For Love or Gold? The Story of a Great Department Store — page 141: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

~The Poisoned Candy. 137 “He will surely make a place for her elsewhere, will he not?” asked Faith. “It would be dreadful if the !?? poor girl should lose her work completely! “She deserves it,” said Cash Number 83, who was standing near. “ ’Tain’t as if she was stayin’ away ‘cause she was sick! She’s just on a spree along with some girls i and fellers!’’ “What gets me is how Mr. Forbes is taking all ‘cha os changes. He don’t seem to be saying a word,” contin- ued Miss Fairbanks, without noticing the cash girl. “Oh, he’s just saying: nothing and sawing wood,” said Miss Jones, knowingly. “He’s too foxy to quit © the firm as old Pomposity did! Probably he thinks it won't last, and he’s willing to wait till it’s over.’ , “Well, it will be a great deal safer here now without the tables, ” said the buyer. “If we have a fire now there won’t be so much crowding.” “They say he’s doing this sort of thing all over the store,’ said Mr. Gunning, who had just returned, érom helping with the tables. “Then they tell me, too, that he’s having a lunch-room and restaurant for employees built on the sixth floor of the building. . All the goods that were stored there are being taken to the basement.” ‘And we cash girls are all to be fired !”’ spelen up “Num- ber 83,” sadly, “except those who are healthy and over fourteen. The rest of us that ain’t got any parents have got to go to Gerry’s, or, if we have got parents, they’ve got to support us—that’s what the boss says, but it sounds mighty like a ‘pipe dream.’ “It sounds like a sensible arrangement,” said Faith, seriously, “‘for it’s a shame that such children should have | to work! Why, you ought to be in school this very }?? minute ! “Well, I'd rather be here,” said “83” very shortly. “ “There ain’t no fun in a school- -room, and what’s the good of studyin’, anyhow ?” , _ “But don’t vou wish to be able to cipher and to read books?” said Faith. “What’s the use?” was the answer; “they don’t tell you | CGomichbooks..co