The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-05-03
Louise In
Wonderland!
Modern Alice Uses $40
Given Her to Pay Bills
for lust One Night in
Swell Hotel.
BY ARCH STEINEL

I HE'S mediOcrity closed in today
l. on Louise Rose. 13, of $50 South
Warman avenue, and closing left
her with memories Of her biggest
turill"-her hour-the experience Of
staying all night in a swell hotel
Forgotten is the $50 given her by
her father, George Rose, with which
to pay bills an which she spent for
clothing. forgotten IS everything but
the soft cushions in the Claypool
hotel. where she spent an afternoon
alesta, clean tile bath of the
room She rented at the hotel Wdnes-
day night
Louise left her home Wednesday
morning with a $50 bill given her
by her father and the instructions
to pay grocery and htoer store bills.
Louise didn't pay the bills
CHE rode uptown on street car.
- She window-shopped as she'd
done many times in the past-but
now all was diferent-she had $40
IN her pocket
A dress in a window flirted with
her, a pair Of shoes. and chiffon
hose Winked at her. too. She bought
them-and discarding her older gar
ments put them on.
She was 'MiladyS" now.
Too lunch then and betimes a
show She thought in Samuel Pepys
m uuer.
Night crowded in on her Cinder- |
Gillian day. She had always wanted |
TO stay at a swell hotel" and here !
was her chance, and anyway lady /
should never remain uneScorted on !
the streets.
"UAVE you rooms that you rent
II for all night?" she asked the
doOrman at the Claypool as she
pesed in its lobby haIf-scared at the
huge lounges that yawned at her.
"Yes, Miss he replied.
Her knees knocked fearfully as
She walked through the long lobby
to the desk.
Have you a roOm?' she asked Of I
3. F. Hadley, night clerk.
Hadlev debated. He could tell I
her he was crowded but-maybe she
vas from out-Of-tOwn and had no T.
place to stay. He noticed her dirty
hands. her unwashed face.
'Yas-With bath Itll be $3.50"
She paid him slowly. awkwardly, |
three one-douar bills and two quar-
Jers.
AKTITH scraWling pen she signed |
w the name of her dream world F.
not just plain Louise |
Billie Lou Rose" Actresses. swell /
people had names like that
Front show Miss Rose her room 20 /
M-m-m-h Miss Rose no one had
ever called her that before.
She revele6 in the shiny porce- !
lain bathtub. Slept sound that !
night while her father franticalIy /
appealed to police to find his miss
ing daughter.
Thursday she louneed as non
chalantly as her adOlescent years
would permit in the hotel lobby. |
She had a right there. She had a |
room. Weren't the people lovely to |
look at? She smiled at every one;
some smiled back at her.
THURSDAY afternoon found |
L practcality-a real world-sum- /
moning her from the unreal when /
her purse contained but a few dimes. |
A sigh or two, a few long looks at |
The tapestries and pictures on the /
mezzanine floor. which she had paid /
$3.50 10 see. and Billie Lou" left
tho hotel. +
SEe walked toward police head
quarters that is. Louise walked. not .
"Billie Lou" She knew her father. .
police would want her.
At the corner of Alabama and .
Washington street policemen in a
patrol wamon spied her. She told I.
who she was and they Scrawled her
name on the report sheets as
Louise Rose. missing girl found" !
for they never, never will find /
Billie Lou