Evening Star Newspaper, September 29, 1935, Page 107

> v > - - Magazine Section her future plans, after all the trouble he’d had over secretaries the past two years. A faint auroral flush flowed through her clear skin; otherwise she main- tained the indomitable, baffling pose so characteristic of the modern younger generation of femininity. “Not at all,” she said. ‘“Classes are Monday, Wednesday and Friday."” She looked at him thoughtfully. “It s awfully interesting,” she added. He sensed a burst of confidences, and fended them off coldly. “No doubt. Now let’s get down to work, s0 we can get out of here before mid- night.” Three hours later she straightened away from her notebook and yawned frankly. “I'm sorry,” he said in some con- trition. “Get up and relax for a few minutes.” “Thanks.” She rose and went to the open window. After a few minutes he rustled papers in an impatient hint. She caught it, and sparred for more time. “That continuance chart we're yri!ing about so eloquently,” she re- marked. “‘Does it really work out?”’ ‘*What do you mean, does it work out?”’ he demanded, touched in a tender spot. “‘Does it really tell whether a man is going to keep up his insurance or whether he's the kind who will let it drop as soon as the going gets tough?”’ Clark shoved back his chair and got to his feet. “Why, listen,” he told her. “There’s nothing surer than the law of averages as applied to human nature.” He became heated; wagged a finger at her. ““We know absolutely that if a business man age 40 or more, with an income of over $5,000 a year, buys a life insurance policy of more than $10,000 and pays the year's pre- mium in advance, the chances are 80 to 20 that he will never let it lapse. But take a bunch of poorer prospects, who grade, say, only 259, by this chart, and you can be just as sure that 75 out of 100 will give up as soon as they hit a few rough spots in the road.” “How ghastly and how utterly deadly,” she sighed. *“What do you mean, ghastly?’’ he exclaimed. “‘It's a triumph of mathe- matical science, to be able to cal- culate the future with such certainty.” “It's deadly,” she repeated. “I suppost his chert our instryctor gave us at school works, too. 1 hoped it didn’t."” **What kind of chart?"" he inquired, with awakened interest. She stooped and pulled out a drawer of her secretarial desk; spread a large typewritten sheet across her desk. **This questionnaire chart,” she ex- plained, “is supposed to show the percentage of chances any marriage has of being a success.”” He glared at her. “‘Are you trying to be funny?"”’ ““Of course I'm not. This chart was worked out by one of the university instructors ten years ago. She says she has followed dozens of marriages, and it is sure as death and taxes.” “Umph,” squinting at the sheet. “How do they use it?"’ “The couple considering marriage answer these questions, and grade themselves on each answer; then average up their grades. Unless they come out with at least 75 per cent or better, Miss Alsdorf says they ought to call it off.” “Miss Alsdorf!” he snorted. “I thought so. Only an old maid would figure out anything like that, and be- lieve it.” “But she had a chance to get mar- ried eight years ago, and turned the man down because the chart graded their future at only 45 per cent. She says she has never known a couple who figured under 50 per cent to stay out of the divorce court for more than five years.” “Nuts,” he said succinctly. “Oh — 1 beg your pardon. Rather crude of me. But I hate to see my science — the science of statistics and averages .— made a monkey out of by some addlepated spinster.” “Miss Alsdorf,” she told him coolly, ““is recognized all over the United States as an authority; her classes in marriage preparation have been written up in scores of educa- THIS WEEK No Rings on Her Fingers Continued Jrom page six tional journals. Her chart is based on the law of averages and human nature, 1f you don’t believe that, take the first question, for instance. How would you answer it?"’ “Eh — what is it?"" turning back and peering at the typewritten lines. “Would you expect to go out more than one night a week after you were married?”’ Before his mind’s eye rose the profile of a blond voung caveman with a jut- ting jaw, framed in the window of a tan coupé. ““Absolutely,”” he snapped. ‘“‘Seven nights a week if I felt that way.” “Hm-m,” shaking her fair head ominously, as she jotted a figure in a blank space on the chart, *“‘you grade about 15 per cent on that one. And here on the next line is the correspond- ing question for the girl to answer: ‘Would you be willing to let your hus- band go out blank nights a week?' — in this case it would be seven nights a week! And my answer, ‘Not by a darn sight.” That grades 15 per cent, too.” ““Nice start,”” he commented sar- castically. “Splendid,”” she agreed. ‘“‘How much would you let your wife use the automobile?”” “If I thought she had sense enough to drive a car, she could have it when I didn’t want it.”” “Twenty-five per cent,” briefly. “How about wearing a dress suit if I — if your wife asked you to?” Again he saw the tan coupé roll away as Maryland waved from the top steps. ““If you got me into one long enough for the marriage ceremony, you could congratulate yourself for the rest of your life.” “Twenty-five per cent,” grimly. “This is really awfully interesting.” “I'm beginning to think there’s something to that chart,” he assured her, biliously. “So am 1,” she nodded. ‘“Next question: Would you expect to have your parents live with — ah — with us?”’ “Of course,” he replied, beginning to feel some slight glow of contuma- cious enjoyment. ““Fifteen per cent,” calmly. “We'd want divorce coupons on the marriage license. Now, here is one of the key questions of the entire test.” ““Shoot,” impatiently. “‘Suppose our — your — little boy met you at the door when you came Decoration by G. de Zayas Beauty Brevities by MARTHA LEAVITT ow is the time to exert your enthusiasms toward getting or keeping a trim figure. It’s a question of a dash of will-power, a bit of energy and a generous portion of stick-to-itiveness. Do you like walking? It’s grand exercise and particularly healthy with October breezes just around the corner. Peggy Conklin, of the stage and scteen, takes an hour’s walk each morning about the Dobbs Ferry countryside where she lives. If you are confined to town, try walking “part of the way” to your shopping expedition or to your bridge and tea engagement. For sheer leg-muscle exercise, rope skipping does the trick. The English actress Margot Grahame, who won recognition in “The Informer,” has no hesitancy about counting out 1 one hundred and one” swings to her skip-rope. But she also appre- ciates the value of “watching one’s diet” and has a pet and purely personal theory that ‘‘an effective way to keep slender is to drink a full glass of hot water with lemon juice night and morning.”’ Fencing has always been an exciting method among stage and screen celebrities for keeping a trim figure. Here you must be alert in mind as well as body. Heather Angel chooses this as her favorite sport. And Ruth Weston, because she 1s generally restricted to city life, also solves the exercise problem by fencing lessons each week. Badminton — superb exercise and’ lots of fun—is at its height of popularity. Among the smart younger set Ellen French and Annette DuBois keep their sylph-like appearance by com- petitive badminton games and points atop an attractive health roof of a New York beauty salon. Young Kay Halle of Detroit chooses a novel means to keep slim. She exerts her energies whacking at a punching bag. “There’s nothing like that forward swinging motion to firm the upper arms and expand the chest muscles,”” she says. home tired from work, and said, ‘Daddy, I threw a snowball through Mr. Smith’s window today, and he says you've got to pay for it.” What would you do first?"” “Spank him till he smoked. Then go over and see Smith."” She shook her head hopelessly, lips compressed in stern reproof. “Ten per cent,” she pronounced, with the level finality of the Angel Gabriel reading a sinner’s record. “What am I supposed to say or do?"’ sneeringly. “First, take your little boy over to the davenport and set him on your knee —"’ “Check, except for one preposition. I'd set him across my knee."” ‘‘—then find out what excuse or provocation he had for throwing the snowball through Mr. Smith’s win- dow. Maybe Jimmy Smith threw a hard, icy snowball at little Clark first.” “Little Clark! No boy of mine will ever be named Clark. It’s too sissy- sounding."”” “It is no such thing! It’s a splendid name!” “Then we can’t even agree on the child’'s — the children’s — names. What does that do to the average®”’ “Oh.”” She peered at the chart. “That’s another grade 25 per cent.” “Better average 'em up,” he sug- gested. ‘““Get the whole dreadful story.” In ¢ daur silence broken only by the rub of pencil on paper, he watched her flaxen yellow head as it bent in cal- culation. Then she looked up brightly. “Our average,” she announced, “is 1814 per cent. I'm sure that’s a new low record. 1'd like to show it to Miss Alsdorf if you don’t mind. She'd be terribly interested.” “Why not? Go ahead. It's good clean fun.” His tone was a bit strangled. *‘I suppose your fair-haired boy friend in the jaundice-colored coupé grades about 99 and 44-100 per cent?” “My what?” She stared at him. More things went on behind the delft blue eyes. “Oh. How did you like him?"” “Sorry. I didn’t. On my own per- sonal grading chart, he'd get a mark of minus 29.” “M-m-m!” She shook her head sadly, and made another scratch on the chart. “That penalizes our average some more—its just under 16 per cent now "’ “What do you mean, penalizes somce more?” “Prejudiced against girl’s relatives.” “What? What?” “That was my brother Bill, and he’s a swell person. You'd find that out if vou hadn’t gone off half cocked and decided you disliked him.” “Say, listen!" His look was excited; then he sighed and scowled pessi- mistically. “Sorry I picked on your brother. I took him for the one-and- only boy friend of course.” Things kept on happening behind the delft blue. “I haven’t any one- and-only.” “But — but why,”” he sputtered, “why are you taking & marriage- preparation course at the university?” “Oh, that,” carelessly. ‘“Marge Gary is engaged, and she wanted to take it, and didn’t want to go over alone. She asked me to come along. I thought it would be interesting.” He stared down at her. The breeze from the open window enveloped them in the sweet scents of spring. Sud- denly he reached out for her. She checked him with a firm hand against his chest. Her eyes were filled with the scurrying shadows of many inscrut- able thoughts. “Think of the chart,” she said firmly. ‘‘The final average was 16 per cent.” “Maryland,” he pleaded. “About having my parents live with us. That was a purely academic answer. As a matter of fact, I'm an orphan. So you can take that penalty out of the average. And there’s lots of other spots where I can bring the percentage up, too. Your brother, and —" She shook her head, and the breeze rufied the corn-silk yellow hair, “Sorry. Statistics are statistics. This chart stands as it is. Anyhow” — she reached up and gave his cheek a breathtaking pat — “‘it’ll be so much more fun to heat the darn thing.” Il LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU'VE HAD AN HONEST- TO-GOODNESS FRESH OYSTER STEW 14 cup butter 114 teaspoons salt 1 pint Oysters Pepper 1 quart milk 1 teaspoon paprika Melt butter, add cleaned and drained Oysters and cook three minutes, or until edges curl. Add the Oyster liquor, milk, salt and pepper and bring almost to the bolling point. Sprinkle each serving with paprika. FRIED FRESH OYSTERS 3 dozen Oysters 1 cup fine bread crumbs, cracker crumbs or corn meal 14 tap. salt 2 eggs t eheg. Oyste~ Miguor Clean Oysters and dry between towels. Dip in seasoned crumbs, egg diluted with Oyster liquor and then in crumbs again. Fry in deep fat, 385 degrees F., until golden brown. Drain on soft paper and serve with tartar sauce or ketchup. Pepper SCALLOPED FRESH OYSTERS m 5 thsps. butter 4 cups soft bread crumbs 114 tsps. sait Pepper 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 pt. Oysters Melt the butter, add crumbs and sea- sonings and mix well. Clean and drain Oysters and arrange in alternate layers with the buttered crumbs in a greased baking dish. Bake twenty minutes in a hot oven, 450 degrees F. IF YOU'VE been neglecting fresh Oysters in your meal-planning, just try a big fresh Oyster stew. We are sure your taste will be de- lighted and you will want to have this delicious dish again as well as other fresh Oyster dishes. Yes, fresh Oysters are a wel-. come variation in the menu. Eco- nomical in price and easy to pre- pare. And remember that fresh Oysters abound in elements ‘your system needs. Fresh Oysters come to your dealer always delicious, tender and wholesome from mem- bers of the Oyster Institute o North America. g * Oyasters delivered to consumer in original sealed containers.