DOORBELLS
T Ave minutes to four Lucy Alexander
AT
came out of the subway and began walking east од Seventy-ninth Street. "When you've covered the Village." Mr.. Laban-Mr. Charles Laban, specialist in advertising research-had said, "run up to East Seventy-ninth and work to Ninety- sixth."
She had pretty well covered the Village by three-thirty, with discouraging results. A good interviewer, according to Mr. Laban. might get as many as sixty interviews a day: by this standard Lucy was still far from being a good interviewer, since the wilted manila envelope under her arm contained She only twenty penciled questionnaires. had done rather well on her first assignment. the candy survey, but that it was because druggists and confectioners, being men, were easier to interview than women. Easier for her, anyway for a small girl with curly brown hair and blue eyes, looking younger than her twenty-three years.
On Seventy-ninth Street heat rose in shimmering waves against apartment bouses guarded by doormen in hot, resplendent uni- forms and against handsome private resid- ences whose staring boarded windows told of occupants fed to country or store. Lucy's mind. tricked by the thought "country.“ fooded suddenly with memories of other sum- mers; of cool earth underfoot, of running brooks and air unladen with carbon mono- xide. But she wanted to stay in New York.
now. a working woman
You She was couldn't have everything.
She had reached a shabbier quarter. Ordinarily Mr. Laban and his clients had little use for the reactions of the non-con- suming poor, but for this particular survey one woman's opinions were as good as an- other's. Lucy entered the vestibule of an old brownstone house and at random rang a bell above which was printed, rather grandly. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Miller.
She climbed the stairs. At the second landing a door opened. a cautious two or three inches and a feminine voice asked:
Who is it?"
"Mrs. Miller?" said Lucy. sent to interview you."
"I've been
This she had found to be a good ap- proach, creating in the prospective subject (sometimes) a fine sense of importance. But Mrs. Miller was wise in the ways of canvas- sers. "I wouldn't be interested," she mur mured. The door moved slowly forward.
Lucy peered boldly around it at a tall, thin, red-headed girl in a lavender house- dress. "All I want are a few opinions." she ad persuasively, and with expert prompt- ness shot out the frst question: "Do you, for instance, believe that opposites attract?”
Mrs. Miller stared at the audacious but reassuringly small young stranger in the gray linen dress. She, gizgled "Well, for heaven's sake!" she said. "What is this? You sure you haven't got some Faller brushes in your pocket?"
J
"No, really, I'm just making a survey." Lucy poised her pencil above the space mark- ed: Yes, No. "Do you believe that op- posites attract, Mrs. Miller?"
"Well, sure. Sure they do. Mr. Miller that's my husband-he's exactly opposite to me." Mrs. Miller paused, frowning. "So what? What's the idea? You one of those inquiring reporters*""
"No. this information is to be used for a book," Lucy gravely explained. "Your name
THE CHINA MAIL THURSDAY SUPPLEMENT,JANUARY 1, 1937
won't appear, of course. The next question is: What quality do you admire most in a
man ***
Impressed, Mrs. Miller mit her arched and penciled brows in thought "Well, let' see. I hate a stingy man, so I guess I'll have. to say generosity. No, wait, though. The first thing I ever noticed about Leo-31r. Miller-was his lovely disposition. 'don't know which I admire most. Maybe you
better put generosity, after all.""
But I
Lucy wrote "generosity" in the allotted space, and sighing, consulted the question- naire. "Who"
"Say! Have you been doing this all day? I bet you're all in. Come on inside, I was just fixing myself some grapejuice. That goes good, a sweltering day like this. Come It was true that she
on."
Lucy hesitated. was hot, tired and thirsty, and the little in- stalment-plan living room at the end of the passage looked invitingly cool by comparison with the airless ball. But a glance at her.
caused her wrist watch
to say hastily, I have to see a Thank you, I'd better not. lot of people before five-thirty."
"No rest for the weary." said Mrs. Miller, clucking sympathetically. "Believe me, I know what it is! For seven years,. right up to the day I got married, I stood on my feet eight hours a day, six days a week. in the bargain basement. You can't tell me. And this heat!" She shook her marcelled ril head.. "Listen, though, I've an idea. bring the grapejuice out here. I won't be a minute." She hastened up the passage on long thin legs and returned with two frosted glasses. There! Now, what else?"
"This is marvellous," said Lucy apprecia- tively. "Well, I want to ask, who's your favourite movie actor?"
The reply came promptly: "Clark Gable. He's on Leo's type.. People are always tell- ing me. Your hubby certainly does remind me of Clark Gable I think he's even better- looking, but of course I would." Mrs. Miller laughed shyly. "I guess it don't take any fortune-teller to see I'm a bride. Married a month next Saturday." She glanced happily over her shoulder. "Weve got, it nice,, too, if I do say so. Nothing fancy, but comfort- able, and that's the main thing. But say, here I am taking up your time, talking my head off! You go ahead and ask me what- ever questions you want”
The next three questions elicited from Mrs. Miller the opinions that men (1), did talk about themselves quite a lot, but so did women: (2) liked a girl to have a sense of humour but not be all the time joking; and (3) needn't be too neat, as long as they didn't throw their clothes all over the place-and even if they did, why, it was a woman's job to keep the house tidy, anyway.
And now Lucy came to an important question. "If you had to choose,” she said, though in this case the answer was fairly obvious, "which would you prefer, marriage or a career***
Mrs. Miller langhed. "Career!" she said. "You mean my career in the house furnishings; wrapping up mops? Listen, honey, no girl who started to work at fifteen is going to break down and cry because her busband asks her to stay home. Of course, I'd have kept my job if Leo'd wanted me to. But he didn't: A man likes to feel he's tak- Supporting her, I ing care of his wife. mean, and protecting ber-all like that. And
by
LAURETTE KNIGHT
say we would have it a little easier if I was working, what good's that if you're not happy?"
Lucy circled Marriage, and thrust the questionnaire into the manila envelope. Thank you, Mrs. Miller, you've been very nice," she said "And thanks again for the grape-juice."
"Oh, that's all right. You drop in any time you're working in the neighbourhood and want to get off your feet a minute. Bay. don't I know what it is?" Companionably. Mrs, Miller leaned over the railing as Lucy descended. "So long, and good luck.”
Four-thirty now. Lucy decided to go over to Madison Avenue. She smiled, think- ing of Mrs, Miller's solemn: "A man likes to feel he's taking care of his wife." but the smile was ironic, and memory of the instal- ment-plan flat caused her to shoulder dis- tastefully. Next year, probably, there would be a baby; and the year after, and the year after that. And the little flat, so pathetically neat, would fill with noise. dirt and confu- sion. And Mrs. Miller. with neither time- nor money to keep herself attractive, would grow shrill and slovenly. And never, to the end of the chapter. would ends be made to meet.
At the corner of Madison Avenue a cur- ved plate-glass window bore in gold letters the legend: Zoe Sherman, Real Estate. Now, there was a woman whose opinions mattered. Why not? Her heart beating rapidly-for she had not yet learned how to bear a rebuff.
Lucy crossed the street.
A hard-faced elderly woman with hair cropped like a man's, gave her a wintry smile.
"Miss Sherman?" said Lucy. "Miss Sherman is out at present," said the woman- "Can I help you?"
P
"Well, I Something warned her not
to try any nonsense with this stony creature. "It's a personal matter," she amended. wanted to see-Zoe, personally.”
"I see." The woman studied Lucy for a moment "She's at home, resting."
The
How Would You Answer These Questions Woven Here Into A Charming and Unusual Love Story?
wintry smile appeared briefly. "This is her.
birthday."
"Yes, I know. Well, I'll run over there"
You have the address?**
"Oh, yes,” said Lucy.
She was instantly appalled by this idiotic series of lies. But to get along in business, she reminded herself, you had-to be resource- ful. And the last one was a lie only for the length of time required to look up Sherman, Zoe, res, in the telephone directory. Within five minutes she had walked three blocks to a Park Avenue apartment house, sailed confidently past the doorman and ask- ed for Miss Sherman. In the elevator she was exultant. What if Miss Sherman did refuse to see her? She was in, she could ring every doorbell in the building. And Mr. Laban, noting the chic address, would compliment her on her cleverness.
A stout maid answered her ring. “I'm Lucy Alexander," she said, pronouncing the name as though it were one of instantly re- cognisable importance. "I'd like to inter- view Miss Sherman."
The maid inclined her head. "Come in. miss. I'll see."
Lacy stood for a moment in a large, cool. room, all silver, gray and green. This was the sort of room she coveted and would have some day, when she had worked her way up to being what? An advertising research specialist, or a copy writer, an editor: some- thing important She had not really chosen her career yet. There was lots of time.
The servant reappeared, saying. "Will you come, in miss?" Lucy followed her to- a bedroom done'in white and yellow, a bold modern room exactly suited 10 the dark energetic woman who lay propped against pillows and surrounded by legal-looking.
papers.
"Hello. Miss Alexander. is it?" Miss Sherman's voice was that of a woman unused to wasting time.. "What paper are you from?"
"Im not a reporter, Miss Sherman," said Lucy, somewhat taken aback. ."Tm doing research work.”
regarded eyes.
"Whaterer that means.” Miss Sherman her sharply out of bright black "I suppose you know you were admit- ted because Helene mistook you for a re- she porter. However,"
smiled suddenly, "now that you're here, what's it all about?**
"We," said Lucy, because it seemed more reassuring than 1, "are making a survey, the findings of which will be incorporated into a book on popular psychology. I have a card here, if you'd like to see it.”
“I would," said Miss Sherinan. "Looks all right. They do, of course." She smiled. handing back Mr. Laban's card. "Well, go ahead."
Lucy was afraid this crackling woman would greet her questions with derisive laughter. But she went ahead, as bidden: "Do you believe that opposites attract?":
"Ah, one of those things," said Miss Sherman. "I suppose you lead up gradually to. "What make of car do you prefer? How- ever, yes, I think they do, if by opposites you mean chemical opposites."
"What quality do you admire most în a inan 7′′
"Fair-mindedness. The ability to see the other fellow's point of view. It's a quality rather seldom found in men, though. And even less frequently," added Miss Sher- man, “in wonen."
"Oh, do you think that, really?" Lucy stared. Then, recalling an adjuration never. to question opinions, she asked hastily, "Who" is your favourite movie actor?"
Miss Sherman pushed back her long black hair. "You don't mean my favourite actor" she said. "You want to know whom I yearn over. The answer is, zone. My yearning days died with the late Wally Reid." "None" wrote Lucy, wondering wistfully if she'd ever achieve the hard self-sufficiency
essential to success.
"Look here," said Miss Sherman restless- iv. "what do you want to find out, actually? When do we get to the cold cream or what- ever it is?
"Honestly, this is just what it seems," Lucy assured her eagerly-"an attempt to discover what sort of man appeals most to women"
All "Then you're wasting your time. sorts of men appeal to women-some women. "Others." Miss Sherman laughed oddly, "are born with brains."
Ah, yes, agreed Lucy silently. Some wo- men are intelligent, others fall in love. Too true! She made a mental note to write that down when she got outside: Mr. Laban found Buch significant remarks useful in making his tabulations. She consulted her question- naire. But at that moment the telephone ranz.
“OE. "Hello" said Miss Sherman.”“) hello," she said again, gayly, warmly. She' listened, smiling, to the deep voice which was audible to Lucy, though its words were in- distinguishable. "No, I'm not ill. Just stor- ing up energy for to-night. Your flowers ar- rived, but Fm not going to thank you now- because words can't do them justice. I do hope you got the tickets yesterday, because
She stopped. "Ob, no! Oh, Frank!" The deep voice went on at some length, and Miss Sherman, her black eyes fixed with- out expression on the opposite wall, nodded slowly several times. When it had ceased, she said, "I do understand how it is, of course, but couldn't you come in for a cock- tail, at least? On my birthday?”
The voice became more andible. *-tic- kets- it said, and “-gave the suit to the tailor" and "foal luck that ske-”
And Miss Sherman, closing her eyes,' "Of said faintly, "I see," several times.
It's course you must take-but of course. quite-all-right" Miss Sherman had for- gotten that she was not alone. She did not even notice when Lucy slipped out.
Her cheeks barning, Lucy went straight down to the street. She felt outraged. Zoe Sherman, the self-sufficient women of affairs, had betrayed her. Because there was no self-sufficient Zoe Sherman: that was an act put on to deceive the world. The real Zoe Sherman was as weak and dependent as little Mrs. Leo Miller.
"I won't be like that!" Lncy promised any herself fiercely. “I won't depend on man, no matter how much I love him. Why. it's it's revolting! If I were-I mean, when I'm as successful as that
(Continued on Page 4)
Sweaters to wear with tweed suite, smart, simple, with colours that give the life to your outfit, sports suits in soft wools, jersies and jumpers .. all at MATZEE'S - a marvellous selection You won't want to miss them there's nothing like them in town. You'll find all your mid-winter choices there... lovely warm frocks that look well from all angles, dresses that will help you do credit to your luncheon hostess. And for the evening the stiff silhouette fabrics that stand alone the bodice crossed, swathed, and draped, or heart-shaped. puff-sleeved. Aristocrats of evening fashion all at MAIZEE'S.— our American shop.
MAIZEE'S
Alexandra Bldg.
CHIROPRACTIC
FOR ASTHMA
.
Chiropractic is distinct from any other method. We do not treat, heal or cure. We simply adjust the subluxated spine with the hands, and the power within the God-given nerve force in every man, woman and child does the rest.
No charge for consultation or examination.
MOLTHEN & LEDIG
DOCTORS of CHIROPRACTIC 134-135 — 1st Floor, Gloucester Bldg...
American College Graduates.