by AlLee, Jennifer L. ; Breidenbach, Angela; Franklin, Darlene
Ella laughed and swept her hand in the direction of the other half of the building. “But you have access to so much of it! All you have to do is talk to one of the bakers. I’m sure you can find one or two who would like to partner with you, as well.”
Mr. Henderson was visibly impressed. “Young lady, I think you may have missed your calling. You should work in advertising.”
They both laughed together at the idea.
“I’m perfectly happy at the dairy, but thank you.”
After a few more niceties, Mr. Henderson gave Ella the advertising for her to put on their icehouse, and Ella was on her way. When she left the hall, she glanced to her right. The Hall of Innovation was just two buildings down. Maybe she should take a look at the Majestic Electric display. Just to keep an eye on the competition.
Max took a step back, admiring the sight before him. Majestic Electric had outdone themselves. As one would expect, their display utilized the newest in electric lighting and showcased their greatest innovation, at least as far as the modern housewife was concerned: the electric refrigerator. Right beside them was the display for the Joy Margarine Company and the next greatest innovation, although the modern housewife might not know it yet: margarine.
Philip came up beside him and slapped him on the back. “It’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it?”
“Sure is.”
“Look, I’ve got to go take care of something, but I’ll be back in a jiff.”
Max looked at him askance. “Now? The gates open in ten minutes.”
“Not a problem.” He jerked his head toward the display and the dapper young men who were putting out the final touches. “John and Eric can handle things till I get back. Nothing’s going to go wrong, kid.”
He certainly hoped not. As Philip left, Max went back behind his table to finish prepping. One thing the margarine companies had learned early on was that housewives were more likely to try their product if it looked familiar. But margarine was a dull white color when it was produced, so they’d added food coloring to give it that butter-yellow color. Then, the dairy industry had made a stink about the health of the consumer and the safety of the food, and a law was passed that margarine companies couldn’t add any dyes to their product. But there was no law saying they couldn’t add food coloring after the fact.
Max took a small bottle of yellow food coloring from his jacket pocket and opened the margarine container that was already on his table. He squirted in a few drops and mixed it together until he achieved the right hue. I’m not doing anything wrong, he told himself, as he did every time he went through the process. Margarine was now sold with bottles of food dye, so customers did the same thing he was doing at home. Still, it felt somehow dishonest, as if saying his product wasn’t good enough to start with.
As if confirming this concern, a shadow fell over his table and a sweet female voice said, “Still doctoring the chemicals, I see.”
Ella. What was she doing here?
Smiling with what he hoped appeared to be confidence, he looked up at her. “Miss Daniels. How unusual of you to leave the … intensity