Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-09-24
Just for Local
Color
N~NN~N~~~~~~~ ~~~N~~NNNN~
BY JANE OSBORN
(Copyright.)

- ColleBe, MT. huSpef lOlu lne re-
firing little middle-aged man in blue
serge who served him as private secre-
tary. Il want you, Dawkins, to see
the registrar or secretary or whoever
1t is you ought to see under the cir
cumstances and arrange to employ
young woman for certain afternoons
for n few weeks. Jones, our publish
ers, have been after us again. That
last book is selling In an entirely graf
flying manner. Now they're at me
again for the manuscript OF that novel
l wrote ten years ago-before anyone
had ever heard Of me and before I'd
mustered up courage TO send anything
to u publisher. Well, that book is ms
good as anything I've written-only
it's got to be brought up to date. The
patter is all wrong. can manage
with most Of II, but there's college
girl heroine and she uses lot of
slang. I've got to get acquainted with
an up-to-date college girl and make
her talk"
Tom Kasper went on to explain that
he wanted his secretary to see about
engaging young woman to come to
do some easy solt Of clerical work.
II they told her she was expected to
come and give him, Tom Kasper, les
sons In present-day college-girl slang,
It might sound little odd IL 1t got
about. SO Dawkins was to go to Gar
ner college and find breezy sort of
young girl and engage her to do lit
tie clerical work.
The bashful Dawklns did his best.
He talked to several Garner girls be-
fore he saw and decided upon Helolse
Fay. She told him that she was pres
ldent of the college athletic associa-
ton, had been class president the year
before, was tennis champion, captain
Of the basket bali team--all this with
In the first minute or so of DawlIlns'
Interview. And she was slangy So
she was engaged
"But II you don't mind" said Daw-
kins, I'D just as soon not be around
when that young woman comes. She
rather overwhelmed me--and l sup
pose I can do any tipping or revising
in my own rooms as well as here"
SO It was agreed
Meantime they arranged some sim
pie sort of clerical work. There would
be the putting Of Toms lengthy ad-
dress book on cards of card cata-
logue-not Of course that he wanted
them there Later she could start an
index Of some pamphlets on South AZ
lea fauna.
This Is Miss Fay, l suppose" Tom
kasper said to the young woman who
arrived at his apartment promptly at
four o'clock the following afternoon.
The girl was trlne disappointing to
behold. He had expected n much dec
GRATED slcker and galoshcs, for II was
n rainy day, but the girl wore n neat
short black fur coat. Tom Kasper ex-
planned TO the girl about the address
book and felt embarrassed because she
looked 50 surprlsed-a trl1e sus-
piclous. But she went to work
promptly enough--too promptly, in
fact, for Tom, vino wanted to begin at
once to get local color for revising his
book. After the girl had been sitting
there ut Dawklns' desk for half hour
copying addresses on cards while Tom
sat pretending to revise some manu-
script mt his own desk without much
success at conversation Tom put
some direct questions. But the girl
had little to tell-nothlng that was OF
the slightest value TO Tom. And her
brief remarks were quite free from
anything that might be college slang.
Tom was frankly disappointed and
yet-after all, she was really most
Interesting sort of young woman. II
was remarkably coy sitting there In
the same room with her-even n she
didn't provide any local color.
But even as they sat there tete-a-
tete over the teN-table the girl had
nothing TO say about college. She
made Tom talk about his work, him
self his plans.
Then one day over the tea-thlngs
Tom quite lmpulsvely told the girl he
loved her. He had meant to keep his
feelings to hlmself-to wait until he
had proved himself to her little.
OF course he knew that he ought not
10 have told her there In his own
rooms.
"Aren't you rather foolish to want
to marry n poor little college glrl2"
she asked
"That isn't Important" Tom assured
her. "Of course, never imagined I'd
want to marry college girl Mt all.
Frankly I've never admired that type
Of girl, especially, but you're-you're
different"
She asked him shyly If he would
love her as much If he thought she
wasn't n college girl Mt all You see"
she explained, your secretary ar
ranged with ITelOlse Fay to come.
IIelOlse and / knew each other IN
schOOl-then TielOise's mother lost all
her money and Helolse started work
Ing her way through college. Well,
I've kept up with Heloise and she told
me about this work she was going to
do, but she didn't see how she was
going to get the timc-still, she needed
the money. So I, who have TOO much
time on my hands and hardly need the
money, asked II ! might not work In
her stead. The money would be hers,
Of cOurse-and after bit Of pleading
Heloise gave in And 500, I'm
Daphne Burton"
Tom told Daphne that she had been
Il wicked decciver the only way she
could win his forgiveness was 10 let
him talk with the Orginm IIclolse.
But Daphne would not conooni until
Tom had told her Of his desire to get
local color Tor ha Forthcoming novel