over the Villa Estates proposition, and decided it wasn't quite time to
come to a decision--be better to wait till the weather cleared up, so a
body can move about."

"Oh, Mrs. Boutell, I just can't argue it out with you," Una howled. "I
_do_ know Villa Estates and its desirability for you, but this is my
very first experience in direct selling, and as luck _would_ have it, I
feel perfectly terrible to-day."

"You poor lamb!" soothed Mrs. Boutell. "You do look terrible sick. You
come right in and lie down and I'll have my Lithuanian make you a cup of
hot beef-tea."

While Mrs. Boutell held her hand and fed her beef-tea, Una showed
photographs of Villa Estates and became feebly oratorical in its
praises, and when Mr. Boutell came home at six-thirty they all had a
light dinner together, and went to the moving-pictures, and through them
talked about real estate, and at eleven Mr. Boutell uneasily took the
fountain-pen which Una resolutely held out to him, and signed a contract
to purchase two lots at Villa Estates, and a check for the first
payment.

Una had climbed above the rank of assistant to the rank of people who do
things.

CHAPTER XXI

To Una and to Mr. Fein it seemed obvious that, since women have at least
half of the family decision regarding the purchase of suburban homes,
women salesmen of suburban property should be at least as successful as
men. But Mr. Truax had a number of "good, sound, conservative" reasons
why this should not be so, and therefore declined to credit the evidence
of Una, Beatrice Joline, and saleswomen of other firms that it really
was so.

Yet, after solving the Boutell office problem, Una was frequently
requisitioned by "Chas." to talk to women about the advantages of sites
for themselves and their children, while regular and intelligent (that
is, male) salesmen worked their hypnotic arts on the equally regular and
intelligent men of the families. Where formerly it had seemed an awesome
miracle, like chemistry or poetry, to "close a deal" and bring thousands
of dollars into the office, now Una found it quite normal.
Responsibility gave her more poise and willingness to take initiative.
Her salary was raised to thirty dollars a week. She banked two hundred
dollars of commissions, and bought a Japanese-blue silk negligee, a
wrist-watch, and the gown of black satin and net recommended by Miss
Joline. Yet officially she was still Mr. Truax's secretary; she took his
dictati