New Britain herald., 1927-02-19

Boobies toes. inside the wooder
shoes she was wearing. curled w
| tightly. Her hands clenched them.
selves. SO that her nails bit her
! palms, in her tense nervousness
A hard bali came into her throat
but she wanted to Shrek with hap
piness that fairly hurt. A con-
tract! A steady salary! A chance,
at last, after all these months of
waiting waiting waiting. 1t
seemed too wonderful to be true.
Her voice came at last, small
and suffocated.
"Oh, Gusty." she said, "how can
| say thanks? You're doing SO
much for me-"
We'll, l am" he cut in quickly.
I'VE may as well be sensible about
1t. and admit the truth, Bobbie.
You know, yourself, that you
haven't been able to get anywhere
by yourself in the six months you've
been here"
That, of course, was the truth no
4
bic nodded.
You know, just as we'll as l do.
that this towns full of girls as
pretty, or even prettier. than your
self" Gus smooth voice ran on.
Looks and brains don't count
much when a girls trying to break
into pictures, these days. Some
time she gets in by a stroke of
pure luck-but oftener it's because
some man is back of her, pushing
her as I'm going to push you"
He reached out for one OF her
small limp hands, and held it tight
as he went on:
Il can do a lot for you'll can
make you if you'll let me. I'm in
Il position to. now. And il you'll
just put yourself into my hands"
II will" Bobbie interrupted him
eagerly "1l do everything you
tell me to do. I'll obey you like a
trained seal. Watch me-"
Little did she suspect, as she
said it, where that innocent little
remark was going to lead her that
Gus laughed. "All right. we'll
begin today" he said. go and
jump into your other clothes. and
III show you just where to start,
and how"
Bobbie wondered what he meant.
as she took off the blond wig, the
white muslin bodice. the blue skirts
and the wooden shoes of Dutch
In five minutes she was
back in the little white sports dress
and the tiny felt hat that had been
steamed and pressed dozens of
times in Mrs. Mangan's kitchen SO
that it always looked fresh and
new and oh, SO smart.
Here l am, Gusty, all ready to
play follow my-leader" she called
lightly to MacCloud as she stepped
out from behind the dusty green
screen.
He was reading the letter on
pale gray paper for the second
time. But when she came up to
him. he stuffed it into his trousers
pocket, and got up.
Down the bare wooden stairs !
they went, arm in arm. locked
closer on every step. Then out !
INTO the court yard filled with !
sunlight, and into the
lark green roadster. Through the
ron gates. and out into Sunset
crowded with automo-
,iles. AS Gus said, everybody In /
he world seems to drive car on
Sunday!
At first Bobbie thought he was
heading for Beverly Hills and his
own) white house. But he turned
off suddenly into a quiet little sid
street, lined with white houses and
shaded with pepper trees.
At the very end of it was a tiny
private park with a thread-like
brook running through it. and fac
ng it was a small white house.
1t was the kind of house that
picture books are fun of
"a darling little house with dia-
windows. green
hingle roof. 1t nestled in a green
,arden behind three gnarled old
rees, and the walk that led up to
t was flag stone all embedded in
,ale-green moss.
what a duck of a little house,"
3oobie cried as Gus stopned his
ar in front of it,. Then eerrible
bought struck her-perhaps some
riends of his lived in it. and per-
laps they were going calling on
hem!
"Oh. Gus, I don't want to go in"
he said. as he got out and opened
he door on her side of the car.
Look at me. This terrible old hat.
nd this dress! It's too short, ~
We been crying! ] can't so visit