The Washington herald., 1917-03-25
TYPES
ny SARA MOORE.
CHOICE.

hittie had, In three weeks. lost four
lops. The NTH she threw away. Be-
tween her last pay envelope and the gulf
OF starvation she could be sure Of only
snree safety clutches One was Perth
pillon- One was John Young. The third
was . pocketbook containing a piece OF
ehamois skin and tLs2.
Grayely, as a chess player measures
MS chance against an expert opponent.
kitty contemplated her resources spread
on the top of q blistered oak table that
DID its woboly best to be useful in q fur
hished u room. On one corner she had
smoothed out two greasy bills and
weighted them down with q painful of
small coins. Next to the cash lay a
long clipping cut from the Help
wanted Female column OF an after
noon Newspaper. To the right she placed
small hand mirror. And back of the
hrst trench propped against an empty
nsik bottle and a dish OF mixed hairpins
stood two photographs. The man with
tne wAVy pompadour was Perth Dillon.
Ine face that stared from under a po-
chunky proportions that made one think
OF mission furniture. II was the like
ness Of John Young.
slowly. deliberately. Kittie drew up q
chair before the little array that was to
determine her destiny. There was no
need to recount the money. A penny
more or less would not balance the scales
of Fate. Nor did she need to peer into
the hand mirror. Her face. she knew.
was her fortune. 1t could get her hus-
band or a job. It had cost her two jobs.
She knew every curve and shadow Of 1t.
And with Il she was quite satisfied.
Her lips were Quivering childishly as
Ehe picked up the Help Wanted litera-
ture. For days and days that had been
all the reading matter her world allowed.
She knew II almost by heart-from "Ad-
dressers" to Wanted, . Laundress.' .
There was not one on the list of day.
stter-day Advertisements that she had
rot tried. The new advertisers, who
seemed to have work that ftted her ca
paCity, were either answer-oY-nail peo-
pie. who required an outlay OF stationery
and stamps. which she could Ill AFFORD,
or answer-in-person ones so widely scat
tered through the city that II would take
several days time and half her cash for
Carfare to reach them.
There were few kinds OF unskilled labor
that KittIe had failed to try. She was
too frall for heavy laundry work and too
nervous and inexperienced for fine iron
Ing. After she had burned a beautiful
centcrpIece in one place the kindly boss
gave her a chance to make good counting
and sorting laundry. Because he was 81
patient she managed to hold to his pay
roll for a record engagement, but at the
end OF eleven weeks he had sold out the
business. The new proprietor was one OF
the several employers who had liked her
face 50 we'll that she felt II the better
part OF valour to resign.
As houseworker she was even less
euccessful. She was too young TO nt well
INTO. routine, too undisciplined to adapt
herselfI to the arbitrary rulings OF aver
age housekeepers. too sociable to bear
the loneliness and long hours OF ordinary
hired girl kitchen Imprisonment
She had discovered that the only
women who make ideal helpers in a big
hotel are girls OF the dry, old maid
types She drifted through of1ces and
shops stopping for weeks or months or
seasons as the work or chance swept her
on.
And in between jobs had been stretches
OF hunger. fear. fatigue.
Tonight she noted that there was
seasonal demand for stylish young
women models" and sighed because she
vas too slim for the standard figure. And
way down at the bottom OF the list she
saw her ore possible chance for imme-
diate employment. Some Institution ad-
Vcrtised that they wanted strong young
women to help care for the insane.
Kitty took another peek into the hand
mirror and then turned her attention to
Perth Dillon and John Young. Until very
r Gently she had clung to the theory that
no good woman should marry except for
love. Now she began to regard we'd
ding certificate much as a drowning man
regards a life preserver. She was not in
love n she married Perth Dillon she
would have a good table d'hote dinner
all the rest OF her life. for he was a
cabaret dancer and entertainer. II she
married John Young she would be mar
ryinE for home.
Quite suddenly. without sobs or quiv-
srinE. the girl began to cry. Tears rolled
steadily down her cheeks and splashed
on her faded kimono. but she did not no.
tice that she was weeping-except to
brush them away. as a baby might, with
the dimpled back Of her hands.
Could the light-toed, light-headed Perth
be depended upon to be good to her, to
protect her? Wasn't John Dillon too de-
pendable and honest to be stung with a
wife who didn't love him as he deserved? I?
With a little gasp she picked up the
clipping and glanced despairingly from 1t
to the photographs. Then she suddenly
mixed them up. Perth and John and the
Help Wanted column. With her head
turned sternly the other way. so that she
could not possibly tell which was which
IN the tumble. she spread them out on the
table.
Her eyes were shut tight. One hand with
irdex finger extended. fluttered above the
table. 1t made little dabs downward as
if to pin one OF the pictures or the clip
ping 20 the blistered old oak top. Her
face puckered into pink knots so earnest
" was she determined not to peek under
Ter lashes as she put her finger to the
test.
Dab, dab. dab. went her plump little
finger.
Nod. nod. nod. went her head
Accommodating "sing-sonEed Miss
Eittie, Ito take THIS one"
Copyright 1917
There were 5,723, ,5s2 pounds Of unstem-