The times-news., 1937-05-24

ment, and after she left, he tap
ped his head expressively. "Nuts"
he confded to the young man at
the other end of the counter.
By 5 o'clock she had spent 81
nickels and called 80 numbers. A
dozen irate customers had glared
at her for rnonopolizing the phone
booth, and one man threatened to
call an officer. But she kept on,
despite them.
She spoke to 40-odd different
women - shrill women and soft
spoken women; suspicious women
and curious women; reticent wo-
men and garrulous women. She
heard every epithet that was ever
applied in the glorifcation of the
furnished room; she promised a
woman that she and her sister
would take the room without
doubt on the morrow.
But no woman admitted that a
young lady, slim and blond, had
taken her room that day.
Her list of phone numbers was
depleted; now she must visit the
other rooms listed. She must
work systematically and hurried
ly, because the time was slipping
by so quickly. Through the win
dows Of the terminal she could
see that darkness was already be-
ginning to fall.
She wondered whether it would
be better to start on the east side
and work north, or 60 all the way
up town on the west side and
work south. She chose the latter
route, since she might lose an
hour or more going from east to
west in the upper part of the city.
She took the west side subway
express to the last stop on the
! line. This was the location of the
first room on her list.
She told the landladies, as she
met them, the same story she had
used over the telephone, varying
it to suit the occasion. Her facial
muscles ached from smiling so
continually and so convincingly;
her head rang with the dull echo
of her own voice.
From one address to another
she hurried; when the distance in
between was too great, she took a
bus or a taxi She climbed end
less, consecutive flights Of stairs.
But she found no trace of Joan.
Discouraged and defeated, all
manner of doubts assailed her.
She kept on, nevertheless.
1t was after seven o'clock now,
closer to eight. She met other peo-
pie looking for rooms in earnest,
and they complicated her mission
and delayed her.
One fact encouraged her. Evil
IDENTIFY few rooms had been rented
that day. And those women
who had rented successfully were
eager to boast Of their good for
tune. But none had rented to a
slim, blond young lady -.
Dorothy's head began to spin,
and she caught herself stammer-
ing over the words she had re-
peated so frequently. There was
a feverish excitement in her eyes
now, and a few women regarded
her with cool suspicion.
At nine o'clock she was down.
town again, to Columbus Circle,
and she changed her course and
went over east, to work uptown.
At nine-thirty a woman in
former her severely that it was
too late to show the room that
night; she had better come back
in the morning :.
"I'll try few more" Dorothy
persisted. "Just a few more, until
it's ten o'clock. Not everybody
goes to bed so early"
1t was exactly quarter to ten
when she climbed the steps of the
untidy house on the poor side
street ..
"May / inquire if young lady
took the room this morning"
Dorothy asked mechanically.
"a young woman? Yes, indeed.
A slim, blond young lady. Miss
Andrews. Would you like to see
her."
Miss Andrews. Joan had bor-
rowed the name Bob wanted so
badly to give to her. Tears of
relief sprang into Dorothy's eyes,
and she longed to hug Mrs.
Griggs, dirty and unpleasant as
the woman appeared.
She checked herself, cautiously.
"No," she said. 81 don't think
I'll see her just now. ! do want
to be sure it's she, however :"
She searched through her bag and
drew forth a snapshot of Joan.
"Is this she?" she inquired tremu-
lously.
ayes, that's the one," Mrs.
| Griggs said Immediately. "Your
sister, eh?"
eyes she left home hurried
ly this morning =" She thought
quickly for some sort of explana-
ton. "She quarreled-with her
boy friend. We've both been look
ing for her all day {. :. May l
phone and send him around? He
wants to patch up their quarrel
"Sure thingw Mrs. Griggs
agreed heartily, trace Of a smile
lighting up her face. We've no
phone here, but you can find one
in the drug store on the corner
"Thank you so much" Dorothy
breathed.
She rushed to the corner drug
store, Though her knees trembled
now and threatened to sink be-
Il.