Evening star., 1928-12-08
The Creme Girl.
Y EAN MUIR climbed wearily to her
room. Her feet ached, yet they
l we're clad in sensible low heeled

YEAN MUIR climbed wearily to her
room. Her feet ached, yet they
were clad in sensible low heeled
~ shoes. Likewise her heart ached,
and it was courageous, cheerful
little heart too, that had beat deter
minedly through great many trying
moments.
Jean was small and dark, with Seri-
Gus eyes and firm mouth. AS she
| hurried up the stair and through the
| dim Railways of the shabby old board
| ing house she looked like a moving
light in her bright hued crepe dress
She wore crepe because she sold crepe.
A customer would see her standing
behind her counter looking like pic
| ture and would Immediately ask to look
at crepe of good quality. AS matter
of fact Jean had made her own gown,
running it up by hand, two breadths,
cut SO at the top and so at the bottom.
1t was just as easy as that to make a
crepe dress, but the subtle distinction,
which made it appear to be better than
it was, came from the girl herself.
| Two years before Jean had come to
! the city from small country town
with high heart and cheeks like roses.
Her high-heartedneSS had passed and
the roses had faded, but she was still
striving to get ahead, to earn more,
to make place for herself.
AS she entered her room she scented
familiar odor coming up from the
kitchen below. Stew! And the hard
sandwich she had eaten for lunch still
stuck in her throat. Conapsing upon
the bed she kicked off her shoes and
wondered whether it would be worth
while to go down to dinner.
From the other side of the partition
came the sound of sobs. Somebody
was crying in the adjoining room. Now
who was it?
"I think the Miller girl moved in
after Miss Marshan left" Jean thought
"She is certainly having a bad half
hour, poor thing"
Jean tried to forget the others woe.
She had trouble enough of her own
at any time. Still, If it was the Miller
girl-she was so tinid and shy and
young, poor child. Jean sat up and
drew her shoes back on.
The door opened rather reluctantly
upon her knock, and the Miller girl
was revealed, pitifully trying to make
herself presentable. Jeans quick glance
showed her a suit case packed for de-
parture.
WHAT Are you going to leave?" she
exclaimed.
Betty Miller nodded. 1--WE failed"
she said incoherently.
Failed! At what?"
"It was a Dictionary for Common
Folks but there don't seem to be any
common folks here. At least, if there
are they don't want my dictionary.
tried Poplar Terrace this afternoon"
Jean knew about Poplar Terrace,
compact little houses full of happy
It'd
want of dictionaries for common folks?
Some of them never came to the
door at all and those that did"
Betty swallowed hard.
'Oh, my dear!" Jean sat down upon
the bed. What did you try to sell
anything of that sort for?"
well, you see, daddy was minister
And this book was made by an old
friend of his, another minister who
doesn't preach now. He wanted me to
sell it for him. He said my person.
ality would make it succeed. But I've
used my personality all up and
haven't sold single volume. Besides,
1--we used all my money up, too.
and" Betty paused aghast at her
own admission. "I've got enough left for
9:20. Mr.. Pell will be terribly disap-
pointed. And I am disappointed, too,
because. I though maybe it would be
an opening. You know, they say that
the city teens with romance and ad-
venture"
well, you have had your adventure"
Jean said dryly. CAS- for the romance
that's probably waiting back home for
you this minute"
Betty Miller flushed.
''Tllat sounds like Dick. could
marry Dick, But he's got red hair and
I have known him Always"
What does Dick do?"
"Oh, he's kind of florist. on very
small SCALE" Betty sighed. ooh, I