t feel so bad as you try to make out," said Miss
Jones, snappishly. "Girls that make friends with men who keep nigger
servants ain't always as green as they look, you know! Sometimes they
are worse than those who ain't so smooth or so clever!"

"You are as insulting as he was," said Faith, very gravely. "I am
disappointed in you, Miss Jones. I though you were more friendly."

"Well, who cares what you thought?" was the heartless answer. "I'm not
to blame if you took me for a fool! Why, even Mag Brady could see
through your sly actions!"

Faith looked at her in astonishment, her veins throbbing with
indignation.

"She understood your little game that day of the fire, when you and Jim
Denton were talking together! He's rich, Jim Denton is, and he's mighty
susceptible! You ain't such an innocent but what you found that out, and
now he is meeting you on street corners and sending you candy!"

Faith had heard all she could bear, so she turned and walked slowly
away. She was so confused that for an hour or more she could hardly make
out her checks properly.

The new packer was a girl about two years her junior, and as Faith
handed up her goods she could not help thinking of Miss Jennings.

Poor Mary, with all her bitterness, had been a true, loyal friend. She
would have scorned to do a treacherous or dishonest action herself, yet
she absolutely refused to condemn such conduct in others.

Faith remembered her plea for the thief, Lou Willis, and that led her
finally on a new train of thought, so that she was able to almost forget
her late conversation.

Several times during the day there were changes made in the department,
and Miss Fairbanks was kept busy altering the prices on goods,
especially on what were known as the "bargain counters."

These counters were principally small tables standing here and there in
the aisles, and during the rush hours they were always surrounded by
customers.

Finally, to the surprise of the entire department, the tables,
themselves, were removed, Mr. Denton coming down from his office to
superintend the transaction.

"The fire company has warned him again, I guess," whispered Miss
Fairbanks to Faith. "Well, that's a hard one on Mag Brady; she was hired
expressly for those bargains."

"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