Evening star., 1941-04-20

touch.
The water was now beginning to sing in the
kettle, and she started downstairs for the
tablecloth she had washed that afternoon and
left on the railing of the third-hoor balcony
to dry.
LOOMING home up the hillside alley, argu-
ing with Eddie Sigourney again, Meg saw the
dim half-moon of the attic window shining
under the caves of the old house, a solitary
gleam looking infinitely lonely among the
surrounding apartment buildings which tow
cred, gaunt and dark toward the rainy noe
turnal sky.
Once or twice, coming home late from re-
hearsal night, she had seen the old lady who
apparently lived there, scurrying, spry little
shadow in the musty Railways. But just now
she remembered this with only a side-glance
of her mind because Eddie was going over
the same old argument again.
- but, of course" he was saying, SEN
sible advice is just noise to you, if you've
made up your mind to catch this tin-plate
home guard, and settle down to -"
Il haven't said So" she muttered wearily.
- to life in the suburbs" he said. why,
a big night will be taking in a flicker at the
neighborhood movie, and you'll talk for days
about switching to new brand of birdseed
for the pet canary"
II could stand suburb - if it didn't have
any dirty alleys in it,
Yeah. And then, of course, maybe once
month or so you d get invited to play bridge
with the neighborhood gals, and have hot,
thrill-packed afternoon listening to them tell
about juniors tonsils and how Harry's boss
has promised him raise next year. Only,
you'd have to bust up the game early SOS
you could all get home to be waiting at the
door for your counter jumpers when they
got home from work. Hah!' he said bitterly.
II suppose he'd kiss you, and tell you what
hard day he'd had at the old pants pressing
emporium, but he'd be smelling over your
shoulder to see if he was going to get ham,
burger or fried liver for his supper. Socko
dramatic emotional life. Hah!'
''You know perfectly well that Charles is
not a counter-jumper," she said angrily.
But guess the reason you keep calling him
pants presser is the reason why you'll be
a stupid red-nosed comic all your life"
She saw him bite his lip, but after a min
ute he began again. in a reasonable voice:
Listen, kid. You've got ability Don't
throw your life away. You're young yet -
and you won't be in burlesque much longer"
He didn't say tue" but they both knew
that was what he meant ''The Big Times
just around the corner, kid. Another six
months and we'll have a routine that1l put
us in night clubs - and / don't mean high
way joints, here in the West. You'd be fool
to take powder now"
MEG walked along without saying any
thing. They reached the porch of the old
rooming house, and stopped. She could see
Eddie's thin face, sharpened by worry, in the
light from the street lamp which swung
creaking in the wind and the rain at the dis
tant mouth of the alley. But she knew that
he couldn't see her face because she had
stepped into the black shadow of the crum-
bling brick building which stood where the
lawn had been when the house was lumber
mans mansion IN the windjammer days of
Seattle. For moment neither spoke. Then:
You'd better come on to Denver with the
show" Eddie said. "See, the way it is, kid,
if you marry this hometown sport, you'll
spend the rest of your life thinking about
what you missed - the Big Time, and your
name in lights He can't -"
"Charles isn't a home toun cr,ort He