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Show Joy's First Real Business Deal The Weekly Short Story By RUBY DOUGLS JOY PIERCE sat on the arm of the big stuffed chair In which her mother was darning the family fam-ily stockings. "It's like this, Mumnile" falling Into the old name she was wont to use when she had something confidential confi-dential to impart to her parent "I am going to take charge of the information in-formation office of a real estate concern." Her mother gasped. My office Is In the cutest little trick of a house you ever beheld. It Is no bigger than a minute and has window boxes full of flowers, a flagstone path and miniature garden gar-den casements with roses clambering clamber-ing about oh, you couldn't want a weeter place in which to work. And all I have to do Is to be there at that darling desk and look pretty and answer all the questions for oil the folks who drive np to ask about High Farms property." "But that's Just It what do you know about ltt" Interrupted her mother. "I can learn. They tell me I look the part and am quick and intelligent in-telligent and have personality. So I got the Job I I start on Saturday Satur-day and I feel sure that I shall nil the bllL Isnt It grand, Muramlel And me Just out of school and wanting to earn enough to start to college In the fall? It's Providence, Provi-dence, I call It" The days until Saturday passed bo quickly for Joy that she soon found herself putting on her freshest fresh-est green frock after an unusually careful toilet on the fateful morning morn-ing of her first step Into the busl- found herself busy directing Inter ested persons to this part or that of the section. One morning an energetic little gray-and-blue roadster driven by a hatless young man drew np with a dash before the information office. With an alert movement of an athletic ath-letic youth, the driver ran up the turf steps to the doorway, where he stood looking at Joy. "Could you give some informal tlon about this land?" he asked. "Why yes. Come In." said Joy. "Are there any restrictions that Is must one build Immediately upon up-on any property one might buy?" he began, a trifle awkwardly, as If. perhaps, he had not quite formulated formu-lated what he wanted to say. "There are restrictions but, If you buy In good faith, you need not build immediately. But you may not sell." "Oh no no," hastened the answer an-swer from the visitor's Hps. "I that is, I might want a small lot back there in the woodsey part of the development but well, I could not build for a couple of years." "That would be all right. I'm sure. Would you like me to get a salesman to go with you to see some lotst" asked Joy. "Oh, no. No, indeed. Haven't you a map I could look atl" Joy went with him to the side wall where the big map of the prop, erty hung. They searched the unsold un-sold sections and finally the young man decided that a little corner plot with a strip of white birch trees along the side was exactly what be wanted. Wouldn't you like to see ltl" asked Joy, amazed. "No not now," he assured her. And then he did an astounding thing. He gave Joy his card and wrote a check to pay a deposit on the lot until the proper papers could be issued. Joy was quite overcome, and when he had gone she stood alternately looking down Cedar Swamp road after him and studying his name on the card she held. In due time the lot was properly sold to Robert M. Sefton and all papers pa-pers executed to his entire satisfaction. satis-faction. It seemed that be had two more years In law school and then well, no one seemed to know what he intended to do, at the end of that time. Little by little during that wonderful won-derful summer and Inter, while away at college, Joy began to learn of the intentions of the first person per-son she had ever transacted business busi-ness with. He had seen her on several occasions as he had passed the cottage and had decided that she was the girl that fate had chosen for him. Therefore, he had bought a lot, made definite plans for the future and determined to carry them out, employing patience and understanding. "But Bob," Joy was saying to him more than two years after they had met,' "are you sure I am the girl?" "Ask the Information office in your heart, Joy." he Bald. . "It knows, even as I do." ) br MeClare Newspaper Syndicate.) WNU Service.) Bess world. Mr. Carstalrs, Benlor member of the development firm that had employed em-ployed her, was waiting outside the little office when she arrived. He greeted her In a businesslike man-ner man-ner but with friendliness and apparent ap-parent approval of her charming appearance. He took her Inside, instructed in-structed her as to locations of lots 1 laid out on the map, roads, and other details that she might find useful when anyone called to make different Inquiries about property. After he had gone, Joy busied herself pulling off the dead blossoms blos-soms from the flowers about the diminutive cottage. In a few moments mo-ments she felt at home and was sure that she was In perfect harmony har-mony with the environment High Farms development was an attractive settlement and had been well advertised. Therefore, Joy did Dot wait very long before she |