'The heart of a broken story' JD Salinger

The Heart of a Broken Story

Every day Justin Horgenschlag, thirty-dollar-a-week printer's assistant, saw at close quarters approximately sixty women whom he had never seen before.

Thus in the few years he had lived in New York, Horgenschlag had seen at close quarters about 75,120 different women.

Of these 75,120 women, roughly 25,000 were under thirty years of age and over fifteen years of age.

Of the 25,000 only 5,000 weighed between one hundred five and one hundred twenty-five pounds.

Of these 5,000 only 1,000 were not ugly.

Only 500 were reasonably attractive; only 100 of these were quite attractive; only 25 could have inspired a long, slow whistle.

And with only 1 did Horgenschlag fall in love at first sight.

Now, there are two kinds of femme fatale. There is the femme fatale who is a femme fatale in every sense of the word, and there is the femme fatale who is not a femme fatale in every sense of the word.

Her name was Shirley Lester.