| Show I p PAYCHECK A CK By Rob b Eden BEGIN U HERE HEBE SE TODAY There was only one thing for Fleur Bennett ennett to do when her fathers father's fortune fortune for- for tune une was wiped out overnight and John ohn Bennett collapsed completely That hat was was to go to work It took every cent ent they could scrape together to send end Mr Bennett Dennett to the sanitarium And nd Mrs Bennett and Paul Fleurs Fleur's brother refused to admit that poverty stared them In the face Fleur obtained a position clerking in in Grants Grant's department store and struggled struggled led to make her small salary cover the je grocery and rent bills for the three of them To earn extra money she he posed for tor lingerie pictures from Acme Advertising bureau After Arter an unsuccessful attempt to sell ell bonds on a commission basis Paul lost ost his job and finally agreed to accept ac- ac an offer to work in the shipping department at Grants The work was deadening in the junior unior misses department where Fleur was salesgirl but Tom Dorin Dorm made life endurable He loved Fleur and nd she loved him but she rejected his insistent pleas to marry him because because be- be cause ause she couldn't thrust her responsibilities on him It might be years before her father would be able to support his family again so that she could marry Tom NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY S. S Chapter 31 The girl seemed like any other othe customer customer cus cus- tomer tamer of Grants Grant's junior misses department de de- de- de when Fleur walked into the dressing room with her three frocks over her arm Nicely clothed with the petite figure for small sizes not pretty but ut not riot homely The dresses she had chosen were not hot e pensive expensive but smart simple sports things suitable for business bustness bustness bust bust- ness or for the street She might be married and then again gain she might not She was not wearing a a wedding ring She appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap to tobe be about 25 In the dressing room when she was trying on the mustard yellow copy opy of at Chanel she suddenly became inquisitive Youre Fleur Bennett aren arent aren't you She Yes Yes Fleur was puzzled had never had a customer ask that tha question before Fleur Bennett who used to live a at Sutton place Fleur didn't deny that either Was this his someone she had met before No she decided She didn't recognize recognize recognize nize the customer Somebody who had lad heard of her probably and was curious urious How does docs It feel to be poor DONT MIND 1 IT Fleur flushed Even if it she was only a clerk at Grants Grant's she Grants she had some rights The girl had no business- business she he checked her anger though with witha a smile She was selling dresses she must remember and If her customers were rather ather peculiar it was her duty to humor th them m. m Dolly Norris was gooc good goodat at t that That was why she sold more dresses than anyone else in the de de- de- de I dont don't mind it it She had to be polite The girl might buy all three dresses tresses and she hadn't made a sale that hat morning Business was vas dull in inthe inthe the he Junior misses because it was pour pour- lag Ing ng rain outside Fleur was always hopeful when a customer seemed to know what she wanted and this girl did She had given her size to Fleur promptly anc and told old her exactly what she needed Do you ou like being poor IT WAS A SHOCK Why Why yes That dress really looks look awfully well on you Changing th the subject because she was flustered With a few alterations it it needs taking taking tak tak- ing ng up In the sleeves sleeves sleeves-it'll it'll be fine Shall I call caU the fitter Not yet It does look well though doesn't it She turned so she could see sec her back in the he glass and pulled the he belt tighter around her waist Did you feel badly at first when first when you knew your father had failed When you knew you had lost all your you money This was going a little too far but bu Fleur wanted to make the sale It was almost madeWell madeWell madeWell made Well it was a shock at first first first- It must have been But you jOU dont don't mind I now o 1 No When would she stop asking asking asking ask ask- ing questions Shall I call caU the fitter fitter fitter fit fit- ter Yes Relief because that meant a sale saJe NO HURRY And the other dresses This one will do I like this It was a charge so Fleur made ou out outher outher her ier sales slip carefully Miss Marion Mario Maitland 2290 Hampton court apartment apartment apart apart- ment She repeated the name and address to Miss S Maitland as a aGrant's all Grants Grant's clerks were obliged to do doand I and handed the book to her customer to sign The dress would be out not later late them than Friday It would take two days daj for the alterations unless there was a rush Miss Maitland said there wano was wa no hurry You know Miss Maitland said a ashe as she was putting on her own dark sui suit Ive Iv seen you before at nt the Acme Acm Advertising bureau Maybe Fleur murmured Sh She looked again at Miss Maitland bushe but bu she couldn't remember her There Ther were a lot of ot girls at the Acme bu bu- bu- bu reau New faces almost ev every ry time she went vent You pose there dont don't you youl Sometimes Sale Dolly asked when Fleur came out of the dressing room They usually compared notes Yes Yes that that mustard yellow I liked so muchA queer girl She asked all sorts sort of ot silly illy questions SHE W WAITED Yes She waited for you too until until until un un- un- un til you were free Did you know that Came to me and asked which girl was Miss Bennett and I pointed you out She saw you were busy but she said shed she'd wait waiL Youre You're getting a bit of ofa ofa ofa a clientele when people wait for you Fleur laughed She was pleased Now and then customers did wait for her when she was busy bugy customers to whom she had sold bold dresses before Miss Maitland's embarrassing questions questions ques ques- remained in her mind for some sometime sometime sometime time but by afternoon she had completely completely com corn forgotten both the questions and the customer in the stress of business business busi busi- ness for the rain had stopped and the store was crowded It was next m that she realIsed realized real real- why the questions were asked and who Marion Marlon Maitland was In the locker room Rolly Roily thrust a paper In Fleurs Fleur's hand BIG PUBLICITY I see you youre you're re going in itt for publicity in a big way she remarked dryly 1 was coming down on the street car this morning and what did I see but bu your picture and ana a big story about you written by Marion Marlon Maitland of the Journal The man in front of me was readIng it I bought boucht one for you when I got off the car Fleur gasped as she saw the two pictures and the sketch The first was vas a portrait study which had been taken aken a year before In In the g garden of I the house at Sutton place She was wearing a soft flowered chiffon dress and nd a large shade hat turned up a little so that her features would be lear clear It had bad been used In the society section of the Journal shortly after It t was made but the description then was vas different from this The caption in italic type she read quickly This was Fleur Bennett Bennetta a year ago when she lived at Sutton place lace and could afford diamonds anc and orchids When she didn't have havea a a care carein carein caren in n the world Lovely isn't she SUES SHE'S LOVELY The second was one of the Acme bureau pictures and in it she was wa wearing the pink satin shorts and the pink satin brassiere Her eyes blurred as she looked at the cut lines This is Fleur B Bennett today poor as the proverbial church mouse and doing what she can to earn a living She doesn't scorn posing for lingerie advertisements in her spare time Very lovely isn't she The Tho sketch was a good likeness I It showed Fleur In a neat black dress dres with white collar and cuffs selling dresses at Grants Her eyes wandered to the black blac type above the layout GIRL SAYS SHED SHE'D RATHER RATHER- BE POOR THAN RICH nICH Fleur Bennets Former Society De Dc- Now Salesgirl and LingerIe Lingerie Lin Un- gerie gene Model Tells Why She Prefers Poverty to Luxury The neat line line by-line topping the story By Marion Marlon Maitland Fleur looked wanly to Dolly fo for comfortI comfort I didn't know she was a reporter I Was only polite to her I would have hav been the same to any other cus cus- tomer 4 NOT SO BAD Probably too polite Arent Aren't you going to read cad the story Really its it's no noo not so o bad All about your carrying on onike like ike a brave brave girl Fleur shook her head and started up to the third floor If It she had only known Miss Maitland was a reporter she wouldn't have said anything bushe but bu she didn't know and Miss Maitland hadn't told her she realized that the story had lad a truthful foundation She had hac told old Miss Maitland she didn't mine mind being poor and she had admitted that tha she posed for pictures at the Acme Acm Advertising bureau All that long day the girls in th the store and many of her customers customer mentioned the story to her until sh shwas she was sick to death of it by the time tim evening came She wasn't finished with it yet fo foshe for forshe forshe she still had to go home And he her she mother nother she hated to think of what wha Mrs Bennett would say If she saw i it WEAK FROM 1 WORRY I With her hatred of ot publicity al almost almost almost al- al most a fetish with Lora Bennett th the only items she permitted to get ou out about the Bennett family when the they were living at Sutton place were th the very proper ones that went into th the various society columns She was even eve particular about which society col col- But the Journal was Journal was one of her favorite fa favorite fa- fa papers She couldn't miss seeing seeing see see- ing lag the story Fleur thought unless she turned directly t to the society page which she read very religiously ever every morning Lately Mrs Bennett had been perusing perusing perusing per per- using the news columns as well I Iwas It was too much to hope that for for that sh she wouldn't see sec the story with its f flaring larin headlines and its pictures which were only too easy to recognize And the Acme bureau picture Th The short satin trunks and the brief bras bras- siere Mrs Benn Bennett tt didn't know kno about the extra money Fleur earne earned one evening each ench week Fleur dreaded the ordeal she would woul have if her mother found the story When she went to the parking station station station sta sta- sta- sta tion to get into Toms Tom's car she was wa weak from worrying about it To be continued |
