Evening star., 1927-11-30
SUB ROSA
BY MIMI.
How Can I Get to Know Him ?
By ROBERT CULLEN.

You can't, is the answer to that
question. Not very encouraging but
there YOU are. You might as well
know the worst.
1t seems to me that every girl in
the country has written to ask me
this week about the tall attractive
young man who works in the same
office with her, and smiles shyiy and
seems to want to get acquainted, but
just hasn't the nerve.
I feel that I know that young man
| so well, / could go around to most
Offices i'm the country and arrange at
| least a hundred tete-a- -tetes, IL what
the girls told me was all strictly true.
| But the worst of it is, half my dear
young readers are kidding themselves
badly.
That's why I never hand out a
friendly suggestion as to how the shy
Young maiden can let the tall young
man know just where he stands with
her.
That's why I just write a disagree
able note, and say: ut can't be done,
grille. You haven't got a chance of
attracting that big boy with any of
the ancient devices such as writing
him a note, dropping your handker-
chief, inviting him to call, before he's
even spoken to you"
/ We've had a talk before about this
business of picking up men, and
think we all decided it wasn't so good
| Well, then. that's out.
And all the ancient devices are just
petty camouf1age for the same old
pickup. IL you smile at a strange
man or drop a pocketbook near his
desk or break down all bounds and
in perfectly frank, girlish way, ask
him to call on you. you're still pick
ing him up. You're making the first
move, and that's bad dope.
There isn't any really satisfactory
way to make a man notice you OIL
give you a rush--I mean to force him
into such a procedure.
That's one reason why I'm so firm
about my advice to lay off the idea
altogether until he sees fit to make
the right move.
Now the second reason is that the
foolish young thing is very often kid
ding herself. 1t doesn't take much
to convince the average little butter.
fly that some one is trying to flirt with
her.
Given a reasonable doubt, she hands
herself the benefit of it. She is easily
persuaded that most men are trying
grounds for so thinking may be slight
How many young men there are in
Offices who get awfully bored and tired
and discouraged, and just want hu
man being to smile at once in while
How many of them naturally prefer
to smile at a girl-and suddenly find
themselves grinning cheerfully at a
rather attractive little face over or
the other side of the room-without
In the least connecting the face with
It's owner.
Often they get into this smiling
habit If the face doesn't look unre
sponsive. 1t cheers. up the business
day. doesn't do any harm, and doesn't
in any way impair the love affairs
they may be having outside the office
That's what the majority of my cor
respondents don't seem to figure out
They are convinced that they're the
Big and Only lovers of all the young
men who smile in offices.
Now let me tell you. little Office fiirt
If the tall, good-looking boys around
the place really want to know you
they'll find some way to do it, ali
right.
III they're really struck with your
beauty and charm, you'll hear from
! them sooner or later. The best thing
for you to do. if you're really inter.
ested. Is sit and wait and pretend not
/ to know
| When a mans actually desirous OF
Knowing YOU. he'll get there some day
He may be shy enough to take long
time about it. but he'll manage. Leave
1t to him.
! The best way you can get to know
any strange man who seems to like
your looks Is to let him take the
| trouble. Don't you do it for him.