Evening star., 1932-01-28
CHAPTER XXXU.

THE pleasant gray-haired woman
in the little corner book-shop was
sorry, but there was no opening at
present. No, she couldn't tell
when there would be one You
see, she owned the library-it was her
living Her young niece came down and
assisted her at the noo' hour.
The gray-haired woElans eyes-and
they we're sympathetic brown eyes
followed Judy as she went away.
The next woman w not SO SYM
pathetic. She had hal ID purple
red and there was l..fple-red edge
on her voice. No. she didn't need any
one. She ran the tea-shop and shed
only put in the library to keep rival
firm out. Besides, business was rotten.
No one needed in the down town lib
raries. The ones in the residential dis
tricts couldn't afford her. Just enough
business for the owner-and usually
that owner was some still-young widow
with a child to support.
Up and down-pavements hard to
the thin soles of her shoes. These silly
pumps with spike heels. Chinon
stockings they couldn't stand the
pounding. Showed she'd been used to
riding in cars. . Wear her golf shoes
tomorrow. If she didn't land something
before tomorrow. -.
A queer sense of having fallen INTO
some dreary dream. . There was the
big hotel where she'd gone to lunch
with Amy and Eunice when they'd oil
come up for a shopping trip. Don
pass it-some one from Lockwood might
see her.
There-halfway down the block was
Madame Esmee's Suppose she was to
walk into the tea-rose satin panelled
salon and ask for work. She could
picture the stunned amazement on
Madame Esmee's blank oval face.
Trudging YEARLY down block where
she'd heard there was another book
shop. 1t would be nice to get WORK
among books-bookS were old frlenos,
bland, imperSonal . . you could 1orgeI
YOUR own troubles with books.
How her feet hurtl She pretended TO
loiter before a window display holding
I'D first one foot, then the other, to rest
it, Leaning against letter-boX on the
corner, waiting for the traffic signals
to change. How different the city was
when you trudged the sidewalks look
ing for work instead of looking through
the plate glass windows OF some eXpen-
sive sedan.
Four O'Clock. A wave of tired misery
sending her limping back to the hotel;
F1inging herself across the narrow BED
in the tiny room. Hungry but TOO
tired to go out and eat. Hell. feet
shoes kicked off-up on the footrall
Aching feet for a moment dulling her
aching heart. :,
Rich sunset light slanting in TO fall
on the white plaster walls. 1t had fallen
that way on the walls of the old beach
house. How long ago that seemed
Like another lifetime Stan and Eunice
Amy and Patty and spiteful Georgia
sneering at her. And Nick. Somehow
they didn't seem real now. But she
remembered how good it had been to
be sheltered and warm and well-fed.
She opened her eyes to find the room
thick with dusk Shed slept over ar
hour. Judy lurched YEARLY upright
and pulled on fiat-heeled golf shoes
She was dizzy and weak Had to eat. -,
An oyster house where she sat on q
stool at the counter and was uncomfort-
ably aware of the side-long Stares oi
men. After all. she was pretty small
town. she guessed. Back in Summerfelo
she'd known every one. Down IN LOCK
wood she'd been one of the rich Car
ters and every one had known her
This tentative cycling, of the city, was
something new and unpleasant. Like
female animal. thought Judy, with
faint disgust, being stalked by males.
All girls alone in big cities felt it, she
supposed. A nasty, hunted feeling
Grow an armor of insolent Indifference
That accounted for the cool hauteur
of CITY girls She ate her clam
chowder with her eyes on the bowl
When she looked up, her gaze met the
watchful stares of the men in the mirror
behind the counter
She walked back up the street to the
hotel, shivering little in the tWeec
Jacket to her suit. Red, blue, green ano
yellow electric lights f1aring against the
sky, a jeWelled Street-a carnival street
But a carnival in which she had nc
part. Theater crowds filling the cars
filling the streets. Couples, rushing BY
- laughing - talking - meeting othel
couples and disappearing into the light,
ed entrances of theaters. Judys hearl
Jumped. She thought she saw Eunlce
Wilson. 1t wasn't. Just another pretty
blonde. But Judy turned abruptly ane
went up a quieter side street
The small blank room. Too bad u
have to go to bed so early, but she dare
not spend the money for show, unit
she'd found work. She wouldn't sit II
the hotel lobby.
An electric light clicking on and off
filling her room with a queer greer
glare. Somebody's coffee. E. Strange
| it was the coffee they used down n'
Lockwood.
And suddenly misery flooded in or
her again. She rolled her head on the
pillow wet with her tears. Stamina
Stan could do this to her. Stan
her man. The worst of it was that she
couldn't reach Stan in her own mind