Smyrna times., 1933-01-11
WEEKLY STORY
AROUND TABLE
Reading to While Away Time
Under the Evening Lamp
When Days Work is Done
INTERESTING READING
'EXTRAVAGANT, BUT"
BY Kate Williams


with searching Steel-blue eyes and
say: Tell me all about yourself,
Miss PenrOse." She wasn't quite
sure about the steel-blue eyes.
That would be after she, Alice
Penrose, had been admitted to his
faultlessly 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, per
hapS they would be sitting opposite
each other 1T secluded table at
the MetropOle. or wherever it was
that Mr.. Waverly Jones went for
luncheon. M5 Jones secretary had
told Alice to call at half-past twelve.
The letter Of introduction from
Bert Jeffreys had been very brief
simply telling Mr.. Jones that Alice
was an ambitious young woman who
wanted a job on one of the Stanley
publications, and knew what it 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, con
tanning some of her best fan mail.
clippings from local papers. when
she had talked to women's literary
societies on The Modern Maga-
zine" a memo of congratulations
from her last editor about one of
her best captions. 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 twenty-five dollars on an
autumn street dress Of the latest
mode, and she had come to the Stan
ley offices straight from a beauty
parlor-her cheeks still tingling
from the gentle patting and ice
congresses of a facial treatment.
Alice pulled off her spotless white
gloves and looked approvingly at
her perfectly manicured hands. Wa
verly Jones would notice them, Of
course, and they bore noticing. Alice
was glad now that they were no
smaller.
She had been extraYagant, but 1t
was justifiable extravaganza. When
Bert Jeffreys had given her the let
ter Of Introduction to the important
Wavarly Jones, lie had assured her
that she would be lucky If she even
got an Observation-Disclosures still if
she got a job. There were hun
dredS Of young women, as well
equipped as she. who were trying
to get in at Stanley's. IF he sees
you it 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 unruffled and sure Of herself,
merely alluding to the fact that she
had gone 70 Radcliffe, perhaps not
even mentioning the fact that she'd
taken honors In English. She'd LET
Mr.. Jones know how desperately she
HtSueu pay tANtlopc.
Alice opened her handbag and
| considered the wisdom of lighting
cigarette. 1t would help pass the
time. but on the other hand 1t
might spoil the perfect line OF lip
stick deftly applied by the beauty
expert.
| The telephone had rung on the
receptionIst's desk. Yes, she's still
here" the girl had said, and then,
turning to Alice, "1Ir. Jones' secre-
tary 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 terrible rush closing
the December issue; they're sending
out a dummy with some late revi-
sions. Mr.. Jones says for you to
get right over there with this re-
vised dummy and then telephone
/ back here to Miss Callum, the edi-
tOrial department-and she'll tell
you what to do"
/ ntG my Alflu NOAAAG Ohl " LAiE
/ ceptiOn room with a bulging pasted
up dummy which he put in Alice's
/ hands.
! Printing plant-over in New Jer-
sey-pasted dummies-last minute
corrections. For the minute 1t
sounded all Greek to Alice-the girl
that Bert Jeffreys had said knew
all about It." Somewhat dazed,
Alice took directions for getting to
the plant from the reception clerk,
and thanked her stars that she
hadn't spent her last five dollars for
the new hat.
Two hours later Alice sat at a
shabby desk under the gray shaded
electric light in the printing plant,
the corrected dummy before her
with memOs of still later correct
ing that she had taken over the tele-
phone from headquarters. The
close-ftting long sleeves Of her new
autumn dress were rolled up to the
elbow. There was a smudge of ink
on the white satin collar of her
dress and another on her nose. She
Lod l,oo,, too bucv RI nrch ha cIy fha