The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-09

the DOyS KISS me, ana nave pettlng par ties, and come home at night about the time they are getting up? I don't do anything really wrong. I am a good girl. 1 am just, as good as their girls that they shoo up on the roost at sun- down. The things l do look a lot worse than they are"
 "You have said it for two, sister," agreed another girl. T am private sec retary to . man who takes me out to luncheon now and then, and when his wife is out of town we motor out to some nifty roadhouse and have dinner and dance. Phere is no harm in it. -s
 T am no vamp, engaged in the
 hOme-wrecking business as a side
 line, and my boss is devoted to his lawful mate and his kids. Prob
 ably the reason he takes me out is
 because he knows l am safe, and
 most of our talk is about business. But la la ! haven't got shade
 of character left in the office. The
 dear, green-eyed rag chewers, who
 just dOte on putting the very worst
 construction on everything, have
 picked me to the bone."
 Same here," responded a young married woman, because I would rath- CT jazz than walk the collie, and prefer to take a spin with good-looking youth in his sports car to pushing perambu- lator; and because don't consider that just because you happen to be married all of woman's good looks and charm need to be devoted to home consumption, 1 the gossips have a regular picnic every time my name is mentioned. You would think was a female Herod who was ready to murder her own children, and they positively sob when they mention my poor, deluded, duped husband.
 But on my honor, I am as
 straight as Caesars wife. And if | I do flirt a bit, it5is purely for the
 satisfaction of seeing whether
 have still any of the bait left with
 which I caught my husband. Of
 course, like him, but I love my babies; and as for my John,
 wouldn't give his little finger for a
 whole regiment of the slick-haired
 boys with whom play about. Yet
 all the old tabbies hold me up as an
 awful example and sit around
 croaking and wondering when John "hA SloNI uANVASO ptOSCONAhSS
 against me-
 Well" I said, 'fwhy shouldn't people talk about you when you furnish them racy subject to discuss? Why shouldn't they think the worst of you when you give them every right to think it? Why should you expect oth- CTS to be more careful of your reputa- tion than you are yourself? T know it is the custom. to anathe- matize gossipers, and we shudder as we say what a, terrible thing it is that we can't do anything without its being dis cussed by our friends and acquain- tances. e f-1
 But, believe me, the only time.
 we object to being talked about is
 when people are discussing our
 weaknesses and shortcomings.
 "As long as they are saying how young, and pretty, and sweet, and innocent a girl is she doesn't want
 to turn off the photograph. It is
 only when they say that she is fast,
 and common and that she is begin
 ming to look hard and shopworn,
 and that they wouldn't want a
 son of theirs to marry her, that she
 wants to put silencer upon them. "No business woman objects to hear ing people say that her employer con- siders her marvel of efficiency, but she. doesn't like it when they whisper