Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-23

/ heard herself referred TO as the fat one
on the left She mistrusted her ears.
She gulped her supper in haste and hur-
ried to her room to study herself in the
mirror. The concave OF her checks was
convex now Beneath her little pointed
chin she had the hint of second ono.
Her throat was full, her shoulders soft
and padded She had difficulty in un-
hooking her dress. Her arms were rolN-
poly; there was swaddle Of rat at her
hips. her thighs were arched and her
calves budgcd
Silver felt a knife of terror in her heart.
She resolved that she needed more eN-
ercise. After breakfast she took long
walk. She tired quickly and her breath
was gone so soon that she had TO pause
for an ice cream soda. She invested a
penny in weighing machine. Her 80
pounds were ll5! The traditional limit OF
weight for n swallow was 100 pounds.
That night she noticed that the other
swallows were kinder to her than for a
week past. This was alarming. Krug re-
sumed his old insolencc and patronage.
This was convincing.
He invited her to supper and somehow
she dared not refuse. When he asked
what she wanted he said
Go easy on the heavy stun, grille.
Take it from me, it's easier putting on
weight than pushin it OF"
She ate heavily TO prove that he could
not cocrce her with his advice. As they
walked to her boarding house his arm
slid round her waist and she had hard
fight TO tear It away.
stop it,. she Gasped, breathlessly. 81
hate It, and I hate you"
THAT goes double then, grille he
answered, truculcntly. "t guess | won't
trouble you long"
"You mean you're goin to quit the
show" she said, all too hopefully.
Me. II amt met" he laughed. You
alnt de first swaller dat's been crowded
out because she weighed in too heavy.
I've saw more'n n dozen OF youse livin'
skeletons swell out into fat ladieJ and
then blow. | been doin' overtime histin'
you. and sayin' nuttin' to nobuddy. But
It don't get me nowhere, and I'm goin
to lay down. IT'S me duty to me boss
to wise him up to dc strain you're putin
on his tackle. o. course, If you was pals
wit me, | might so troo wit IT. but
well, sleep on 1t, kddo, and gimme your
answer tomorra. \ void to de wise is
ofilclous."
Silver slept on It that night, but she
slept i'll. Her brain was n paddock of
nightmares; one of her recurrent tor
ments was a vision of herself as n fat
woman i'm a museum, a billowy, pill
lowy freak. She woke again and again
in cold sweats of horror
She fell to work on all the exercises
she could remember from the newspaper
accounts of how to get thin. She bent
stifr-kneed and touched the floor with
the tips of her fingers till she grew dizzy
and fell to the floor Then, being there.
she rolled herself along the carpet like
a barrel till the people in the room below
were awakened and alarmed and ran up
to knock at the door and ask II she were
having n fight or n fit
She refused her breakfast and fed from
the house. where the aroma OF waffes
seemed to have claws to clutch at her
and hale her back She walked and ran,
sinking down to rest on packing cases
or other sidewalk distractions. She
walked and walked till her feet outached
her heart
Her pain and her fatigue were almost
uncomfortable But quite uncomfortable was
the thought of going back to the life she
had left, back to CRIME and tehcments
and brawlng parents and 50 week and
somebody else to spend II.
She frightened herself away from
bakers windows by the remembrance of
her past She achieved the heroism of a
lunchless noon. She wore through the
matinee with no sustenance but the Juice
of Il lemon, and the very thought of II
tied her into knot.
After the matinee she did not so back
to the boarding house. She told her fell
low swallows that she had date out"
Krug heard it and jealousy tormented
him as hunger tormented Silver. He
vowed to temporiZe no longer. He
searched for her, but his wanderings did
not come across hers, and he found no
chance TO speak to her alone.
CONTINUED TOMORROW