Evening star., 1921-12-25
/ITHAT Collins girl comm here
again today?' demands
IneZ.

1911 I A. anu MY o'''So ''N'-
needs curling In the back. 1 know it's
a bit cNtravagant. but when you're
asking people to part with two seven
ty-five each for orchestra chairs
you've at least got to look convinc-
ZEE as flappcr. Hence the weekly
session with Sudic."
"Huh." says lnez. Plenty other
hair dressers."
why, Inez" says 1. what has
Miss Collins ever done to you?
Herr" says Inez. "She don't do
anything to me. l wouldn't let her.
/ no like her, that's all"
OH says 1.
And after I'd thought it over for
awhile l could dope out very little
that was worth much. There are GER
tain types of their own species, L
knew, that some women dislike and
distrust from instinct. Perhaps Sudie
Collins was of this class. Not having
even a second mortgage OH any par
ticular man myself. ! had nothing to
worry about, and l couldn't quite Sc"
where IneZ needed to get green i'll the
eye.
But just how does Miss Collins man
age to start your day all wrong, nez.'
I asked. .She strikes me as rather a
chirky, pleasant young person, and
she certainly knows her job"
Maybe" admits 1nez. 'She has
botd look, though. Me, l wouldn't
trust her"
WELL, you know how a knock like
w that, even if you don't agree
with il at the time. will start YOU
working up suspicious. Anyway,
while she was busy on my revised
near-henna hair that morning !
couldn't help watching her in the
mirror Yes. there might be some
thing in 1nez's hunch. for il she was
inclined that way Sudie could qualify
for a vamp. One of these slim. long
waisted girls with an easy. slidy sort
of walk and soothing voice. Besides.
she had cheek dimples, a fresh, heal
thy complexion that didn't need to be
touched up from a box. and danger
GUS hair-that true copper-red shade
that no wash can quite duplicate.
with all that was her quick, eager
way of looking at you and doing
things. as if she was full of life and
in love with life. Real pep. Yes, she
could get 'em stretching their necks,
If that was her line. But was it?
So 1 gave her an opening for con-
fidential chat. But Miss Collins didn't
respond by pouring out the story of
her life She smiled friendly enough
h,,f Srs making two ClIrlS
grow where only one grew before.
And at that did get curious. Only I
didn't make the mistake of starting
right out to pump her. I began by
telling her something about myself.
DO you know, Miss Collins" says
/, Its a wonder I never tried hair
dressing. for before 1 side-slipped
into acting I'd tackled almost every
thing else. / believe I should have
gone around distributing permanent
waves and SO on II I'd known how to
break in. I suppose you take les
sons?"
She admits that you do.
You were in something else frst,
weren't you?" / suggests.
"Manicuring," says she.
oh" says I. I'm one of those
beauty parlors?"
NO" says she. "Hotel barber
shop"
"I see," says 7, although I didn't.
SYou weren't satisfied with that, Ell?
I've heard that the tipping was good
'1t is if you can stand for all the
mush the men hand you," says Miss
Collins. II couldn't. So as soon as
I'd saved enough hunted up a wom-
an who agreed to give me full
course for s25 and for the next month
/ spent most of my evenings with
her.
Then you had to find some clients,
didn't you?' 1 asked. How did you
manage that?"
THAT was the hardest part" says
she, II had business cards printed
and persuaded the room clerk to put
them in the guests letter boxes. For
q week or so nobody seemed to pay
any attention to them. Then I had
two or three calls and those ladies
must have told some of their friends
about me. for inside of six weeks
was making enough to live on"
ana HO"
I'm on the go from in the morn
ing until sometimes Q and 10 o'clock
at night" says Miss Collins. You
see, I have to do SO much skipping
about First I'll have an appointment
at some hotel down on West 45th, and
perhaps the next one will be up on
East 96th. That's what makes it hard.
especially in weather like this. And
I lose so much time jumping around.
Honest, when I get home at night I'm
Just dead
Which was where 1 came in with
the pointed remark: Some day,
though" says I, you'll be getting
married and then you'll quit it all"
geDO you think so?" says she, gaz-
IL ing dreamy over the top of my
head into the mirror.
It's being done every day." says L
~You must be around twenty-five.
Miss Collins, and you're not going to
get any younger, especially if you
keep up this fourteen-hour schedule.
A grind like that will fade the cheek
roses and put wrinkles in the eye
corners that massage can't Saep out.
Besides, the right man is bound to be
knocking around somewhere, waiting
for a nod from you. My guess is, too,
that you've got a whole string scG
could pick from"
saThaf's nice of yOu to think SO,o