Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-12-22
Extravagant,
But
By KATE WILLIAMS
9 by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
VIM servicA

FuDhcat1onS-wOuld look at her with
searching steel-blue eyes and say:
Tell me all about yourself. Miss PEN
rose" She wasn't quite sure about
the steel-blue eyes.
That would be after she. Alice Pen
rose, had been admitted to his fault
lessly furnished inner office. Mr..
Waverly Jones sitting on one side of
an enormous glass-topped mahogany
desk, and she alert and eager on the
other side. Or, perhaps they would
be sitting opposite each other at a Sc
cluded table at the Metropole, or
wherever its was that Mr.. Waverly
Jones went for luncheon. Mr.. Jones'
secretary had told Alice to call at half.
past twelve. She'd been sitting in the
reception room now for half an hour.
The letter of introduction from Bert
Jeffreys had been very brief-simply
telling Mr.. Jones that Alice was an
ambitious young woman who wanted
job on one Of the Stanley publica.
tons, and knew what 1t was all about.
Mr.. Jones. Alice felt sure, would want
to know more about her. At FIRST she
had planned to take along her scrap
book, containing some of her best fan
mail. clippings from local papers, when
she had talked to women's literary
societies on 1.-THE Modern Magazine"
q memo of congratulation from her
last editor about one Of her best cap
lions. But In the end she decided to
leave the scrap book at home. She
would show It to him another time.
More wisely, she had squandered twen-
ty-1ve dollars on an autumn street
dress Of the latest mode, and she had
come to the Stanley Offices straight
from a beauty parl0r-her cheeks still
tingling from the gentle patting and ice
congresses of facial treatment. Not
just one Of the ordinary two-fifty mas
sages, but the extra special five-dollar
kind that made you gasp with Joy
when you first looked at yourself in
the mirror after 1t was over.
Alice pulled OF her spotless white
gloves and looked approvingly at her
perfectly manicured hands. Waverly
Jones would notice them, of course.
and they bore noticing. Alice was
glad now that they were no smaller.
She had been extravagant, but It
was justifiable extravaganza. When
Bert Jeffreys had given her the letter
OF Introduction to the important Wa
verify Jones. he had assured her that
she would he lucky If she even got an
nterview-luckier still If she got a
job. There were hundreds Of young
women. as well equipped as she, who
were trying to get in at Stanley's. eff
he sees you 1t will be just a question
OF salesmanship. That's up to you.
Either you'll sell him or you won't"
Alice had plenty Of time to think It
over. as she sat waiting so long in the
reception room. Shed try to act IN.
ruffled and sure of herself, merely al.
luding to the fact that she had gone
to Radcliffe. perhaps not even men.
tioning the fact that she'd taken hon.
ors in English. Shed let Mr.. Jones
know how desperately she needed a
pay envelope .
Alice opened her handbag and con-
sldered the wisdom of lighting a ciga-
rette. 1t would help pass the time,
but on the other hand 1t might spoil
the perfect line Of lipstick deftly ap-
piled by the beauty expert.
The telephone had rung on the re-
ceptionist's desk. "Yes. she's still
here" the girl had said, and then.
turning to Alice. "Mr. Jones' secretary
says that II you're the young lady Mr.
Ben jeffrey sent up. he wants you to
hop in taxi and go over to Jersey to
the printing plant. They're In a ter
rible rush closing the December issue;
they're sending out dummy with
some late revisions. Mr.. Jones SAYS
for you to get right over there with
this revised dummy and then tele-
phone back here to Miss Callum, the
editorial department--and shell tell
yon what to do"
The boy had come out to the recep.
ton room with bullying pasted-up
dummy which he put in Alice's hands.
"Mr. Jones' secretary says to keep
track of your taxi fares. so you can
put in an expense Slip" he said.
Printing plant-over In New Jersey
pasted dummles-last minute correc.
lions. For the minute 1t sounded all
Greek to Alice-the girl that Bert JEFF
treys had said "knew all about It."
Somewhat dazed. Alice took directions
for getting to the plant from the re.
ception clerk. and thanked her stars
that she hadn't spent her last five
dollars for the new hat.
Two hours later Alice sat at shah.
by desk under the gray shaded cleo
trio light in the printing plant tine
corrected dummy before her with
memos Of still later correcting that
she had taken over the telephone from
headquarters. The close-fitting long
sleeves of her new autumn dress were
rolled up to the elbow. There was a
smudge of ink on the white satin col.
lar Of her dress and another on her
nose. She had been too busy to push
hack the wisps Of hair that had
strayed down over her forehead.
And then at halfpast five the tele
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