Star-dust in Hollywood (1930)

Star-dust in Hollywood " There's a nice, smart-looking little piece of goods sitting next to me." Jo looked round quickly, anxious to see some new face, anything to vary the monotony, but suddenly realized that she was the piece of goods referred to. But neither having her nose tickled nor being paid compliments brought her to the point of buying. A sudden naughty thought tempted her to rouse all the poor old victims from their heat-induced lethargy. Some months in the States had taught her the power of the ' talk.' So, without much preliminary, she gave them all a lecture about the Serbian retreat. They roused themselves and were beginning to listen with real interest and enthusiasm. Forgotten were all the calculations about kitchens, dining-rooms, and bathrooms. The real estate salesmen were aghast. Jo had ruthlessly broken the spell that long experience had proved to weaken sales resistance. " Take her home at once," murmured the head man to the rough-rider, and in five minutes she was being whirled back, the old Ford flapping its mudguards more despairingly than ever. "When will you know about your plans?" asked the rough-rider, as he set Jo down under the tigerish archway. " From my experience to-day Fm very much afraid that the Californian sun will be too hot for my husband," said Jo. Some weeks later a rich woman was brought to see us. Jo happened to tell some of her experiences. "Where did you go?" asked the woman. "Oh, that's one of our propositions, but it's a terribly second-rate affair. You ought to go on one of our swell real estate tours." The real estate men do not always get the best of the deal. On one occasion they caught our friend, Lewis Brown, and induced him to pay a deposit of £400 on an expensive lot [64]