on Sage St.,
between Midland Avenue
and Stevens street; lot ioox=
150. This is a real bargain.
House and lot on Broad
street just remodeled; in
splendid condition, large lot
$1500.00.
.
Quarterman & Toole.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF WINDER.