Evening star., 1923-04-01

and then, IL she wants to dance
you take her to some cabaret and
dance a while"
But how about payin' for all this
scenery? Me. I only got 15 cents"
"You don't need to worry about
that part At the beginning OF the
evening, Mrs. witt will give you
enough money TO pay all the bills,
and at the end. you return whatever
you amt spent"
Fair enough" had TO admit
"And do I get my ten berries from
her. too?"
mo, pay that myself and collect
from the customer"
Well, at the appointed hour, as
they say, I went to the hotel where
this Mrs. Witt was stopping and sent
up word to let her know her beau
was impatiently waiting below. And
in a couple OF minutes dame sails
up to me: "Mr. Benbennick?"
"Yes, nam. You Mrs. witt?"
Stoutish she was. and one OF the
fiuttery sort. with a kinda cooling
voice.
How nice you could come!" she
begun. T was expecting to go out
tonight with my regular New York
suitor. but he's took sick"
After we got into the dining room
she kept up the same line of chatter,
letting on she was in New York on
a pleasure trip. But what was worry
ing me was that she hadn't come
across with no jack, as yet-and me
with only 10 cents!
When the waiter brought me the
check and I was getting ready to
fall IN a At or something. Perlita.
that's her name, favors me with q
sweet smile.
"oh, no." she protests "You must
let this be my party"
She had the theater tickets already
bought. so that was o. K. too. After
ward she asked me didn't 1 think It
would be fun to go somewhere and
dance for a while.
Perlita was about as easy to push
around the floor as a caboose. One
Of them vigorous dancers, she was
and always bearing down on my left
arm, SOS ! could hardly lift 1t.
But the worst come when Perlita
started lingering a fve-dollar bill in
the taxi goin' home, and when we
say good night she makes a pass at
me with the money. Buy yourself
some nice cigars and smoke 'em on
me-"
mo, thanks" ! says coldly. II don't
smoke cigars"
All the same, she phoned Miss Bur-
man next day and booked me for the
next two nights running.
X Il y
T BUILT up quite a personal follow
i ing, as they say, and my services
was constantly In demand. I could
have saved money only for the fact
still had the idea could beat Wall
street.
Well, this Perlita come to town
again in August, and had me dated UP
for three nights in succession. The
first night everything went all right;
but when / got up next day I found
a letter from the old man under the
door:
WAS awful glad to get your last
letter. Not hearing from you for so
long worried me quite a bit. and Asa
zabriskie sent me letter saying he
hadn't seen you since February and
didn't even know where you lived.
II am so pleased and proud to hear
from you that you have q fine posi-
tion and are getting along SO well.
What is your job. anyway? Things
here are still bad, but am managing
to scrape along somehow"
Well. somehow that letter seemed
to bring me back to earth. like moth
ing else could have. I was standing
right in front of the mirror, and I
give myself one straight look.
Some swell guy. amt you?" says.
Letting your dad scrimp along the
best he can without you, while you
stick around New York playin' the
part of q cabaret lizard and lady's
pet, still kiddin' yourself it's only
temporary. A whole lot of good it's
done you Z be told you got Greek
profile. Just a spoiled boob, that's all
you are now"
Gosh, felt so mean ! made up my
| mind I'd quit Miss Burman on the
spot. But just leaving the house
met the mail man with a letter that
had been addressed to me at Prince
ton, then forwarded way out to Wye
! ming, and finally sent back to New
York by the old man.
1t was an invitation to Marianne's
wedding. down at her uncie's sum-
mer place at New Compton, Long
= Island. I lonlSed af the data. Mari.