The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-18
KITTY DALTON

ginIa to the police station to report her loss.
 KITTY DALTON
 Opening the letter addressed in an unfamiliar handwriting turned quickly to the signature. My intui- tion had not failed me. The sigma ture read: Yours as always, Theo- dore Stratton."
 With a quickened pulse l turned eagerly to the contents. The letter began:
 You poor child:
 Some young woman, with a stri- dent voice, tells me through the phone that you are i'll. I am so sorry, but I am sure that the good God knows that we need you on earth aud so you will pull through.
 "Except for your being i'll, l am rather glad that we do not have to make place for you in my latest picture. Writing in parts, although 1t has been done, is rather a sad mess.
 ''In my next picture there is part that was just made for you. It calls for a character that Is quaint, inno- cent, elf-sacrificing and sweet there, how do you like it2 l am Tn love with just that kind of character.
 "I called today to tell you that we are going on location and for you to he ready when we return to play with me. However, I shall not ex- pect you now until we are casting a new picture, but I will probably see you before that.
 1T have ordered my florist to send you some posies every day. hope you enjoy them. and believe me, my dear child, I am,
 Yours as always,
 THEODORE STRATTON."
 "Kitty,"-I called, have I had flow CTS every day?"
 "Gobs of them" she answered. Tommy sent some, John storm But 1 nearly passed away, Virginia. when flowers began arriving from Theodore Stratton. He has sent a bunch of orchids, alternat- ing with a bunch of roses daily. Look around and you will see them. Where did you meet him, Virgie?"
 I told her the same old story and passed her over my letter.
 As she read it, she said: That's right, NlTBle. Just Woi Aiii " VI .. him good. Coddle him along until he gives you the best part he's got, then throw him down hard"
 But I couldn't do that, Kitty. couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right"
 well, like that. Don't you know that Theodore Stratton, and men like him, are trying to work you and girls like YOU always? You're not so con ceited as to think that Theodore Stratton is having part written Tor you in one of his pictures because ne has found out, just by looking al vou. that you're a genius. Nothing doing virgie. You're just new Kind of toy. that's all. You are good look ing but so are thousands Of others here. You appeal to Stratton because you add innocence to beauty The other are worldly wise"
 II don't consider it wrong for any girl to take all she can get from man of his kind and give as little in return as possible. That IS exactiy what he is trying to do.
 "But what do they call us when we play the game exactly as they do' she continued vlndictively. They call us 'vamps' and salamanders' ana women without souls and worse names than that.
 Don't look shocked, Virginia. You will have to learn the things l am telling you. Didn't Ria tell your she went through it all.
 "Yes, Ria told me-" 1 reluctantly "It was when she was ouarreling with Herb. and I thought if was because she was angry Wlth him that she said mean things about all men.
 You make me wish, as I have so often before, that I had never come out here to go into pictures"
 "Oh, don't take it so much to heart. Pictures are not any worse than any thing else where girl has to earn living. I wish you could hear some of the stories that the nurses told me in the hospital And there was lit- tie stenographer there while l was. whose history was one great trag- edy."
 "Is life so terrible. Kitty. for the girl who has to work?"
 Life Is terrible for anybody who has to work"
 ''But are all men rouges and 
 "No. not all of them. But there are enough of them, my dear. to leaven the lump pretty effectually, and US up to the girl cold turkey all the time If you can steel your heart ana make your brain work, you can get along all right. But that's the great trouble with all of us-we work our hearts overtime and let some man come along and take 1t out and play with it while and see how 1t beats under his hands. and then, when we wake up some morning and find that we are heartless. he tells us ne doesn't care for us any more. Then most of us go to the devil. That's what l did.
 And I tried to make every man that I met afterward pay. and pay well. for the hurt that one man had given ma. :. But 1t isn't any good. I think l have just hurt my self more than I have them.
 i've had a rather good time with you, Virgie, while you were ill But now I expect it's on my way again."
 Why, what do you mean. Kitty?"
 Virginia, it is as much as our reputation Is worth--even in the nov les-to be seen prowling around with Kitty Dalton. You will hear every