The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-08
SYNOPSIS

Hurt and humlliated, Boots
 accepts the attentions of RUSS
 LuND, swimming instructor.
 MRS RAEBURN returns from a
 trip out of town and Boots 2 dreads her mothers hearing
 what has happened. On impulse
 she marries Russ who takes her
 to live with his brother and his
 wife. Russ has no job and ap-
 parcntiX no ambition. Soon
 Boots begins to see him as he
 is.
 Russ goes to Miami, promising
 Boots he will send for her later.
 She gets job in n big depart
 nient store and goes to live in
 Greenwich Village. One day
 customers $1O bill Is lost and
 Boots Is blamed.
 CHAPTER xXIv
 Mary had said to Boots, "The worst they can do is to take is out of your pay" quite as if $1O were mt a small fortune when you worked at Lacy's and were paid SIS a week. An. but was that the worst of it really? Might not the management suspect her of dis honesty, suspect her of having done away with that particular $10 bill? Boots, walking to the soda fountain on leaden feet, had visions of an ignominious search. Of course. they would not find the money, simply because she hadn't stolen 1t. But she felt that she would never be quite the same again after such an ordeal. No, she would feel definitely smirched.
 There was no use trying to eat. Somehow she swallowed the scald- ing, bitter tea with the horrid lit- tie muslin bag floating around in the thick cup. Somewhere, she thought drearily, at this very mo- ment girls her own age were sit- ting in softly lighted and scented restaurants, slipping a beverage to- tally unlike this. There would be faint music playing behind a screen of greenery and walters would be slipping back and forth deferentially with silver dishes.
 Meantime the revolving door of the soda-fountain swung inward with monotonous regularity and maddening whoosh-whoosh. Every one who came in, borne on the wings Of the raw November wind, looked cold, looked shabby. A fast mounting puddle of water formed under the ledge of the counter where umbrellas dripped and a discouraging, appetite-des- troying odor of stale dishwater hovered over all. Oh, it was no use, it was simply no use trying to buck this game, the girl thought in utter despair. In the mirror be- yond the pyramids of oranges, be- yond the bowl of cold storage eggs used in the connection Of "chocolate milks" she could see her own pale countenance. The tip of her small nose was ever so slightly reddened. Her hat which has been last season a dash ing enough sports modef' of brown felt was wilted by the rain. Tho brim dropped.
 She swallowed the last of the bitter liquid in the cup and pushed her stool. giving place to a pale, thin, spectacled girl who had been impatiently waiting for her to do just that thing. The counter boy called Another ham with the special ." Boots drifted out into the rain again.
 That afternon was torture. MT Bliss questioned her again. She was sure she had put the bill in the container? We'll, they would check up on the days receipts Of course she quite understood that if the money did not turn up she would be held responsible? Boots nodded mutely. She was at the stage now where a single kind word would have brought upon spell of bitter weeping. Fortunately she was so busy she did not have time for this luxury. Ten dollars why. that would wipe out all her small margin of savings and take two other precious dollars out of her weeks pay besides!
 At long last the terrible day drew to a close. In the washroom Miss Apfel came close and murmured sympathetically. "Heard about it. dear. It's a shame. It happened to me once .
 'Honestly?" Boots eyes light ed with the first hope she had felt all day. Perhaps her disgrace was not so deep after all.
 No kidding. I was only here a week. liked to died" Miss Apfel assured her. reddening her lips. Tt was only five But it sure looked like a fortune to me-" She sighed heavily at the memory.
 T don't understand it," Boots said, on the edge of tears. T put 1t right in and slammed 1t shut. Then we waited and waited ."
 ''This darn change system is years behind the times. that's what" Miss Apfel stated firmly, ad- justing nose veil. Just don't you worry. Maybe it'll turn up yet" But her tone was kind rather than encouraging. You could see she believed that precious bill was swallowed up forever in the enor- nous maw of Lacy's change sys- tenn.
 In spite of heavy heart and sense of impending disaster Boots discovered she was hungry. There was . bakery shop on lower Sixth avenue not far from Mrs Moneys where she could have @ hot, filling meal for 40 cents. A slab of pot roast with red cabbage cooked Ger man style A crisp poppy-seed roll. A cup of steaming coffee with cream.
 The tables were bare white slabs The scared linoleum floor was < chtpped by the passage of many feet. The air was steamy with the odor of cooking and wet woolen clothing. Boots was too utterly weary to care tonight. Her natural fastidiousness was submerged in a deep sense of fatigue and dis c0uragement.
 When she had finished the warm, satisfying meal she found she was so tired she could scarce { M drag herself forth into the rain again. An, it would be heaven, she X told herself dimly to fall asleep then and there not to wake again for hours. But of course fllM was madness. She must get home, strip off these wet draggled clothes. dry her soaking shoes.
 Mrs Mooney's flat was reached a by means of two long flights of < stafrs. The carpets smelled of dust; the old, darkly painted ball.