Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-03
AGirl Must Choose
The Small T0zvn GirIU)hO Decfded Her
Problem in Courageous Manner.
BY MARY CHASE
Illustrated Gladys Parker.
BY MARY CHASE
Illustrated by Gladys Parker.

With NO regard for the disappearing game
of the stataonmaster, Kitty flung her arms
around Jin's neck and kissed him. He held
her, suddenly and fercely.
Kitty" ne Whispered, don't 60! Stay here
and marry me- love you so much-and YOU
do care about me. See, dear! You dol"
But she WIS whisking up the steps and into
the car almost before he knew 1t. She waved
to him through the window-gay and excited
again In another minute she was gone.
And during the next week or SO she hardly
t,1upeaat Of Jim at all though his letters came
regularly to the small room she had rented.
When you are thinking about looking for
job in New York you haven't very much tame
to think Rbout anything else.
Not very much. But sometimes. The times
when you are discouraged and lonely, and too
tired to do anything after your solitary dinner
except lie on the bed IN your rather grim little
room and wonder IL after all. Those were
the times when Kitty read Jins letters with
the greatest attention. Nice, long letters. Fun
of news Of C1aFksburg; full Of Jim's steady,
unwarering deyotion.
And then along came Kenny Walker.
Miss James" Kitty looked UP from her
drawing board to see the young man, with the
tousled, curly hair, the queer sarcastic CLINT
in his green eyes, and the careless manner Of
wearing a good, If shabby, English suit, the
drawing, teasing voice, mfr. Hopkins suggests
that you and I do little consultation over
those covers and blurbs for the dollar books
Shall we do it at lunch today? One o'clock at
Blacks grille, say?"
Blacks was a famous rendezvous for the
publishing world. Full, at noon, Of smoke and
ami mated conversation.
Before the luncheon was over Kitty found
she had told Kenny Walker a great deal about
herself. He was a sympathetic listener, though
she suspected him, now and again, Of laughing
at her.
so you came to the big wicked city to be
an artist in spite Of your family! Good girl!'
You're making fun OF mel"
Making fun OF you? My dear child, you
don't understand the simple English tonguel
I'm admiring you immensely. You're scrapping
for your own little place IN the sun, and take
OF my hat to you. Or would If had it on.
And from what I've seen Of your stun you're
getting ON famously."
"Famously! Designing paper covers for
books isn't exactly Illustrating the works Of
Bernard Shaw, is it?"
mo. But it's getting chance to do just
that maybe. You must know that much by
now. You've been in town six weeks. That's
long enough 10 shake all the illusions out Of
your hair. Very pretty hair. too. If may say
so. Well-ueu have to be back in the ONCE
in 10 minutes now, and I guess we'd better
give those covers a little of our time. TIN
please Hopkins. And you and ] are going to
have lots of time to talk. can tell. feel
it in my crazy bone"
THEY did have lots Of time to talk, during
the next month or 50. Lunch time, and
dinner time in the small and fascinating
restaurants which no one but Kenny seemed
clever enough to find. Time filed with non
sense and a sort Of carefree gayety which
Kitty had never seen IN o man before
Kenny Walker was something more than
man Of 30 who was writing brilliantly clever
advertising and blurbs for the books published
by Hopkins e. Wright. He had done special
newspaper work which ran high above the
average. He had published q great many short
stories most Of them very bad, and one good
enough to win a national prize contest.
II don't see, Kenny" this Kitty, over
sour Italian wine and good Italian antipasto,
one night early in their friendship, why you
take Job at all"
He dropped suddenly into one Of his rare
serious moments.