I have read quite a few of Gladys Taber's non-fiction books, but very, very little of her fiction. The new Friends Of Gladys Taber publication has one of her short stories, and it is my choice for today, But Wait Till You See Glenna! It was first published in the February 1945 issue of Woman's Home Companion magazine. It is six pages long.
We associate Gladys Taber so much with her homes in Connecticut and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that we might forget that she lived and worked in New York City for quite a while. This story is set there. Two young "career girls" as they used to be called, share an apartment in Greenwich Village. One, Glenna, is beautiful, fashionable, and:
...was the kind of girl a girl like Frances always rooms with. She was so beautiful it hurt to look at her, like too much sun or too many roses on one stem, or moonlight over a dark sea.
The other girl, Frances, is a "plain girl." Glenna tries to set Frances up with boys, but they all like Glenna best. One day Frances gets a phone call at her work and she answers in a whimsical way. The fellow on the other end joins right in and after a delightful little conversation, he asks that they meet for a cup of tea. The reader can guess what will happen, but it is still lovely reading about how their friendship grows and how they really are meant for one another.
I was wondering if any of Gladys Taber's stories would be included among your short story choices. I have this same photo on a postcard that was sent out by the Friends group. Did you by any chance attend the annual meeting that was held in Southbury, CT, a couple of years ago? It would be such serendipity if we had been at the same luncheon!!
ReplyDeleteNo, I've never gone. That would have been amazing. I know the library has a book of her short stories, so I'll take it out and read some. I want to read her longer fiction, too. What I really want is to own all her books. :<) (I have one)
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