Show t yr arH l y ijO r y iA t tI RLUE WIGS a nil GREEN J I 1 LP Circumstances and a Slip r vI Jt the Tongue Tongue Broke Down Do the j If J Barrier Between Sylvia f and the Man She Loved Loused E night before the Olympic docked at New York Sylvia Flaharty sat on I J that the edge of her berth and decided seventeen years was too long to love a aman man man man-in in silence She gritted her perfect teeth reeth together and decided to do something something something some some- thing about It tt in her scrap ot of blue chiffon lingerie she looked like Uke a little 1 girl In n spite of ot her 37 years Almost hall halt of at her life Ufe devoted to the interests interests interests inter inter- ests ot of one man mans And in that seventeen seventeen seven seven- 1 teen years ears she had built up a fortune t for tor him True she had been well comPensated compensated com con for her labors especially during i the latter years but most of that enviable enviable able salary had gone into the education education tion of at her daughter Thelma Thelma who at 18 looked almost like a twin c of ot her beautiful mother Precious Thelma But what could she do about it The I circumspect training of her girlhood so different from the girls of of today who a i t have no nb no compunction about making the thet t r first advances prevented advances prevented her from showing showing show- show F ing Harold that she loved toyed 4 him And besides he was her employer and r rich ch enough now that Inc waS was flourishing to make any woman pursued him seem like Uke a fortune hunter f Seventeen years ago Sylvia had round employment with following tragic drowning of her young husband Michael 4 Flaharty She he had never mentioned having been married and always referred to Thelma as her baby sister With the passing years Sylvia had become more valuable to Inc until now she had charge of their foreign buying For the first time since she had been m making king four trips a year to Paris she sheI I was r returning turning home reluctantly She knew that her newly acquired reluctance tt was due to her determination to insert a f into her association with Harold ii c. some personal note to br break ak through f 4 that Intangible barrier his courteous re reserve reserve reserve re- re serve kept between them HEN too she had been so preoccupied T t- t with her h heart art that on the journey f homeward sh silo she began to question the wisdom of some of her purchases s. s Those colored wigs for instance They were F much worn in is the French capital but th the Paris dr dressmakers had assured her that she was the first American buyert buyer t u. u to secure them She had not noticed until after her purchase was v completed that they were worn by expatriated abroad and t Americans Argen by the demi Not the sort ol ot people catered to by Inc at all Well she shrugged she had of them hem pd fir r pink and blue and green and orchid and andr r they had to sell at each Surely k there were women among her customers cus cus- 4 j. j who could be persuaded to spon span sponsor k sor the new style idea Yes Yes here here she I sat upright upright and and just as surely the wigs had been seen and rejected by other othery y New York buyers 1 That meant one att at ot Ir t two things Either her purchase was a areal 4 real coup coup or or she had foolishly spent r of her firms firm's money for something r f she couldn't sell sen 4 There was gr gnat at excitement in the es esI establishment establishment es- es I of Inc the next morning for the Olympic had docked and Sylvia Flaharty had telephoned that her eleven trunks were through the customs customs cus cus- toms and on the way up to the shop 1 i. i Every one knew what that meant In Ina would flying B II few minutes Sylvia come com In to ask qu questions before her greetings could be answered Her entrance was wasi i always and she never stopped b between tween the street treet door and Harold Bech- Bech i. i olt olt's s office although she greeted every everyone t on one ons in the shop and picked up the threads of her job on th the way i. i Harold was waiting for her as 1 always alays with the same gesture of welcome He Hemet met her at the threshold of his office with tb both hands extended and Sylvia R dropped whatever she held into whatever willing hands were waiting to grasp his From her there was no other greeting If i I th than n Oh Mr echolt The Paris offerings offerings offer offer- F ings were more wonderful than ever I 1 11 r Nought- Nought bought And there followed sketchy list of the contents of her trunks and andt r. r t the other gowns and wraps to follow Jn n this occasion when her enumeration enumeration tion of purchases reached the item ol ot r Wigs wigs the famous eyebrow was lifted In to quizzical fashion The eyebrow as s It It was referred to by the shops shop's staff saved its quiet owner many 5 I words for it could s say y so 50 many things It could express amusement boredom rage or delight with equal facility Still in the ten ren years that Sylvia SyMa had been ti buying she had never failed to make money for fr Inc so over the purchase purchase pur pur- t. t chase of worth of dyed hair the theA A I eyebrow merely grew quizzical Sylvia dashed into her own office and delved Into the first of the trunks to o appear in a few moments In a flesh cal ored evening gown with slippers sUppers to match a flesh colored wrap and a dainty shell- shell pink Rig AIg of finely curled hair Fragility that's the name of this costume cos cos- tume she cried it delightful 1 J bought it for Mrs Reginald Cuttler Guttler Mrs Reginald Mrs Reginald ld Guttler sister in sister law to Donald Cuttler Guttler who danced attendance Upon Sylvia on her homeward trip was was one of the wise women who put their entire clothes allowances at Sylvias Sylvia's disposal She was as a result always perfectly dressed in a mode a a month or two ahead ot of the current styles Yes t Sylvia could depend upon Mrs Mrs Guttler Cuttler and with such to wear the wig grace graco that every woman who saw it would be clamoring for one J Leaving Harold to cogitate on l i ti Y 1 A i the purchase of worth ol ot wigs which would have to sell for to show an adequate profit Sylvia changed Into a blue outfit I 1 bought bough this dr dress s for myself she explained and ordered some duplicates And I wore It it blue wig and all last night on shipboard You didn't protested hor Mr- I know It was foolish for there were a dozen other buyers on board but the Paris houses Muses told llIe me that no other American buyer had any wigs 1 I intended to advertise them Immediately anyway anyway anyway any any- way way way- Well have to advertise them Immediately Im im- m mediately How do you know but that some other buyer was Intrigued into buying wigs on In the strength of your purchase purchase purchase pur pur- chase Sylvia sank into a chair a woebegone little girl beneath the blue wig But they said they had only came a very small voice The echolt eyebrows drew low and level level- levelAnd And Sylvia sat silent Waiting Like a a child expecting to be punished The blue wig made her seem meek and she had never never been meek before Al Always Always Always Al- Al ways she had been ready and willing willingto to defend her purchases finally looked up better better better bet bet- ter get the special orders into the possession possession possession posses posses- sion of the V women you bought them for including the wigs Tell them If t they wear them to any public affair tonight or tomorrow night we will see that the so society society society so- so editors of the newspapers get de descriptions descriptions descriptions de- de of their gowns downs owns and wigs Ii n nwe we rush t can get advertisements inthe Inthe in inthe the morning papers Once weve we've established established established our coup other shops can have all the wigs they want By the way what is the material of the wigs Ill I'll write the ads myself White hair dyed Sylvia Syl almost whispered Dont take It so hard child he comforted comforted comforted com com- forted her Then unexpectedly he added You should have been born with blue hair Instead of red His first personal personal personal per per- remark in seventeen years Do you Do you like them then She finished finished finished fin fin- It in a hopeful little lush tush When you wear them he smiled Maybe his shell wasn't so thick after acter all thought thought- Sylvia as she went to telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone Mrs Cuttler Guttler I hate to give you such short notice Mrs Cuttler Guttler she began but if it you can come in this afternoon afternoon- Id love to was the prompt answer Donald tells me you ou have a surprise for forme me but he wont won't tell me what Words wont won't describe it it Sylvia told her Anyway he didn't see it it When Mrs Cuttler Guttler arrived she was wa ac accompanied accompanied ac- ac companied by Donald Hes such a achild achild child she explained his pr presence ence gayly Secrets still intrigue him But Sylvia suspected another reason On shipboard ard where she tried to forget all an business cares except the Important item of being a a. little better dressed than other women as an example to them she had found Donalds Donald's attentions almost too constant When he aSked to see her after they landed she protested While the dresser dress r was getting Mrs Cuttler Guttler Cut Cut- tIer into the pink costume Sylvia was donning the blue one When they met in inthe inthe inthe the long mirror lined room Mrs Cuttler Guttler stopped admiring herself long enough to cry Oh I must have that one too The pink wig seemed not so strange when Sylvia stayed close by but the moment moment moment mo mo- ment Mrs Cuttler Guttler was left alone she began to wonder if Indeed she had the courage to be the first woman to appear in one of the colored wigs She loved to lead the fashions but she balked at being conspicuous That is is in being conspicuous ous alone Ill tell you what Mrs Cuttler Guttler of of- of Ill wear it to the opera tonight if it you'll wear the blue one and sit in an another another another an- an other box Maybe you can have one of your mo models els wear another one and sit somewhere else in the house Then it would look like a generally accepted new fashion Ill I'll send you the tickets Donald Donald Don Don- ald will you escort cort Miss Flaharty The triumphant smile Donald flashed at Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia Syl Syl- via was answer enough Ill have to ask you to provide an es escort escort escort es- es cort for your model They are such pretty girls that 1 I wouldn't dare expose any of my young men friends to their wiles she explained smilingly Sylvia mindful of Mr in injunction injunction in- in junction to hurry the exploitation of at the wigs said Ill be delighted Mrs Cut Cut- tier Ill I'll have the model wear the jade green Donald telephone for tickets to be besent besent sent over here while I 1 finish my sittings his sister-in-law sister requested prettily A A LITTLE later Sylvia gleefully unfolded the scheme to Mr and dictated dictated dictated dic dic- the item for the society columns I dont don't like the idea of sending the model out In such an expensive costume with a strange man Id I'd go myself but it is 18 against my business principles to appear in public with an So that was it was it His rigidly held principles principles principles prin prin- was the wall between her and the theman theman theman man she loved I Principles versus love- love she laughed softly Would you mind escorting my young sister she offered Thelma Is so at attractive attractive attractive at- at that shell she'll get plenty of atten r attention attention tion for the he green outfit So it was decided and Sylvia telephoned to ask Thelma to come to Inc Immediately Immediate y She ex explained la ed and a added ded L i 1 I Ij j V if i t y i ryr t tf Ir St w r Mr Is to be host to my little sister in a tone that admonished the girl not to forget their assumed relationship relationship relationship relation relation- ship tor for an instant It seemed a foolish secret now but it would have been foolish to tell it it for at 37 Sylvia looked many less than her years and Thelma at 18 was so well poised that she seemed older than she was Indeed people meeting them for the first time usually Judged that there was five or six years' years difference in their ages HELMA THELMA arrayed as she would be for forthe forthe L the op opera opera ra was lovely beyond words Sylvia had barely accomplished the girls girl's Introduction to Harold when her ner throat contracted so 50 that further speech had it b n necessary was impossible For Forin Forin Forin in Harold eyes was a warm glow ol of admiration and an unguarded something some- some tiling thing else that Sylvia had never been able to evoke coke for herself Mother fashion her mind leaped forward to the possible consequences consequences consequences con con- sequences of this meeting Would she be asked to give this lovely daughter of hersto hers hersto to the man she herself had loved and served for seventeen long years Could she do it and keep secret her own love for the man during all the years that would follow Oh could she bear it Her baby adored by Harold I Thelma married to toa toa toa a man twice her age gracing his home developing into sweet womanhood under his loving care Oh why had she he suggested suggested suggested sug sug- Thelma Thelm for this excursion In that moment she was as desperately unhappy as if her fears were already realities And yet she wanted a happy marriage for lor Thelma above all things Oh but not this marriage I Her reverie was broken by a remark that spurred her fears faster and faster round the treadmill of thought Sylvia suggested her employer Id like to take this lovely child to dinner before the opera Do you mind Of course I 1 dont don't mind the mother forced herself to say Then better better better bet bet- ter trot along Thelma and get your quota of joy out of dressing You know how you love to dawdle S Suppose you take a taxi and then you can take both costumes costumes cos cos- with you Ill I'll walk over later The remaining hour of the working day dragged its leaden minutes toward the hour when she must give over her precious precious precious pre pre- cious child to the society of the man she loved If It only she might be with them to keep the conversation in safe channels channels chan chan- nels At 5 o'clock Mrs Cuttler Guttler phoned to ask if Sylvia would dine with Donald at the Ritz She explained that she would be bethere bethere bethere there with a party and that she wanted the moral support of another colored wig elsewhere In the room After the opera well we'll collect the model and her escort cort and you and Donald and well we'll all aU go together to a supper club she finished Donald will pick you up at 6 30 Where do you live Sylvias Sylvia's heart leaped at the chance to keep an eye on Thelma and Harold Bech Bech- olt during the dinner hour and she said not a word to Mrs Cuttler Guttler about the third colored wig there would be in the Ritz dining room When Donald came for Sylvia at he joined Harold in the smart little sitting room of the Flaharty apartment apart apart- ment and ment-and and waited Who could expect two beautiful women to don two outrageously beautiful costumes topped off with such delightful oddities as the ingenuous colored colored colored col col- col- col ored wigs and be on time for their appointments appointments appointments ap ap- TH H two couples left in their separate motors Sylvia and to drive di directly directly directly di- di to the Ritz and Thelma and to take a turn around the park and to sit in their car for tor ten minutes after atter Mrs Guttler Cuttler and her party entered the hotel Sylvia and her escort were halfway halway down the long dining room before the discovery of |