The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-02-24

mother had hit upon another d1s- astrous scheme which would make them all rich.
 Myra was seated at a clipped porcelain table, her chin resting upon her elbows the morning news paper spread out before her. Her head, with it's smooth braids of hair, lighter and less warmly col ored than Ellen's. was bent over the society columns. But her mouth was set and mutinous and it was plain she did not really see the printed words. Her eyes were full of angry tears.
 "Myra and I have about decided -" Molly Rossiter began firmly. Myra locke dup quickly at that. "We haven't decided anything. mother" she interrupted in her long suffering voice. You only sug- | gested--"
 Both of them looked toward FL len. Ellen crossed to the stove, re- lieved her mother of the eggs and began to beat with furious energy so that the yellow foam leapcd up the blue sides of the bowl. Molly had been ready to pour them into the skillet.
 Ellen was the one natural cook of the household. MoIly's cooking was always overdone or underdone and invariably too highly seasoned. Myra, perhaps in compensation for her mothers lavish hand, never seasoned enough. Whatever she sent to the table come with the slightly indefinite taste common to second-rate hotels.
 Tn the strained silence Ellen add cd to the omelet few grains of pepper, a great deal of salt and a dash of paprika for the looks of the thing. She walked to the window to take parsley, chopped the night before, from a boxlike contrivance suspended outside and serving as q refrigerator.
 "Now what is it?" she asked the com batants, as she sprayed in the crisp green sprigs of parsley and poured the golden fluff into the hot skillet.
 Molly and Myra Rossiter spoke simultaneously.
 Mother spent half the rent money yesterday buying things for Mike that he doesn't need" Myra said. "And now she had an idea for you. You're to make up the money working evenings"
 "The things were on sale," Molly explained eagerly. 1.-TWO pair of pants for what 1 usually have to pay for just one. saved so much on them that l thought ] could splurge q little. So l bought him some books he's been wanting for ever 80 long and a new cap and some underw She added defen- sively, You wouldn't want Mike to go shabby, would you?"
 Ellen tested tho ome!et and low cred the flame beneath 1t. She turn ed off two flames which had been burning necdlcssly before she spoke.
 "No, I wouldn't" she said pa tiently. "But how are we going to pay the rent? Tomorrow Is Satur- day but we already owe the grocer nearly all my salary. And Myra's isn't due for 10 days yet
 She did not suggest that the suit which Mike had not really needed woul deprive her of business dress which she did need.
 That's Just it," Molly crowed, seizing her chance. "I have q mar velous idea for you. There's an ad in the morning paper from dance place named Dreamland. It's d pretty name, isn't it? They want girls for dancing instructors. LOOK --here 1t is. ] marked 1t for you"
 Ellen looked.
 Among classified advertisements. ring in pencil, was a call for danc- ing instructors. But sine knew Drearnland. She had passed 1t often on her way to work. And, although she had never been inside. she knew that dancing instructor was a polite name for q girl hired to dance with unattached men at q small payment for each dance - a taxi dancer. They did, in fact. call those girls taxi-dancers.
 "The best part of H." her mo- ther continued brcathlessly, "is that you might meet q really nice man that way. cant imagine why girls as pretty as you two haven't focks of rich men trying to marry them. When l was young 1t was certainly different"
 Ellen was uncomfortable as she was always uncomfortable when her mother talked that way. But Myra was frankly angry.
 New York isn't Ireland,' she said fatly. Rich men may grow on bushes there, l don't know. But rich men in New York marry rich girls. They don't meet any other kind. If you're thinking that Ellen might meet John Astorbilt at Dreamland. Mother. 1t just shows