The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-04-15

there had been boys who had taken her to football games, class parties and movies. She hadn't cared for any of them in particular and when she left school without grad uating she had automatically dropped out of the crowd Toby had been too busy since then earn ing living to think much about men. The ones she'd met in the last two years weren't the sort to inspire romantic thoughts-"fresh guys" most of them, and Toby knew how to deal with them promptly.
 Bill was the only one who was different. Strangely, she'd never, for a minute, thought of Bill TO- mantically. If Toby had an ideal hero, as every girl has somewhere in the back of her mind, he would have been, in appearance, a com- bination of half dozen movie actors and, in character and per- sonality, composite of the heroes of a dozen different books she had read. Certainly not at all like Bill Brandt.
 Toby went to bed that night firmly resolved to be up early next morning to begin the search for a | job-a job in a store or running an elevator or operating a switchboard, something she knew she could do.
 She kept the resolution. But 1t was Saturday, the poorest day in the week to look for employment, and Toby returned to her third-floor room with nothing to show for her effort.
 Hopefully she asked if there had been a telephone call, knew - all most before the words were out of her mouth that there had not been.
 She had made excuses to Bill the night before, breaking their usual Saturday night date. Bill had been too extravagant, as 1t was. They had agreed to go for a walk Sunday afternoon, but Bill called and said rush job had come through. He would have to go to the office.
 Toby didn't mind. It was a sul- len, sunless day and when she opened the window a biting wind swept into the room. Wrapped in her bathrobe, Toby snuggled against the pillows of the studio couch and opened the newspaper to read the help wanted" ads.
 There were pages and pages be- fore she came to the want ad sec tion. Suddenly Toby stopped. Looking out at her from the news paper was the photograph of a girl "a beautiful girl surrounded by a group of young men. Obviously they were admiring her. Beneath the picture was caption advertis- ing well-known beverage.
 Toby stared at the girl in the photograph. She knew how that picture had been made-in a studio like Marty Hiatt's The girl whose smile was so sparkling, who looked so poised and sure of herself, might have stood for hours in intense heat and blinding lights before the photographer got just the picture he wanted.
 Toby, studying the photograph, thought, But she's beautiful. Oh, I know haven't a chance-p
 Monday morning she left the house early, list of addresses from the want ad pages in her purse. At one place woman with her hair in an old-fashioned pompa- dour told Toby there might be something in 10 days or so, and advised her to come back. With dozens of other girls. Toby stood in line in several offices, only to hear. after waiting for a hour or so, that the vacvancies had been filled. She rode subways and street cars and trudged blocks on foot, but she came home Jobless.
 It was the same on Tuesday. More offices, more interviews - but nowhere a job. It was the middle of the afternoon and there were two more addresses on Toby's list when suddenly she stopped in dismay. A wide and ugly line "a run, several threads wide-had appeared in her stock ing. It went directly down her