buys."

"I thought so."

"But I select for my entire department. I decide on our styles,
materials, and prices, six months in advance. Then Mr. Slosson does the
actual bulk buying."

"Something new-fangled?" inquired Sid Udell. "Of course, we've never
sold much to you people. Our stuff is----"

"Yes, I know. But you'd like to, wouldn't you?"

"Our class of goods isn't exactly suited to your wants."

"Yes, it is. Exactly. That's why I'm here. We'll be doing a business of
a million and a quarter in my department in another two years. No firm,
not even Horn & Udell, can afford to ignore an account like that."

Sid Udell smiled a little. "You've made up your mind to that million and
a quarter, young lady?"

"Yes."

"Well, I've dealt with buyers for a quarter of a century or more. And
I'd say that you're going to get it."

Whereupon Fanny began to talk. Ten minutes later Udell interrupted her
to summon Horn, whose domain was the factory. Horn came, was introduced,
looked doubtful. Fanny had statistics. Fanny had arguments. She had
determination. "And what we want," she went on, in her quiet, assured
way, "is style. The Horn & Udell clothes have chic. Now, material can't
be imitated successfully, but style can. Our goods lack just that.
I could copy any model you have, turn the idea over to a cheap
manufacturer, and get a million just like it, at one-fifth the price.
That isn't a threat. It's just a business statement that you know to be
true. I can sketch from memory anything I've seen once. What I want to
know is this: Will you make it necessary for me to do that, or will you
undertake to furnish us with cheaper copies of your high-priced designs?
We could use your entire output. I know the small-town woman of the
poorer class, and I know she'll wear a shawl in order to give her child
a cloth coat with fancy buttons and a velvet collar."

And Horn & Udell, whose attitude at first had been that of two seasoned
business men dealing with a precocious child, found themselves quoting
prices to her, shipments, materials, quality, quantities. Then came the
question of time.

"We'll get out a special catalogue for the summer," Fanny said. "A small
one, to start them our way. Then the big Fall catalogue will contain the
entire line."

"That doesn't give us time!" exclaimed both men, in a breath.

"But you must manage, somehow. Can't you speed up the workroom? Put on
extra hands? It's worth it."

They might, unde