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Show I Discharged Without Notice j a -, m wmmm m M By Henry Crider Evan m iiwiw i H ' Tho nlow, rtrlr.zllriR rain which hud H ttendlly fallen nlnco tho enrly part of K tho afternoon and which thretitonod H to contlnui) to fall during tho rest of H tho evening, was not inoro dlHinnl nnd H t'renvy than tho heart of tho girl who H ihrank back In tho cornor noat of tho H tdovatod train, Razing through tho H . clouded window pnnoa with dull, tin- H loolng oyos. H Bho waa dronncd In a shnbby black H dross and Jacket; hnr nhooa woro worn H nnd hor hat had tho look of bolng H made and roinado from ono datod H many yearn boforo. H Molllo Orth had loft homo that H morning with but 15 conta In hor H punio, hor hopes raised high, and a H tooling In hor heart that alio would H luncood thlH tltno, Bho smiled at tho H conductor an nlio handed him hor faro, H itnllod at tho llttlo girl Bitting In tho M toat ucroBH from hor tondorly hugging H f. bodragglod doll In hor anna; In M dood, Htnllod at ovary ouo Bho hhw, H for Molllo wna dicldudly an optlmlnt, H and ho auroly oh fnlturo and worry nnd H boartacbo laid hor aplrltu tow, Juat ho H ' mroly would thoy rlao again with tho M beginning of n now day, H , All morning ahe wandorcd down M itroot aftor atroot, vainly Booking em B ploymont. Aftnr nwhllo tho smllo loft m hor lips and tho uong dlod out of hor 1 heart. Qradually, hor limbs grow M mora and tnoro tired, until at last hor B , foot refused to carry hor farthor and, M entorlng tha waiting room of a largo H dopartmont Htoro, hIio aank Into a H chair and wearily cloaod hor oyoa. H Tho matron, n neatlydrossod worn H in with a kind, motherly faco, glanced H fct tho girl with iindorHtandlug and H oympathy In hor oyea, Tho atory was H lo uVldont and such an old ono! H "Wouldn't you caro to glanco over H thin paper while you are routing?" H uikud the matron, handing hor a nowa H paper with a umllo that convoyed on H courngomout mid aympathy to tho H girl's heart. Molllu grnapod It oagor H n, ly, murmuring hor thanka, Aa tho H 1 woman oxpoctod, alio turttod nt onco I H ! to the "help wanted" pagn and hastily H fju.. (canned Ita coHimnu I H There waa but ono ad. which Bho Hk could answer, but oven thin wan n ray Ht of hopu which alio eagerly aelzod upon, H'f U wan ruining when ahu reached tho H , ttroot, hut although alio had no urn H i brolla alio started all undaunted for H tho addrons given In tho paper. H , It was ton long blooku from the H Moro which nho had tort and alio was H thoroughly drenched by tho time alio H reached her domination Approach- H Ing tho olllco boy th Inquired lor tho H manugur, and wna polptod out a largo. H hoavlly-lnillt man aeatod bohlnd a H hugu deal., bin hund bout over a lump H "Woll, what onn I do for you?" ha H KHkod sharply uh Molllo atood patient- H ly awaiting his attention. H The girl timidly stated hor orrnnd, H uiawuting lila numoroua quuutloua H with straightforward honeaty. M "Woll," ho said, nt length, "you H ' Jou't look ovuostrong. t gueaa you'll H So Wo expect Kood work from our H peopto, and If wo can't got It out of H them wo don't keep 'em--that's all B U'liore aro your relereucosT" H , "I haven't any," began Motile, trom H aoiiHly. "I uuvor thought to nak for H my nt tho Inst place I worked In." H .' The man Bcowlcd aa ho waved hor H ) kMilo with a fat. pudgy hand. "No go. 1 no go. No reforence. no Job. Why H didn't you Bay bo right away luatoad Hj of wasting all my time?" H "Oh. cried Molly, In dismay. "Only H try mo, lrl I will work hard, you H will tteo how runt my lingers can My H I'leapo, pleaao glvu mo Juut a trial! I H nood the motnv so badly." H Tho man turned roHolutoly to hla H "Can't do It, I toll you. Wo don't do B tmslnoHH that way." H Molllo walked blindly out or tho of B lino and waa onco more on the utroot H Pauling faint she dotermltuHl to apond H half of hnr latit dime for a cup of H coffee. She omored n coxy llttlo H restaurant, following tho uahor to a H table near tho end of the room. H Molllo puuMd long over her coffee, H drinking In Ita awcet frngrauoo and B tooling a dollcloua boiiho of comfort H as tho Btrong llmdd Bent a Hush of H warmth through her body. She rose B regrotfully when hor cup wob empty, Hj nnd made for tho cashlor'a deak, which H waa overcrowded, tho people atandlng H v In lino to pay for their checkH nnd H tho cashier herself norvoua and hur H Molllo latd hor check, which called H tor tlvo cents, upon tho desk, together H with hor solitary dime, nnd was given H tlvo brnud-now pontiles In change H Uow bright thoy looked and how thoy H shone, almost as it thoy woro mnde of H cold, eho thought, as sho walked B elowly down tho streot. Why, ono H was different from tho restl Surely H tt wn not h common pouuyl Hastily turning It ovor in hor hnnd, Bho saw thnt alio was holding, not a ponny, but a $10 gold plocol "Tnko It back! It Isn't yours, and It will bo dishonest, to kcop It," whts pored a volco which Boomed so real that sho started and glanced appro henslvoly ovor hor shoulder. What a struggle sho had to put that voice In tho background. This meant broad and moat to hor, food for tho little Blntorn at homo and pence to tho worried wor-ried mother, whoso hair was fast be coming Btrenkod with gray, Sho could not glvo It up, sho would not I A fooling fool-ing of florco exultation possessed h,r. Hor foot fairly flow up tho ntops load lng to tho olovatcd station, tho bit of gold clutched tightly In hor hand Tho cnshlcr at tho turnstllo glanced up In sitrprlso as Molllo's trembling flngora dropped tho ploco of money before hor. "Havo you no smaller change thnn this?" Bho nuked, then as Molllo nodded hor head, sho carefully count ed out tho change. How many Minos Molllo's resolution weakened nnd faltered that night! Ab sho mot hor mother's eagor, question ing glanco as sho entered tho door; as bIio saw tho look of blank dospnlr In her oyos as 6ho faltered out hor fnlltiro, hor hoart mlsgavo hor, and sho longod to pour tho monoy Into hor mother's thin hnndB, tolling hor thnt tnoro wna enough for food nnd clothes warmth and comfort until sho could secure a position. Again, nt tho sup per tnblo, aa she holpod hersolf to a dried ploco of bread and ono small, mealy potato, tho temptation to keep tho money grow almost too strong to resist Tho next morning found hor onco moro entering tho llttlo rostnurant. Sho noticed a new girl In tho cuhIi-lor'a cuhIi-lor'a placo, and hor hoart sank In nhamo. Sho Inquired for tho manager, man-ager, and was shown Into a llttlo Bide room to a man bending over a table flKtuiiiiT no accounts. Ho wns about thirty, tall, broad-Hhouldorod, with the kindest brown eyes In tho world, Bhe thought. Timidly she handed him tho chnngo alio had rocolved from tho gold ploco and told hor story. Then all at onco sho found hersolf crying softly, ns sho poured out tho whole story of the struggle and temptation alio had ondurm! "There, there; don't cry any moro It's all over uow nnd you hnvo won a victory to bo proud of. Now llstun to my proposition. Miss Johnson, .our former cnshlxr, has beon Buffering from osteoma norvousnosH for a long tltno and waa only waiting fur thu end of tho season to glvo up work entire ly until her hvnlth wns once more restored. re-stored. Tho final straw came last night, whan Mie discovered tho short ngo In her accounts, and ahu Insisted upon making up tho loss to us, although al-though wo protowtod strongty against hor doing so. Thou sho loft, and wo had to placo ono of our waltressos temporarily In tier placo. It will glvo me much pUmsuro to return this money mon-ey to hor, and also to offer you her position. Wo will give you $10 a week to start. Will you take It?" Molllo mutely nodded hor bond, her oyos shining with happinoss. Ten dollars dol-lars a weok! That was moro than she had over earned boforo. Kagor to prove hor gratitude, she bent all her onorgy to her work, schooling hor- self to becomo more rapid and accur-ato accur-ato each day. Often, looklnff up from her work, nho would And Mr. Ashcr, tho manager man-ager and owner of tho restaurant, watching her with a look in his brown eyes which Bho could not understand. Sho could always fcol his presence, knew when ho entered tho room and when ho left, a feeling for which sho could not account. On evening, after tho last customer custom-er hnd departed, and tho doors wero closed for tho day, as sho was making ma-king out her report, ho camo over and stood besldo her desk. "Miss Orth, you havo been with us two years now, hnvon't you?" ho asked. Molllo repttcd In tho nfTlrmntlvo. "You are receiving a salary of $1C a week now, aro you not?" ho asked again, nnd ngaln Molllo nodded. "Woll, Miss Orth." ho began hesitatingly, hesi-tatingly, "wo fool that you aro worth moro than wo are paying you, although al-though wo ennnot afford to ralso your salary any hlghor therefore I am going go-ing to ask you to resign your position." posi-tion." Molllo gasped nnd stared at him with eyes filled with surprise and dismay. Asked to resign hor position! posi-tion! What could sho have dono to doeorvo It? Hor nccountB always balanced bal-anced evenly; sho hiul supposed hor work was giving completo satisfaction, satisfac-tion, nnd now, without warning, she wns to bo discharged. "Don't feel bo badly ovor It, Mlsa Orth. I am going to offer you another position, ono which I trust you will not refuse It In thnt of housekcopor to a lonely, Bolltnry bachelor. Miss Orth, will you bo my wlfo?" Molllo gazed at him and then, Just as Bho had dono two years boforo, when ho had offored hor tho position, sho laid her head down upon hor arms nnd burst Into tears. "Molllo! Llttlo girl, don't you caro? If you only know how I havo hoped and prayed that you did. Would you rathor keep your position horo, nnd havo mo glvo up my 'castlo in Spain,' nnd go away. For go away I must, 11 you rofuao mo. 1 could not bear to stay horo, to bo near you day after day, and know that my hopoB could novor bo realized! Toll mo, Molllo, which shall It be? Don't cry any moro llttlo girl, look up and toll mo." Molllo did look up, nnd tho tears In hor oyos only mndo them look brighter bright-er with Joy and happiness shining through them as tho sun bohlnd a cloud. "Oh, you ask mo If I will marry you!" Bho cried. "If you only know, If you only know!" Tho wonto, few as thoy wore, wero Bulllclent, for her eyes told tho rest |