Show f 4 7 1 KATHLEEN a COPYRIGHT KATHLEEN NORRIS SERVICE SYNOPSIS Antoinette Taft twenty three at attractive attractive nt- nt and antI ambitious but unable to hold bold a Job lives In a drab San Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco flat with her sister Brenda and brother Cliff who are older her sev sev- year old brother Bruce Druce and their Aunt Meg Ies In her Job hunting rounds she Interviews vs Lawrence Bellamy Bellamy Bel Bel- lam lamy editor of the Journal of or Commerce Commerce Commerce Com Com- merce but finds he hc has no place for Cor fora a n. woman writer Sho likes es him very much as ns she tells Brenda later Diffident Diffident Dif Dif- Barney Darney Kerr drops In asking where Cliff Is Barney Darney has hns his eye on Ton Tony but she despises him Tony sets a telephone call from Crom Mr 11 Green Green- city editor of or the thc Call offering ber ner a Job as society reporter Cliff returning Just then accompanies Ton Tony to the newspaper pcr office Tony finds the men In the office friendly and helpful The first night she goes with Cliff and Joo Burke Durke of or the sports department to a restaurant and sees secs Bellamy She Sho thrills when ho nods notIs to her She Is thoroughly happy In the hustle and bustle of or orthe the newspaper newspaper office She manages nases to solve the tho problem of or getting pho pho- CHAPTER V Continued V-Continued i 1 4 Gathered about the supper table that was spread In daylight a lIght now loitering over o the fi figs s and grapes Cliff and Aunt and Tony a agreed reed that this was the happiest happiest happiest hap hap- the most serene time they had ever known We ha had six sis hellish years said Ton Tony The re over o overl l I lOh Oh they weren't hellish darlIn darling dar dar- darling lIn ling Brenda renda protested It was only that after Dad died we floundered floundered floun floun- dered for a while getting our bearIngs bearings bear bear- Ings and mill that of or course being In mourning for him and Mother we couldn't have much fun Gosh what a pull 1 Clifford muttered smiling reminiscently j bier er his pipe Do Do the they all aU make e love lore to you down D at nt the office Brenda Brena once asked her leer Tony laughed Just what they dont don't They borrow quarters an and they tell teU me their whole histories and the they telephone other girls right at nt my desk but somehow the atmosphere atmosphere atmos atmos- phere of the city room Is s anything but romantic she explained Theres There's so much rush and contu slon Blon were we're Va al always s 's under uner such a astrain strain strain strain-no no Joe an and Van and Spike they're Illyan-they're the an they're re darlings But they lont dont make passes at me 1 Aunt Sally Is always casting out ont dark suspicions of ot these evenIngs evenings evenings eve eve- at the ollice olUre Aunt Sall Sally 7 She thinks s President Pres 1 de dent e t Harrison Is still In office once I Tony could afford to laugh at Aunt Sally BaBy As for her liar dear Influential Influential friend Augusta Terry she told toM the appreciative dinner table one nl night ht she Is a stuffed shirt 1 Antoinette said Miss Bruce mildly Y You ou remember she was going to help me with social notes and ask all an her friends to send me In stuff Well Tony said Ive I telephoned tel tel- her when I got Into a tight place two or three times and nothing noth noth- ing Jag doing oln So yesterday ester a I went up tip to see her and said how kind It would be of or her her all all that you know now And Ant she stiffened up like an old macaw ant and said she personally person person- ally lIny Wy had the greatest abhorrence T f r newspaper notoriety ant and thought It most extraordinary that any girl of ot a nice family would ever haeher have ha her name In the paper And Ant then on the other hand band Tony presently resumed when Aunt Sallys Sally's Influential friend had haJ received due comment from the group on the other hand han Green Greeny tol told me me- meto to call up UI Linda Flood Flood- that's Mrs l PauldIng the Flood Flood the theother other day Ilay I was stuck and he wanted me to go out on this ml milk In esti Investigation story nn and of ot course e I wanted anted to because Its It's wonderful for Cor him to give me any of or the straight ht stories stories and and he be said Call Cnn Callup Callup up Linda Flood shell she'll give gl up alot alot a o olot lot of dope And you ou dont don't know y her Ive l never seen her she's been nt ot Tahoe all summer So I sort of or balf heartedly half telephoned her ant and said eald who I was and I heard this darling darting voice olce Why girl dear I dont don't ont know much but Ill I'll give ghe you what I 1 have I Got a pencil And she be began n to just pour It out what everyone was doing and tips on on two en engagements a and ever everything And Ant she said Now you jOU just cull call me up whenever you get short short short-I I used to do that social column m myself my- my self Bel I 1 Oh people are lovely ely when they're kind Brenda said salt her eyes shining Id love lo her hen herl I Ill tell toll you OU T Tony ny send Mrs Flood some non Mowers at Christmas I will I I love lo being able ahle to todo todo todo do things fixings III like that Tony rony said How a n little dues dons help your Cur self respect 1 I II My I uld Id smart Tony I always new shed she'd maka mal us proud of her lIer hurl l I Miss l Bruce Druce murmured contentedly contented contented- ly Iy reaching for her leer solitaire cards canis lon Tony and Brenda began bean to gather ather up the dessert dishes They were presently talking with their own unflagging un un- flagging gln animation over o the sink Id never mind this you know Ton Tony I mean our having to do the dishes I dishes I mean just as ns things are arenow arenow arenow now seems richness to me Brenda Brenda Bren Bren- da said Money Ioney doesn't matter terribly Ton Tony conce conceded e Work Nark Is the wonderful won wonderful thing tiling To be hard hartl working at something you simply love and to wake wale up UI In the morning and think that heres here's another days day's a s work work work-that's that's ts t's hea heaven en For n a while while Brenda a conceded concede But Dut after aCter all aU she presently added thoughtfully no matter how successful successful suc sue n a woman Is It seems to tome tome tome me she's a little lopsided I If she doesn't marry You Yo say so Brenda a 1 I Well I do But you you why you why youve you've always always al al- ways said that as far as you were concerned you you didn't need anything more than friendship such as ns you ou ha have hae e with Margaret ant and Alison land Gay Yes but that's me You mean Im I'm different I III mean menn Brenda Brenta Insisted that there are different sorts of ot women I like men tremendously tremendously-I I think Im I'm easier with them thorn than you are But when It conies comes to getting quite close to one going In for or all an the murmuring ant and Intimacy and the and the ln 10 loving part all aU that It simply doesn't register I dont don't miss anything now Tony said I am completely happy happ Brenda even en while she smiled and shook her head knew v that It was true In finding her work Tony had hat found herself ant and quite Innocently Innocently innocently In In- liked what she discovered ered She seemed to grow taller and slimmer slimmer slim slim- mer as the months went by all an anthe the qualities that had made Brenda and Aunt l uneasy about her disappeared as 1 If by ma magic lc she was groom groomed energetic purposeful purpose purpose- ful Every night she came home to them with tales of her ber adventures a When Tony fony told toM of or the scene that restored the little lost Jensen boy boyto boyto boyto to his mother and father Aunt Ie 1 gy had to wipe her eyes she sketched every separate entity on the big Call Can staff start for their benefit bene hone fit and the they felt that they knew good natured common little Greeny and stern handsome Mr Fitch and all the boys of ot the city room as she did Lazy unwashed yawning little Arch continued to occupy the desk next to Tonys Tony's ane and helped her generously even een when he would not do his own work worl Splice Spike Illyan came In from the sports department to ask her about the clothes the women ba had worn to the tennis tournament tournament tour tour- Joe Burke nurle assumed the affectionate attitude of an old friend promising to take her to toa toa ton a n fight tIght some nl night ht And Ant Van Florence Florence forence Flor for ence told toM her about his wife's tu tu- tu All AU of them liked her and und she liked them Patty Perkins she did not like I but there was a friendly rangy rany lIl big woman who covered eret Oakland and antl who was confidential ant and friendly with Tony and there was kindly old Mrs Irs l who tottered tottered tot tot- In to do a weekly editorial headed A Kiss Kass for er E Everyone's ones Mother lother on Mothers Mother's Day or Baby Annies Annie's Little Hands Keep Daddy Safe and Sane If there were any event e local or national with witha a mother bIh baby an old soldier an anold anold anold old song an anywhere where Involved ol Mrs Ia us who signed Bets Betsy Ross noss pounced hungrily upon It she site often wept when she told tolt Tony what she was writing sentimentally describing describing In ing herself as ns the most must beloved belo ant and useful newspaper woman In la Inthe inthe lathe the world The only other woman on the thc staff was a blon blonde e named Bess Cutter who was paid a hundred dollars collars a week for a column called Bessie Lessie Saw It It No one In the city ollice was supposed to know why Gavin Franklin Fitch general manager man ager tiger felt Celt Justified In paying Miss Cutter so generously for the queer tan tangled let notes she occasionally I brought In and antl that If It Indeed they they were usable at all someone In the thc theoffice theoffice office alwa always s 's had to put Into shape for her but hut e everyone did know that lint she had an apartment on Pine street where Mr Fitch dl dined nell almost almost al al- most every ery nl night ht and that Mrs Fitch often had to he be told toM when she telephoned In meekly to ask where he was that he had to JOto go JO goto goto to Fresno or Sacramento Tony and Bessie essle got ot on well wen together together to to- gether ether and after a n while It became the custom for Tony to do a great part of or Bessie's work That Mr 11 Fitch who was all all- powerful and much feared was aware of or her kindly assistance to the Bessie she knew when he stopped on nn an autumn da day and put a new thick book on her desk Rend Bead that She flipped pages No I haven't and Ive I've heard heart a lot about It It t ItI tI I thought you ou ml might ht enjoy It it itlie lie hesitated his face rather red rell It was a n quiet morning hour bour In the city room ant and nobody was within sound of ot their voices Everything comfortable for tor you In here herc Miss Taft Tat 7 Oh wonderful I I We want you to feel at home that anything you dont don't like e can be changed he said stiffly but hut with what for him was rare gra- gra Ton Tony sn sat t fingering the book staring after him when he went away This was gratifying reassuring as for far as fiS the precious Job was concerned concerned concerned- there was no noone noone noone one In the office Greeny Included who would not have hae given a weeks week's pa pay for Cor so much from Mr l Fitch But she saw breakers ahead Her lIeI face Hushed her eyes shining she sat lost In uncomfortable thought for a long time lime CHAPTER VI VIT T ISTEN ever er seen Ina ma Straw Straw- LISTEN J bridge the actress you know She's coming out In her herbig herbig herbig big New York success tills summer Jever Je see her Bessie Cutter asked ed her lien a n few days s 's later Ton Tony was conscious of ot fear beating like a drum deep In her heart beart No Io I coming coining next month I adore her Bessie Dessle said Ever Eer have e dinner at nt Olivier's The French place on Bush street 0 street O God get me out of ot this Tony fony pra prayed et Although really rea ny Bessie said as on second thought really reany my Chinese boy Pete Loo serves a better dinner than the they do Only Its It's a little more exciting downtown Ill I'll tell you you when when Inas Ina's here lets let's ask Joe Burke e or someone and have a party What do to you yon say Id love It Tony agreed cor cor- But she went h home me rather soberly a little while later Working WorkIng WorkIng Work- Work Ing like mail mad on a newspaper putting putting put put- ting up with sll slights and snubs from rom society folk folI tired and col colIt cold t t y f fh h l i t It Was a Beautiful November Night and hungry and ml missing ones one's story after all getting scooped getting downs call from Greeny all Greeny-all all all that was fair But the sickish feeling In her heart when she thought of or ofa ora a dinner and the theater with handsome Mr Fitch and Bessie was something else a again aln She dared not ask ask Brenda or Aunt Me gy about It she me meditated meditated medi medi- l- l asking CHIT Cliff But Cliff was a peculiarly quiet slow slow going guing person not unsophisticated exactly not Ignorant ignorant Ig ig- ig 11 t hut but so far removed cd In his own tastes from this sort of or thins thing that he might easily cusHy be much shocked at the mere su suggestion An Ana Anyway a Cliff had gone down to San Diego for u a stay of ot several weeks when the crisis arose and so Tony lony turned to Barney on an fin i occasion when he had come out to take tale her to a u special movie I It was a n beautiful November r nIght warm and soft with stars shining thick over o the city and the lights of Berkeley and Oakland Oakland Oak Ouk land lant sparkling like IlIc necklaces of diamonds against the dark waters water of th the bay Barney parl parked ed his un un- pretentious pretentious little car at the Market street curb for the movie mf afterward afterward afterward after after- ward at Tonys Tony's eager sll suggestion the they drove ro e about for a n while Barney Barney Barney Bar Bar- ney took her up to the splendid curves of Twin Peaks where they I got out ont and stood staring down at atthe atthe atthe the brilliant panorama below them Its probably the must most InterestIng Interest I Ing lag city In n the world said Barney Harney liar Bar ney with simplicity San Francisco Well da some day Ill I'll see the others and then Ill I'll know lon Tony answered leaning her elbows on the fence rail Burney Burney Bur BuI ney she went on on In sull sudden en courage courage cour courage age theres something I want to tn ask you OU Ive I've got t to as ask ash I someone someone some some- someone one and there seems to be lie no one else Shoot Barney said n n an odd voice His Ills own elbow was to hers on the fence renee he lie lii lily head toward her Tony Puny looked up at him with eyes ees that glittered 1 In the dark You Yon know Miss Cutter who does that Bessie Saw It Il column I dont don't know her no I know v who she 13 Is of course Well she's n big lIlg blonde very affectionate and gushy ushy and terribly terribly ter ter- lazy and anti I think terribly stupid too Tony rony went on She goes about and gathers athers up these little Interest human-Interest stories and andI I help her get bet them Into shape shupe She and Mr Fitch are great friends you ou know Barney lo looked l ed down n at t Tony her bright confiding e eyes cs were very ery close I heard hear that tha to he said salcI slowly Sites gotten rather dependent on me Tony resumed and shi sha I likes me An And now she's beginning beginning begin begin- ning to hint about my going up to her leer place to line dine and to the theater theater theater the the- ater do you ou see Dont you yon go Barney said firmly firmly firm firm- ly Jy |