The Wilmington morning star., 1947-09-23

and the summer and all its
bright, beautiful dreams was
dead.
During the age-long hours of
last night Gail had worked out
her plans very carefully, so
when she left the train in At
lanta, she knew exactly what
she was going to do. She found
a redcap to carry her baggage
to the checkroom. There she
checked all save the one large
case that held the carefully Sc
lected simple clothes that would
be useful to a business girl.
Then, with only the one case,
she went to the Travellers Aid
window and smiled at the pleas
ant, middle-aged woman who
stood there.
IT want to find a mode1 ately
priced hotel where I can stay
for a few days while I look
for a job" she explained.
The woman asked several
questions which Gail answered
quite simply, then made a tele,
phone call. A few minutes later
Gail was using the last of her
money to take & taxi to the
hotel. She checked in, shivered
a little when she saw the small,
dark cell-like room, but shook
off the unpleasant feeling.
She removed the travel stains
and went out into the hot after
noon sunlight. She had passed
through Atlanta many times to
and from Florida, with friends.
but she had become familiar
with very little save the vicinity
of the Biltmore and the Geor-
gian Terrace and the Peachtree
Street shopping district. Wha+
she was seeking now lay some
distance from those opulent
sections.
She found it at last-a pawn
shop, neat and clean AMI not
at all grimy or depressing as
she had dreaded. 1t was at the
back of a luggage and cheap
jewelry shop and a middle-aged
man greeted her matter-of-fact-
ly, as casually as though she
had come in to make a pur-
chase, not a loan.
When she left the shop a few
minutes later, there was a spot
on her wrist that felt unexpect-
edly bare, because her wrist
watch was no longer there. But
there was a five-dollar bill in
her purse that felt comfortably
plump after the emptiness OF
that expensive bag. There was
also a list on which were names
and addresses of three firms
that bought slightly used"
clothing.
Before Gail returned to the
dingy hotel late that afternoon,
the contents of the several bags
from the railroad checkroom
had been exchanged for money!;
the bags themselves had been
sold. And there was a little
more than a hundred dollars in
her purse. The sum seemed, in
her present state Of mind,
enormous; but she remember
ed, with a little grimace. that
the bags themselves had cost
considerably more than that,
and that their expensive, flimy
contents had cost many times
that much.
It's not what things cost, she
reminded herself grimly. At a
time like this, it's how much
you can get for themi
For the next few days she
was too busy and too absorbed
in solving her living problems
to have much time for grief
or bitterness. At nights, craw-
ling exhausted into bed, there
was always a little period be-
Der, when she ached with an
fore she could sink into slum-
almost unbearable ache for
Twin Oaks; for her father and
Kate and Norah; most of all,
of course, for Greg. She tried
fiercely to tell herself that if
pride she'd never again give
she had two cents worth of
Greg another thought. But it
was one thing to talk sternly
to her heart, another to stop
it's lonely longing.
First, she had told herself,
she must find a place to live,
and very soon, before her pre-
cious store of money gave out.
It was as difficult a job as she
had feared that it would be.
But eventually, when she had
all but despaired, she answered
an advertisement for a room
mate for a young business girl,
convenient to trains; break
fast optional; twin beds; semi
private BATH"