The Indianapolis times., 1929-01-30

ginning to be very girl-conscious.
was sprawled i'll Ruth's little mar
row-backed swivel chair, paving the
pile of mail on her, desk. His sandy
hair was still wet from its MORN
ing brush, his big ears very red
from the scrubbing to which they
were not yet accustomed.
He had told her recently. in a
burst of confidence, that he was
using freckle cream on his Speckled
cheeks. and neck. The dear! He'd
be asking some girl to marry him
soon, just as Jack Hayward had
asked her last night.
Nothing from your girl this
morning, Benny" Ruth called out,
in the meek, repressed little voice
which had been so necessary a part
of the disguise she had temporarily
discarded.
Girl? Who said I had a grip
Benny sputtered, whirling about in
the little swivel chair. Then he saw
Ruth and his prominent eyes glared
until Ruth coloring and laughing,
was afraid they would pop from his
head.
Gee gosh!'' he exploded at last.
"All rightl I bitel Who are you?''
Don't be silly, Benny: It's just
Ruth Lester, of course"
"Jul-yus Caesar" Benny breathed.
"It's just Ruth Lester, of course"
he mimicked her precise, repressed
little voice. Gosh! What have you
went and done to yourself, Ruth?
Be yourself! amt feelin' so strong
this mornin'--"
Ruth laughed. "That's what I'm
doing at last, Benny! I'm being
myself! Do you like Ruth Lester
herself?"
Benny rose slowly from Ruth's
chair, then lifted a crooked elbow
as if to ward her of. "GoSh, wom-
an! Turn them lamps off met
You'll blind me! Where's your
specs? And say, what have you
done to your hair?'
Ruth's little white hands, which
she had never been able to dis
guise, huttered to her golden curls,
f1uffed them. ''Nothing-but turn
it loose!" she laughed. "It's really
too long to be worn as a bob"
But gosh! You didn't have to
slick it back till your head looked
like a yellow onion, and screw it
into little knob on your neck, +"
the Office boy protested. curiously
angry with her.
'I used to think your hard pull
your eyebrows out by the roots.
Say! Maybe that was what give you
that scared rabbit look-your hair
skinned back like that, pulling at
your eyebrows, and them big, yell
low-glass specs of yours, covering
half of your face. Gee!" he mar
veled again.
"But, listen! What'd you do to
your face? It looks different, too,
not pale and sickly-"
II UTH opened the top drawer of
N her desk and took out a box OF
powder, which she showed him
triumphantly. "See! Rachel-tint-
ed powder, very heavy. See how
yellowish it is? Plenty of that
slapped on and my milk-maid COM
plexion was successfully hidden. But
I've got to get to work, Bennyl
Be good infant and get me some
water for my sponge, and sharpen
a bunch of pencils, won't you?"
Listen, Greta Nissonl" Benny
sputtered. "You amt going to shut
up and not slip me the lowdown on
Why you done it. are you?"
"Greta Nisson?" Ruth raised her
eyebrows and gave him the full,
enchanting beauty of her limpid
blue eyes.
MY errorl" Benny backed away,
again with that crooked-elbow ges-
ture of warding her off. "Greta Mis-
sen or no other movie star can't
hold a candle to you.
st heard that red-heafied riot
across the hall say that Ruth Lester
WOulQI1 Z DC q DGQ-1OOh1l1B gil II
someone'd slip her a little info
about how to dress and make up
that sickly little face Of hers. Boy
howdy. but l hope I'm on deck when
she lamps the WOW you turned out
TO be! Gee!"
Scatter. Benny!" Ruth COM
lnanded. her cheeks very pink, her
blue eyes brinming with tender
mirth. Remember, this is Satur-
day. I've something else to do than
listen to you sputter 'Geel' and
'Goshl' down my neck. No, I'm not
going to tell YOU why / did itI Take
these pencils and put a long point
on each Of them. please"
Her competent hands began to
open the big stack of mail. Only
one letter marker "Perse AZ this
morning another of those big
square. orchid tinted envelopes with