Evening star., 1940-12-27

girl" he snorted. "A fine career It's
going to be. You'll be lucky if you
get paid enough to eat lunch on"
you'll take me to lunch every
day" vi replied, so ought to clear
at least SO week-50c day. That
will keep me in stockings"
"It has always been my practice
not to eat with the Office help
Gale replied, grinning.
Time changes many things" VI
said
So vi herself negotiated with the
janitor of the building for small
desk stored in the basement, had ii
moved to the tiny reception room
outside Gales office. She bought a
big notebook and spent most of her
time transferring records from the
books Gale had kept. She wrote a
flowing, graceful hand, and several
times when Gale stepped out to see
how she was doing he couldn't help
but nod approval.
BY the end of the first day, how
ever, he was impressed with some
thing more than Wis penmanship
He found that his patients were
more at ease when they came into
his office, and he knew that 1t was
because of the pretty girl outside,
whom he heard speak to each pa
tient in a friendly, easy voice and
engage them in conversation that
took their minds off their aches and
A~pains He kidded her about it that
evening, saying that if she made
them feel so comfortable before they
came into his Office they soon would
be satisfied with the free treatment
of her personality, and not come
in to see him at all.
The Pictures Helped.
II don't know how they used to
endure sitting there alone in that
dismal little ROOM" vi said There
aren't even any pictures on the
walls, and the dog cared old maga-
zines on the table look capable of
starting an epidemic of some kind
all by themselves. I'm going to take
some of our own down there to-
morrow, and when you pay me my
So at the end of the week I'm going
to get three or four high-class oil
paintings"
"They will be beauties, I'm sure"
Gale replied.
Actually, the pictures did do some
thing for the dingy little reception
room. vi had used good judgment
In their selection, found two little
brightly colored English prints for
one wall and a vigorous, high lighted
sports scene for another showing
a ballplayer sliding into home plate.
"T'he kids will like that" she ex-
planned, land so will a lot of the
men" On another wall, where Gale
quietly observed that it faced her
desk, she hung an attractive mirror
Most of the women sit near me
anyway" vi said, color rising in her
cheeks, land hung it there for
them"
Certainly, dear" Gale said. st
understand"
Gale felt a little guilty paying VI
the So which she had named as her
weekly wage. In fact, on Saturday
he'd planned to give her $40 and
only at the last moment realized
that he hadn't sent anything to
Mrs. Smith. She hadn't been in
during the week and from that he
assumed she was all right, but he
felt an obligation to continue the
small charity he'd begun the week
before. So he took 81 from the SIC
he'd saved for vi and sent it again
in plain envelope. On the way
home vi had seen him drop the
envelope in the mail box, but he'd
offered no comment and she hadn't
asked him about it.
Mrs. Smith Returns.
Then, on Tuesday morning, Mrs
Smith came to the office. vi ush-
cred her in from the reception room
and stood in the door moment
longer than usual, watching the girl
and glancing questioningly at Gale
But Gale pretended not to notice
Wis glance, merely stood up and
placed chair for his patient.
You're looking much better, Mrs
Smith," he said as soon as the door
was closed.
"Oh, doctor, I am so much bet
teri" Mrs Smith exclaimed. Il have
a little income now from-from my
husband. It's quite enough to keep
me going along. I'm so happy >
Gale occupied himself with some
papers on his desk for a few mo-
ments, afraid to let the girl see the
expression in his eyes. He was en-
barrassed for her and, in way
ashamed of himself! Perhaps il
would have been better for him te