Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-01

S0-ca1led poker face" that those who watch
her casually seem to feel that she is incapable
and have studied her through her meteoric
career realize that she does feel, despite her
appearances to the contrary.
ANY one who watched closely could see the
subtle changes in the expressions of her face
the day of her Wightman Cup match with
Betty Nuthall, when she was severely pressed
for the first time during the year.
In my first year in the East, Helen and
were the house guests of Mrs George Wight
man, donor of the Wightman Cup for British
and American competition.
AT that time, Mrs. wightman's daughters
were in the paper-doll stage and Helen
exerted much of her artistic ability toward the
creation of several paper-dol1 families for their
amusement.
The spare moments Of hers that I have OBJ
served have almost always been devoted to
Sketching, or some occupation directly or in
directly connected with her art.
There is an athletic goods store in Boston
that was the scene Of an amusing incident
this same year. Helen had broken a racket
and wanted to replace it. Rather than take
the time to send to the manufacturers for it,
she went to Boston to pick one out.
Mrs. Wightman and went with her and
waited while the salesman brought out several
varieties of rackets, some very heavy and none
she eventually discovered one that met her re-
quirements, the salesman insisted that it should
be heavier
But I don't like them that way" she told
him, taking the racket she had chosen to the
scales to weigh it.
"Most of the good players use them heavy,
you know" he said, apparently giving his
habitual sales talk. Helen Wills likes them
this way"
Mrs. Wightman and were having extreme
difficulty in maintaining our composure. Per-
hapS unkindly we were, nevertheless, hoping
that in some way the salesman would discover
the identity of his customer, but he seemed
to know as little of the players as he did of
their racket requirements.
Helen very kindly refrained from any COM
ment on the subject, and taking the racket she
had selected, left the store, very much amused
couldn't help but wonder II some clerk who
might have recognized her told the erring
salesman of his mistake.
HELEN'S early interests were certainly those
of the ordinary young person with ath-
letic tendencies. Perhaps some Of the strength
that has given her the power to play as she
does came in the same way that much OF mine
did
In my early youth I was what is called a
"tom boy" have always had a weakness for
climbing things, and it seems that Helen had
the same feeling in her earlier days, for Mrs.
wills relates her horror on returning home one
afternoon to find Helen on top Of the roof with
her dog.
Having climbed onto the same roof can
say that Helen's mother was justified in her
fears, and just how Helen ever managed to get
a dog up with her has always been to me an
unsolved mystery. The roof was shingled, three
stories above the ground and sloped rather
steeply. Helen's feat Is a good indication that
her sense of balance which is so evident on
the court, is natural gift with her.
I should say that Helen wills has assumed
her phlegmatic attitude as protection against
the obstacles that must necessarily beset the