The Washington times., 1938-03-07

IhaQ COME 1EU" h1u WA4CAS ~AS
5 would eventually go to. The an
. swer to both was back to Olvania
| or some other small town. "You
don't belong here" she would tell
him softly. You are hick, dar-
ling. and hicks have no place on
Broadway"
swell" he said. I'm glad I am
a hick. And when I get to be any
thing else but a hick, I want some
body to shoot me. wouldn't be
one of those stuffed wise guys who
hang around Broadway for any
thing in the world"
He told that to everybody. It
was mis- war cry. He told it to Dick
Raney, press agent of Despair"
one day. and Dick pushed his te-
dora hat back on his head and
took a long look at him.
DON'T GO BACK
Listen, kid" he told him in
that marsh voice of his, "you got
life wrong. You think Broadway
is a city dump and that whistle
stop you came from is the gate
way TO heaven. All right.
"You keep thinking that, if it
gives you kick. But, if you want
to keep thinking that way, never
go back to it,"
"Why not?" Harry asked bel
ligerently. "Olvania is one of the
swellest towns in the world and its
people are the salt of the earth. "
"Okay," Dick agreed. But no
body needs a lot of salt to live on.
Try too much on your steak some
time and see how you like it. I'll
tell you about that town Of yours
or any other place anybody comes
from. How long have you been in
New York;"
Five years." Harry told him.
"I thought so," Dick nodded.
"Well, if you stay here five more
years, Ohvania will look twice as
good to you. But if you ever go
back, you'll find out it is still just
a whistle stop"
The hell I will"
"Oh, yes, you will. And I'll tell
you why. Life's a one-way street.
You can only travel in one direc-
tion. You've been away from o.
vania five years and you've COM
mitted the one objectionable sin
that Olvania or any other small
town never forgives. You've made
good"
Gertrude nearly died laughing
when Harry reported the converse
tion.
HE GOES BACK
'Dick is crazy" she said. They'll
hug you to their bosoms if you
ever go back. You mark my words. "
Two weeks later he got a tele-
gram that his mother had died. He
got an indefinite leave of absence
and went back to Olvania.
It looked just as 1t had when he
left it. The same wide Main Street,
the weI-lit stores, the quiet kindly
people. They gathered around him
and helped him with the funeral
arrangements AS his mothers
body was lowered into the grave,
he thanked God for Olvania and
the people in it. Suddenly, he was
very tired. He needed a rest. He
decided to take it right there in
town.
Two days after the funeral, he
strolled downtown to get his mail
at the general store. There were
four letters from Gertrude. John
Trundell, the postmaster, was re-
garding him quizzically.
FIRST SWEETHEART
you're flynn mighty high up
there in New York, amt you. Har-
ry?" he asked. Must be nice to
be able to afford shopping in them
hifalutin' stores. I remember the
time when your father was lucky
to be able to buy an extra shirt
and pay for it. Now here you are,
making as high as a hundred a
week"
Harry didn't say anything. He
went out of there and on the street
a good-looking girl stopped him.
1T wouldn't be, Harry, that you
forget an old friend, would it?"
she asked. I'm Letitia Malvern.
You should remember me-"
Harry did. She was his first
sweetheart.
"Of course" he said. you're
prett1er than ever, Letitia. Come
on; I'll buy you a Soda"
"Oh, mol" Letitia said. I'm en-
gagged and my fiance wouldn't
like it. If there are two things he
hates worse than rattlesnakeS, it's
actors and New Workers."
Harry dropped into see Grand
ma Doolittle. an old lady who had
given him many a cookie in his
childhood. She greeted him with
: a marked lack of enthusiasm. but
she asked him to sit down and she
went and got him drink of cider
: Harry" she said, 81 want to
: tell you somethin'. If was you,
I wouldn't waste too much time
IN Olvania. The boys and girls
around here don't think much OF
i. you any more since you went to
} New York and become an actor
: A successful actor.
Y Harry, there's one thing people
hate more than failure and that's
the success of a local boy. A sue
4 cessful person gives the failures
t 100 much explainin' to do. Yor
), better fan out of here"