The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-04-09
Walter WincheIl On BrO0dw0y
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butt hey danced and kissed well together ana thought that might be sufficient but then there was a silly, jealous episode when she had been drinking; the Navy man was indignant and that was that.
 It really mattered little. The 20's were too exciting to be tied down to any one man some of her girl friends had married, but their reports of boredom only intensified her own pride in her freedom. But as the years faded she became panicky the tele- phone was ringing less and the liQuor was etching her loveliness with tragic lines and her nerves were beating like tom-toms in the jungle.
 Just before she was thirty she married Allan and those who knew her well raised cynical eyebrows. Allan was in love and in insurance and the idea that he could capture the heart and imagination of such girl made him feel like a com- bination of all the great romantics of history.
 They settled in a Long Island suburb and for a while the Dream Girl was content . she hung cur- tainS and bought cute knick-knacks for the mantlepiece and in rash moment even thought of having a baby she put alcohol out of her life ana made feeble att tempt to join the bridge clubs and civic doings of the matrons who surrounded her.
 The years went on and boredom kept pace with them. She and AL Ian would go into the city occasion ally to see the latest show but she was restless and uneasy and the tang had gone from Broadway
 Then she ran into Ruth. Subur- bantowns hold many malcontents but she had been slow in finding them. Ruth liked liquor so the afternoons passed more quickly. Now Allan would come home to more talkative wife but the meals WGkC AdlC o4AI lAAC 4@4CAlA NIL O conversation was diSjointed and giggly.
 Allan was doing better now so they moved to fresher suburb. He though sagely that the little wo- man needed a change and even scolded himself for not having thought of it sooner. But his little woman found another Ruth in the new suburb and there were men in addition, hard-eyed and blue -jowled, who laughed at her witticisms and praised the rem- nantS ot her beauty the roller coaster ride was on in dead earnest.
 When she separated from Allan he was hurt but noble and when she moved to a Lexington Avenue flat she felt D rejuvenation of spirit and mind but the damage had been done and the lift lasted but a few weeks.
 Living became an agonizing ritual. The mornings were blocked out with sleep but the afternoons were endless. The tawdry Cocktail Bars would welcome her at dusk and then a blurred evening pre- pared her for 6 new day.
 Now all the men began to look the same and the drinks had no potency sometimes the radio would blare a song of the POS and she would be maudlin for a while and wonder as Q child won- ders what had happened and who would come to rescue her.
 However, this week was not too bad. Mrs. Stacy, her latest land- lady and @ drinking woman herself, threw a birthday party for her. There were friendly, middle-aged women there who said, That's a joke, son." and "hubba- -hubba" and laughed a great deal at nothing at all.
 Allan still sends a weekly check but she Is thinking some of get ting a joS,, not right away but may be in one of the Summer places where there is an orchestra and moonlight and chance to figure a way out.
 Of course she won't take the job but 1t is nice to think of 1t and to think of the time when life held no more complications than the shade of an evening dress or the memory of a kiss.
 But she is finding it so hard to stay at the party when the party l is over!