The Wilmington morning star., 1947-09-24

anything. If an employment Of
flee gets you a job they take
your first months pay as COM
mission!"
Gail thanked her humbly and
went out to the big. rambling
office on Marietta Street. A girl
at the reception desk was pleas
ant and friendly; the older wom-
an to whom Gail was turned
over was equally pleasant, and
even more interested. She EN-
couraged Gail to talk asked
pertinent questions, and put her
through a few tests. AND then
the woman stood up and said,
"Wait here, will you? I'll be
right back"
"Of course" said Gail eager
ly.
"Oh-and if the phone rings
while I'm gone, answer it for
Ime, will your" suggested the
woman casually. "Just say that
I am not here, and ask if they
care to leave a message, and
take it down."
Gail nodded and the woman
went briskly along the aisle be-
tween the other desks and
through a door marked f'Pri-
vate."
Gail waited, looking about her
with interest, caught up. out of
herself by the activity that went
on about her; watching the
groups of people outside the
railing who were seeking work
and waiting to take the aptitude
tests that would determine what
work suited them.
The telephone beside her
shrilled so violently that she
jumped a little, and remember
ing the woman's request, she
lifted the receiver and spoke.
"Miss Hastings, please" said
a curt voice in her ear.
"I'm sorry, she isn't here just
now" answered Gail. MAY ]
take a message for her? o.
would you care to leave your
number so that she can call you
when she returns?"
"Yeah, I guess I'll leave {
message" said the voice.
Gail lifted a pencil and a lit
tie pad of paper and began tax
ing the message. An involved
rather complicated thing, bu'
she took it carefully and Their
read it back to the voice, which
said, "Yeah-that's it," laconi
cally, and clicked the phone
down.
Five minutes later, when Mis-
Hastings came back, Gsil gave
her the message. Miss Hastings
read it carefully, then looked w
at Gail and smiled.
IT think we have just thu
thing for you," she said, ane
wrote something on a printed
form. "We've been trying fo1
weeks to get a receptionist will
a nice telephone personality
who can. be depended on to b.
soothing over the telephone ane
get messages accurately. It's il
a Doctors office, and I believ'
you will do. Suppose you go on
and see him."
Gail said, w%ide-eyed, "Tha
phone call I took for you-"
Miss Hastings smiled. eva
part of the aptitude test" sh'
admitted, and Gail laughed witt
her and hurried out.
DR.. Stewards office was in a;
imposing building well on
Peachtree Street. The office il
self was a suite: a large AM
handsomely appointed reception
room with comfortable chrom
and leather chairs around tn
wall; a big table in the cente:
on which there was a white pot
terry bowl filled with CROWN
plants, and stacked neatly by o.
either side were current maya
zines. Opening out Of this wa
the office where DR.. Steyvar
saw his patients, and beyon'
that an examining room.
It was shortly after noon whel
Gail presented herself. A tired
looking nurse whose starche'
uniform was a little limp at tn
collar and the wrists at thi
hour of a blistering hot day
looked up at her from the tele
phone.
"Sorry," she said CURLY. 9Th
doctor isn't making any NOR
appointments for the day."
Her slight nod indicated tn
several women who stu waited
ooh, but I'm not a patient,
answered Gail and held out tn
printed slip which had bee
given to her at the employment
office.
The nurse accepted It, raised
her eyebrows 4 little, and sale
briefly, "Just a moment"
She disappeared into the Of
flee marked, CDR. Stewart-Pri
vate."
Gail looked curiously abou