Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1934-07-28
By Margaret S01gster

vironment and that was more lnifS9<-
tant to her than beauty.
aTnis Is q slick place, he said. IS
Cora took his hat and tOpcoat ana
stick. Its a perfect setting for you,
Miss Blake. I'm tickled 70 death tl1at
you're entertaining me, instead o. the
other way around. No restaurant could
compete with this"
eYou haven't been anywhere yets OK
seen anything. Marcia told him gayiy.
and was glad that she'd worn gray
green frock from the house Of Chanel
Cora brought IN the frosted shaker
and thin waters spread with an en-
ticing mixture Of cream cheese ana
pimento and caviar, and after a while
there was dinner It was a mans din
ner Of broiled filet mignon and baked
mountain squash and tender new Inns
beans-with q salad Of colorful vege~
tables and Roquefort mot crumbled, BUS
IN goodly chunls) with wee cream
topped strawberry tarts. CN6arcia's tart
hadn't any cream on IT'D and with cof-
fee served In lovely fragile cups Ia
front Of the glimmering hearth.
To Marcia the dinner was q dream
aAANaAAs AAA4G was AtOaAAA44E N1AA~A wv -
substantial about it. even the steak
lacked substance even the Roqueforf
was gossameri She knew that she had
talked constantly. but for the life %
her she didn't know what she'd said.
To Karl Logan, however, the food
had reality.
boy and man. he told Marcia. Il
haven't eaten so well for 20 years. HOW
do you manage with this miraculous
Cora TO keep your figure2" His eyes al
so added, and such q figure"
Marcia only smiled. She was won
dering what the rest Of the office would
say IL they know that she, who had al
ways discouraged the more personal Of
interoffice contacts. was falling for the
new advertising head. She was wonder
ing also how soon IL would be decent
to let Karl Logan kiss her. Never Ia
the whole Of her efficient. neat life
had she wanted anything so desper-
ately as she wanted the pressure Of his
lips on hers.
It was nearly a month later that
Karl did kiss her at that-although
by the end Of the first week Marcia
was using every feminine weapon she
had in her possession she was being
prodigai with the most expensive Of
her perfume; she was spending reckless
amounts for sheer chiffon stockings,
and she was making every possible ex-
cuse for advertising conferences.
She had Karl for dinner as often as
three times a week-on at least two Of
the other evenings she went with him
TO theaters and night clubs. She wore
his flowers, brazenly, to the office. she
even bought an entirely superfluous
krimmer jacket because a saleswoman
showing it, had cooed, 'Oh, it does suit
modom. It makes modom look like
bride"
And yet despite all this, and a half
hundred other subtle methods Of in
vitation Karl Logan took his time
about 1t and kissed her just a month
after the day Of their meeting. Il was
on drdzzly evening. when they were
working late and alone, when Marcia's
wave and temper were both slightly
She had dipped her pen into
an overcrowded inkwen and the ink
had splashed and a drop had landed
on her unsullied linen vestee and an
other drop had splashed wetly against
her nose. And she said:
@Oh, damnl" And Karl Logan had
leaned across her desk and kissed her.
and that" said he, lis thatl TIN
teach you not to use naughty words
my dear"
Marcia's heart had assembled until It
made lump as painful as thyroid In
her upper throat. She said:
Why, KARL" family and lifted her
eyes-with the expression of a good
puppy in them-to the mans downbent
face. Obviously she had expected an
encore, but Karl Logan, q tr1fle more
uortd Of complexion than usual, had
laughed and said:
Tn sorry, Marc; forget It. It's Just
hat you looked 80 cute with your nose
only human"
Awkwardly Marcia dabbed st the for
gotten drop of ink. There had been
something SO warm and tremulous In
he touch of Karl's mouth that her
'oul sang strange, exllltaut words. But
wen as the song grew came the rea1iza-
ion that he was back again at his page
# proofs talking advertising and lay
'ut and sales resistance. And so thel
Iong died.
She didn't ask him to dinner that
light despite the fact that she'd told
fora 70 get mutton chops, "just in
ase." She went home alone with such
flut$ery feeling in her tlzmmy that
he couldn't manage more than q cup
4 tea And that night, although she
at with . book Ia her hand for over
wo hours. she didn't read word She
ouldn't because Karl Logan's face kept
citing between the page and her hand
Marciais secretary said TO Karl L.o-l
ans secretary:
~Are we going to have to get to-
ether and buy 8 cut glass punch bowl
or your boss and miner"
Karl Logan's secretary said:
You're asking mes But at least he
mt two-ttmine he hasn't any other
ames on his calendar"
The rest OF the organization won
cred, too more OK less discreetly. They
'ondered, but they didn't ask, for Kari
ogan was too open about his meetings.
18th Marcia to be kidded, and Marcia