The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1937-06-04

TYyHE door banged after Leila and Pat.
She could hear the click OF Leilas
gold sandals on the stairs and Pet Ham
Ions deep. runbiing laugh.
II hops you tripI hope your taxi
twines around an II posti | hope--you
get big run In your stockingi" and she
threw Leila's discarded mules at the
closed door. For 1t was not the hrst
time that Leila had walked OF with
Trudie Porter's latest young man;
Trudie with her red-brown curls and
mouth made for kisses that never came.
kisses might have come II 1t had not
been for Leila, her roommate. Leilas
glamour hypnotized most men before
Trudie could do much about It, Even
Pat Hanlon. who had seemed SO devoted
at first But it had lasted such short
time. only until Leila had gone to work
In her slow, sure way. And now it Was
Leila who went dancing with Pat.
The telephone interrupted her gloomy
thoughts Trudie answered 1t grudg-
ingly.
mo. Mr. Atherton, I'm 80 sorry. she
No. she couldn't possibly see you to-
night. Yes. indeed, I'll tell her"
She dropped the receiver savagely.
BAIL She was sick Of doing Leila's dirty
work. Here was Leila breaking her
date, of with Pat. and tomorrow box
Of flowers would come with sympathy
from Clark Atherton.
fTsHE phone rang again. "All right. all
4 right" she grumbled. Maybe this
time she would tell the truth. She felt
reckless.
'Helloi Ts that you, Leilaf"
The mans voice was a strange one. a
full, deep voice that sent shivers down
Trudie's spine. 1t excited her She
hesitated, trying to place it,
Hello. hellol Am speaking TO Miss
Leila Graham?"
daring thought flashed through
Trudies mind. With heart hammering
she made her voice low, intimate and
inviting. as Leila would have done
Who Is it?"
"Three guesses! III give you one
hint--Juneau"
@oh! Juno the goddess or Juneau.
Alaska7"
Bright girl. Won know your geogra-
ply Can 1 come right up7 I've just
got into town.
Certainly. But don't be too quick
about IT,, she dared breathlessly
TT can't be quick enough, Lee We
have . good many years To make up
I'll give you half an hour
Hall an hour Not much time for q
big evening like this. 1t must be the
old-hon1s town sWeetheart--st1e couldn't
remember his name the engineer
Leila had thought he was pretty fine
Until she met a lot OF men who were
spending big money nearer home than
Mexico or Alaska. For Leila before she
had become photographers model and
almost as beautiful as she photographed,
had sold with Trudie In the subway
"ready-nade" stores and had not looked
unlike Trudie either. But now her hair
was silver-gol and her figure flowed In
her gowns like molten metal And shs
had lost that eager little girl look that
Trudie still retained.
Half an hour. and not stitch worth
wearing. In despair she turned to reila's
closet. She hated to borrow, because If
Leila was not in good humor she
could ba nasty about tear or spot,
but-she stopped suddenly Hidden
back Of the long row of lovely dresses
was new one. an extreme model In
aquamarine satin, with quaint little
Jacket and a saucy little bow Of pansy-
purple velvet.
Trudie laid 1t on her bed. Leila would
be furious. But 1t was no worse than
walking OF with Pat Hanlon. She
wriggled into 1t before her mirror and
gasped at the transformation. The
color did wonders TO her skin, whitening
1t as II layers of her tired, everyday face
had been peeled off. She pinched her
hair into lovely golden highlights.
Rouge, just d little. Lipstick. A trace
OF Leila's eye-shadow. A heavy antique
silver ring with amethyst setting from
I,eila's box of keepsakes. Then the
buzzer, and she was still cropping for
words to explain Leila's absence when
she threw open the apartment door.
FTsHE man who stood there hesitated
4 only second. 'Ieilaio he gasped.
You are $3.50 much more beautiful
than remembered
Trudie could not speak, Her heart
Was beating SO hard she IVES afraid he
might hear 1t. She had uot counted on
this. And yet
Let me look at you" He took her
two hands and drew her slowly to him
Then he looked long and searchingly
into her face. Trudie raised her eyes
to his and found them blue and kind
and looking at her the way she had
always hoped some mans eyes would
look.
you've changed he said slowly.
There's something more In your face
j have come back to find a fine woman
Lee. instead of the pretty girl left
behind"
SO when he opened his arms to her
again she threw all caution to the winds
and forgot Leila entirely. IT was not
until few moments later when he
turned the big amethyst ring on her
finger and said. "Yosr remember what