The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-29
LIE I TIERS OF
TWO WOMEN
By ZOE BECKLEY.
The Experiment Works.
By ZOE BECKLEY.


Dearest May:
This is chapter of Experiments
with Life or How 1t Feels to Do
an Unaccustomed Kindness" 1 ended
my other letter where Sonia Luboff
stared at me and said, rs this
game? Well, do not care to play it
with YOU
At first I felt we were characters
in melodrama, and that 1 ought to
dash back some smart and crushing
phrase that would make her feel
sorry she had "spurned" my friend
ship Then L looked around at the
p1t1able room, and the picture be-
came reality.
Maize. l couldn't but respect the
Woman's brave show of prosperity.
Everything she possessed that could
give the impression OF success and
plenty was displayed. Everything that
, told the story of her failure and want
was carefully concealed behind
screen.
| The furs she wore the day she
came to our house were thrown across
a couch-carefully, SO as not to show
the worn Innings and bare spots. A
| handsome lacQuer-and-silver cigaret
box was on the table, but it was empty,
| hidden under a magazine. Some of
! her stage costumes were thrown over
chair, but I felt they would have
| shown threadbare if 1 had picked
them up and looked them over.
There was smell of coffee and
toast in the room, and knew she had
| just put out the fire from under her
pathetic meal, behind that screen.
| Sonia, in short, was, to the eye OF a
seeing woman, decidedly up against
| it." My inspection only took a min
ute. without an invitation 1 sat down
l 49, ro do he
furs.
Miss Luboff.,,' I began, give me
credit for being an intelligent woman.
1 didn't come mere to be impudent. to
thrust myself upon you, to play the
| virtuous wife. I hate pose as nuch as
we'll as I imagine you do. 1 hon
| estly want to be sensible and friendly
| 1 haven't many friends myself-don
have time for friendships And flnd
I've missed a lot. Wnen you
| Things that started me thinking. I've
cone some more thinking since And
the other day read that your com
pany had closed. I thought might
suggest helpful thing or two Just as
Won might for me If L were Stranger
j., vour country, and circumstances
were the same"
Well. Maize, I'll make a long story
short. This Sonia person actually got
me-caught the spirit OF sincerity
/
like that are as temperamental as
snrinp day. All thunder and light
ming one minute; all blue sky the
We talked. She told me how she
had tried to get a job in a cabaret
and had suffered torments of chagrin
because she failed-her accent was
too foreign, they told her. She had
pawned what decent jewelry she had
|, TO nav her hotel bill She had even
appealed to~Paul, she confessed, and
he would have nothing to do with her
This she told me naiyely. was be-
cause he was~afraid of my misunder-
standing, not because he didn't want
to help her (No wonder she gave
me the frozen greeting, Ell, Maize? y
She told how she had been used to
buying her frocks at Dale-Gordon'
because someone had told her thai
was the "only place. And that even
this hotel room was costing her a
| cruel sum She didn't know where
else to go, and hadn't the money to
make experiments in moving
Well, dear the first thing I did was
to tell her about a little dressmaker
know who has a divine gift for max
ing something out of nothing. The
second thing was to get her a room
: in the apartment of Russian
couple, friends of Paul. who want tc
reduce expenses. The third stunt was
I to call up the Correggio School OF
Languages and arrange for her to cal
and see about teaching job. I wen
| home walking on air, Maize. FRS
between Il fairy godmother and 6
good Businessman Write quick
whether you think I'm a fool.