The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-01-29
Copyright 1888 oy
Christopher Morley


wasn't snyhodys fault. what Is,
had the queerest feeling as we
drove back 70 town. that Wyn was
sort Of talking from dietation He
said old Mr.. Kenneth had been rid
ing him about being ignorant. BY
the way" h said-and Just the
way that by the way" sounded
tipped me of he was working up
to something. BY the way. he
wants you and me to have lunch
with him"
But Wynn. I'm going to New
York. I've got a JOB all set with
Delphine, I'm all packed and
ready"
Well then I've got to tell you"
Wyn said. Uncle Kenneth has a
big idea. he wanted 10 explain IL
TO you himself. He says you're
just exactly the girl for me. Kitty,
and the girl the family needs. and
he wants TO send you back 10
college for a year and then maybe
go abroad for a year and mean
while I'll try 10 get some educa-
ton myself and be ready for you"
l don't know exactly how you
said it, Wyn. II was something
like that. My poor baby, how
could you know what that would
do to me the way I was just then
Maybe that nice old man with his
thee talk could have sold il TO me
l don't know. ! had a kind OF
picture OF some damned family
conference and the Straffords and
their advisers trying to figure out
how the curse was going to be
taken off Kitty Foyle. So that
was it, they were going TO buy
the girl with an education and
polish off her rough Frankfort
edges, were they. and make her
good enough to live with stuffed
animals heads and get advertised
in the Ledger. I can still see your
face, my poor baby. when I turned
on YOU. felt hot inside my throat
and on the rims of my ears
You can tell Uncle Ken he's a
white SLAYER Listen Wyn Straf-
ford. I'll be your girl whenever ]
feel like it because I love you from
hell to breakfast. But I wouldn't
join the little tin family If every
old Quaker with an adding ma
chine begged me TO. No not IL
they all went back to college and
got themselves an education. So
they tried to sell you the idea
they'd trim up Kitty so she could
go to the Assembly and make Old
Philadelphia Family out of her.
hey? Cut her out of copy Of
Vogue and give her a charge ac-
count and make Main Line doll out
of her. They can't do that to
Kitty Foyle"
Remember. you stopped the
Buick just before we cut down a
tree with it. Better maybe if we
had. You just looked at me. and
tried to light a cigarette and your
hand shook pushing in the dash
board lighter You were so ratified
you threw the lighter away. you
thought it was a match. l loved
you specially because you hadn't
shaved. l thought how the old
man would rise green from his
grave If he heard a proposition
like that. l felt tears coming like
those waves you swan through
and l had to hurry to say it:
BY God. I'll improve you all I
want but you can't improve me-"
l have to laugh, or I guess may
be I laugh. when I think what
solemn person X. Foyle was when
she came to n. Y and took a room
IN the Pocahontas. Residence for
Women. The reason you take
your thoughts so serious when
you're that age. you honestly don't
know they've been had before by
a billion other people Honestly
you think it's the first time this
ever happened to anybody.
l guess I should have been lone
~ and miserable. Still and all it
doesn't feel that way in my mem
DRY. 1t was hot and I didn't know
anybody but Delphine and living
in a house for women only is ter
rible on morale. A neurosis to
every room.
Molly was tremendously excited
about my jump; OF course she
didn't know all the details.
wrote her. II it's smart TO be
thrifty I'm the Tattooed Countess.
Delphine was no pushover. Her
business had only been going
couple of years and everything
was deep in the red. but there
were symptoms. She started me
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