The Washington times., 1935-09-07

SN~A~SSS~~~A0D >
rest of my life"
Something's got to happen"
Cecily said grinly.
God forbid" Helen laughed.
CHAPTER XIV
The following day Cecily
called on Captain Lockwood at
his office in the bank.
"I want a job for Helen, Phil.
She's in the dumps. She ought
to do something. We've consid-
cred all the ladylike possibilities;
interior decoration, tea rooms,
dress shoppes. Unfortunately
all these take a certain amount
of talent and training but social
work. -"
Il like that" Philip Lockwood
exploded. Don't you think
social work takes talent and
training, young Woman?"
mo-" Cecily exclaimed bluntly,
"it's the windiest profession on
, the market. That's what Dirk
always said. Helen has brains
and charm. Oh, such charm,
Phil"
"I know it. Darn sweet girl.
Too bad her marriage was a
flop. But I never did cotton to
those Rileys-"
Cecily nodded but said
nothing.
What could Helen do, Ces?
Social work may be windy, as
you so pungently put it Il can
hear Dirk laugh-damn it, how
I miss himD but Helen is ut
terly without office experience
or case work experience"
"She's got to do something,
Phil. She's depressed and list
less and she isn't interested in
anything. I thought if you
could give her a job, it would be
step in the right direction for
her. Another man would
help. -"
TOO bad I can't qualify
there" he snickered.
She laughed. seriously,
Helen is woman made for love
and marriage. She's a born
wife; she has a real talent for
wifehood."
Don't belittle that talent,
Ces. I wish more women had
it."
"Belittle it! I wish I had it,"
Phil looked away from the
plain, intelligent face opposite
him.
II think this talent of Helen's
may be redirected into other
channels, however. She's so
gracious and adaptable"
"Send her to me tomorrow at
ten and in the meantime I'll
pull some strings and arrange
it so that she can do something
on Monday.
Zine. You can give a gen.
eral promotion at the associa-
ton and fire the man at the
very top! That always seems
to me to be a particularly apt
way of promoting people and
the chap at the head is prob
ably lazy, unsatisfactory and Of
ficious. No one will miss him.
Well, good-by, Phil. Kiss the
kids for me. Helen will be here
at ten. Good-by-and thanks
loads"
Don't mention it, Ces. At
your service any time. You
know that"
Helen Schiller-for this was
the name under which she
entered her new job-did not be-
come a successful social worker;
q second Lillian Wald or Jane
Adams.
She was told to report Mon
day at nine at the office of
the tuberculosis Association to
begin her duties as reception
list in a gloomy office building
on Fourth Avenue. Helen flut-
tered in at nine-thirty (the bus
simply crawled) wearing her
simplest dress that was dis
tinctive because of its Simpli-
city. Her duties were not ard
uous. She was to ask visitors
whom they wanted to see and
then to decide whether the per-
son was too busy to see them.
The technic was simple. The
important executives we're too
busy to see anybody but the
most important people. The
case workers were to handle all
the cases and these were to be
referred to one Miss Milligan,
a tiredfaced, middle-aged, neat
woman, who would then refer
the case to the proper investi-
gator.
Helen was assigned to a
small desk in the reception
room, a PLEASANT enough place
with wicker furniture, a green