Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27

THERE is q pretty young woman
IN our neighb0rho0d named
Betty Brown Betty is a., she
has been married three years,
and she has q small daughter
Betty Brown, before she was married,
was Betty Green, and she was as wild
as a wild March day, She did every
thing In the world calculated to make
her father. and mother and friends
frantic with anxiety. And she talked
about It.
Ten years ago she was q sophisticated
high school girl, her lovely face thick
with paint and powder, her eyebrows
picked, her eyelasl1es oiled, her hair
curled with metallic accuracy. There
was absolutely nothing In Betty's life
then that had not to do with boys"
Betty talked only to boys, she dressed
for boys, she went about in roadstefs
and to tlightclubs and speakeasies. and
road houses with boys. She would be-
come bored and dull the instant the
boys were not In evidence; all her
time at home was spent In resting from
parties, sleeping, bathing, cold-creaming
herself, dressing for fresh expeditions
with boys.
To contemplate the petting. jaszing
drinking, smoking, dressing, powdering,
speeding that Betty experienced be-
tween II and % quite sickens one. All
sorts of boys kissed her and Rugged
her, saw her tired and dishevelled,
drunk and cigarette scented, half-nude
in evening dress or bathing clothes.
She refused no boy. On every party
she picked one with whom to f1irt
emily Betty and the boy disappeared, to
the distraction of her hostess and the
disgust of the other girls, but to the
great satisfaction of Betty. No matter
what the others were doing, theatricals,
swimming, picnicking, talking, playing
games, Betty was away with q boy.
When they came back she would be
smiling mysteriously, perfectly sure that
all the other girls would do as she did,
too, If they had her charm. In the
group she would be sweet, absent
minded, bored-and then gone again.
She was extremely pretty, and she had
unquestioned appeal.
This went on for years. Then the in
evitable happened, and Betty grew thin
and anxious over one particular boy 10
whom she had been too generous, and
who did not happen to reciprocate. This
happens oftener than mothers like to
believe, these days. They see daughters
nervous and distressed, they realize that
some 1dNOflIe DOy Is no Hunger Al Iuc
picture. but they don't put two ana two
together, and ask themselves why q
lovely, popular girl of 20 has suddenly
lost her taste for parties, why she Is
suddenly depressed and dull.
For Betty combination OF motor
cars, money, night young passion, COM
plete indifference to consequences,
dancing, gin and freedom from family
or code control was too much; she told
several intimate friends about 1t after
ward. She was young, and the excite
men and strain of the whole thing were
too much for her.
The boy vanished; went back East to
college, and Betty was actually Ill
Presently there was another boy, and
Betty revived. She and Frank Brown
were married. Frank knew Betty was a
modern girl, he wasn't looking for q
prude-all those old regulations were
the bunk, anyway-girls weren't like
that any more, and men didn't expect
them to be.
They we're married, and the rushing
and jazzing and drinking went on foz
awhile. Then they had a desperate
quarrel, and after that they both sobere6
up and cried, and promised each other
everything, and started all over. Nc
more gin, no more night clubs, no more
gambling. They cut the old crowd