Inside of the Cup, the — Volume 03 by Winston Churchill
page 80 of 86 (93%)
page 80 of 86 (93%)
![]() | ![]() |
|
"I never had much opinion of 'em," she admitted, "nor of church people, either," she added, with emphasis. "There's Ferguson, who has the department store,--he's 'way up' in church circles. I saw him a couple of months ago, one Sunday morning, driving to that church on Burton Street, where all the rich folks go. I forget the name--" "St. John's," he supplied. He had got beyond surprise. "St. John's--that's it. They tell me he gives a lot of money to it --money that he steals from the girls he hires. Oh, yes, he'll get to heaven--I don't think." "How do you mean that he steals money from the girls?" "Say, you are innocent--ain't you! Did you ever go down to that store? Do you know what a floorwalker is? Did you ever see the cheap guys hanging around, and the young swells waiting to get a chance at the girls behind the counters? Why do you suppose so many of 'em take to the easy life? I'll put you next--because Ferguson don't pay 'em enough to live on. That's why. He makes 'em sign a paper, when he hires 'em, that they live at home, that they've got some place to eat and sleep, and they sign it all right. That's to square up Ferguson's conscience. But say, if you think a girl can support herself in this city and dress on what he pays, you've got another guess comin'." There rose up before him, unsummoned, the image of Nan Ferguson, in all her freshness and innocence, as she had stood beside him on the porch in |
|