Evening star., 1932-09-30
CHAPTER IL.

YUDY read the telegram from FL
ton Day again. The words did
not change. Don't report" I"
~ And Had to give the part to
somebody else. Sorry" -
ELSIE! It-It-" Judy turned to
Elsie.
II know, Judy. Somebody else got
the job. You haven't got job on the
radio after all. I know"
Butt can't be right. There's
mistake" -.
Doesn't sound like mistake. Judy.
Sounds like the truth"
OF course. Like the truth. Elton
Day talking. I'm liar, but want
YOU to believe me now" Elton Day say
ing, you've got the job. You're just
right for it." Elton Day hurrying her
out of the Office, looking worried, wait
ing until she was gone SO he could tele-
phone somebody who had called him.
She dropped the telegram. She
stared at herself in the mirror.
A cheap little powder-blue dress.
Cheap shoes with scuffed marks show
ing already. Just ordinary hair. Just
ordinary eyes.
Judy" Elsie said. Then, quietly,
she turned away, went out Of the room,
closing the door softly.
Judy took off the powder-blue dress
and the little blue shoes. She looked
at the telegram from Elton Day. Ana
she took from her handbag the tele-
gram from her father.
Very quietly, like little girl, Judy
Allison lay down on her bed and began
to cry.
Judy heard the light tap at her door.
She buried her face deeper In the Pill
| low not moving. not answering.
Then the door opened Elsie had
returned. And somehow the appear
ance of Elsie, just at this moment, MADE
judy want to cry harder than ever
She buried her nose In the pillow ana
sobbed
Elsie said nothing. She simply sat
down In the chintz-covered chair at
the foot Of the bed and waited. Then.
finally, she put out a tentative, clumsy
hand, pattiag Judy on the shoulder.
Poor kid" she said, Poor little KID.
There was long silence.
Then Elsie said, tentatively again,
Judy"
"Yes?" Judy managed.
Judy, you mustn't take 1t that way"
Judy sat up suddenly, digging at her
wet eyes.
And how else could take it?"
1T means I've been fooling myself all
along. 1t means I've got to tell my folks
I'm coming home after all. I've got TO
90 home tomorrow. Nothing 70 stay in
Chicago for. Not now
oh" Elsie waved her large hands
helplessly.
Don't you see?" Judy demanded al
most fiercely. II told my father
I'd stay now because had good job.
I even wrote to tell them how much
I was going to earn. And now I've got
to say it was a mistake. I've got to
let them send me money to get home
with"
She got up.
Where are you going?" Elsie asked.
"To send telegram. To my father"
She went through the coins, the few
wrinkled bills in her purse:
oh, I've got enough. Just enough.
Only :" she made herself giggle. and
the giggle seemed peculiarly strained.
enough for Pullman. So"
She began to take things from the
closet. The powder-blue dress. The
little blue shoes. She caught her
breath, stood with the dress in her
hands, dropped it suddenly, buried her
face in her hands.
Judy! Judy! It's not that bad"
Elsie said. And now she put her arm
around Judys. shoulders, held her. pat
ting her awkwardly. trying to make her
voice soothing. Nothing in the worlds
bad enough to make you cry like this y
You don't know" Judy insisted. 1T
its the end of everything. I've got
to be failure. And my fathers the
kind who'll never let me forget it. Oh
he loves me. But he'll never get over
saying. I told you So And he'll take
me around and show me off and say
I'm home to stay. And I'll be home
to stay. I'll never get away again"
Elsie, who had not had home since