Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-08-14
Mew York
Letter

NEW YORK-For years I have
watched with curiosity the chang
ing assortment Of good-looking girls
who sit in Broadway windows, call
ing attention to some gadget or
other.
One will be stropping safety
razor blades, hour upon hour; n
other will be stripped down TO o
bathing suit and Juggling at an exer-
else machine: still another will be
making innumerable circles with a
fountain pen. while pointing to x
~planatory cards, and a fourth will be
manipulating several trick photos, by
way OF demonstrating how funny
certain photography can be.
You'll see them there in the morn
ing and you'll see them there late in
the afternoon. And alwnys they
wear a disciplined mask Of imper-
sonality. A small group gathers
against the window pane, and then
another and another. The girls ap-
pear to gaze at each group yet,
somehow, never seem to be seeing
anything. Often they seem to be
moving as in a hypnotic daze or as
If sleep walking.
What do they think about? What
do they really see?
I asked myself these questions 50
often that the other day 1 made O
few inquiries.
"Huh?" the first on said, in sur-
No, I don't pay much attention 70
prise. Il wasn't thinkin' OF nothin'.
the traffic or the crowds goin' by
unless some Of them comes up to the
window. Then I go TO work. We don'1
dare look at EN- in a personal way.
II we did some boZoS would loaf
around all the tine SEEM II they
could flirt. We amt hired to flirt:
we're here TO show goodSl
"How do we get this way? ]
dunno-just get used to it, like any
other Job. Nav, I don't mind peo-
pie staring at me / was kind Of fuss
co at first. but once you get used
to 1t a million people could come
around and watch you and I'd be
all the same. It's up to me to get
their attention attracted 70 what
I'm showing, and II they stop to
look at me first. well that's all o.
K, but unless I can get some OF
EN- into shop, out I go. I know
that they're giving me the eye,
particularly the old boys. That's
part OF the racket. And that's why
I've got TO put OF the frozen face.
I'VE all start about the same
way-some boZo advertises for a
girl and we 20 through q training
course. Sometimes we start in a de-
partment store, because there you
/ deal more with women and you don't
have to freeze up so much. but you
can't get personal. You got 70 re-
cite a line there. though and I'm
not much good at that.
mo. there amt much romance
TO 1t. mister, II that's what you're
looking for"
And yet II seems to me I once
read a short story Of some small
town lad who was looking all over
New York for his old sweetheart
and finally found her sitting in just
such a window, doing Just about the
same thing.
Alice Hughes. who writes para
graphs about the fashionable Man
haitian shops. tells me that the world
OF fish and reptiles will be invaded
more than ever this winter for mi
lady's shoes and handbags.
Eels. for instance. have been found
Just about as tough as they lock.
Which reminds me that one family
supplies a considerable portion OF the
snake skins used In shoes. Once a
year. four brothers hit out for GER
tain sections OF South America
where reptiles abound and return TO
'their Brazilian home with thou
sands for the market. They are
particularly expert at getting the
big boys-pythons and suchl