Evening star., 1920-06-13
/@ DOR KENNETH" sighs Sadie,
u gasin' after him kind of
mushy and sentimental

|uH DOR KENNETH" signs Sadie,
- gasin' after him kind of
mushy and sentimental.
Poor fish, II you ask mel"
remarks Sadie. sarcastic. You're preju-
ldiced against him. Of course
Me-" says /. mot a bit. Only
think sucn white-livered parlor pets
fought to be decorated with pink bow
on the left arm and led around to after
noon teas by a French maid. Poor Ken
meth. Huh. He's what I'd call human
nut sundae he is''
And having registered my sentiments
moderate and mild as usual. closes the
debate by walkin' off.
AS a matter Of fact, I'd been sort of
fed up on Kenneth these last two or
three weeks He's something Mrs.
Purdy Pell brought home from a week
end party over at Tarrytown. 'tOne of
my discoveries" she calls him. Well.
maybe. l knew party who took a
chance once on spendin' a hot night at
a Coney Island hote., and in the mornn'
4 between scratches he discovered some
thing, too. but he wasn't proud of 1t.
| Not insinuatin' that Kenneth ever bit
anybody. understand. He's about as
harmless a male specimen as you'd run
across anywhere. One of these slim.
fingers a forelock Of black hair fallin'
over his pallid brow and big brown eyes,
like setter dogs.
No. he wasn't a musical genius. nor
free verse poet nor even freak
artist. Play writin' was kenneth's line.
! npf fNllf hN q
bunch of them near-amateurs down
around Sheridan Square and some dra-
matte critic had had fl; over il. Must
have been sweet thing. had the plot
sketched out to me and I've been pink
III the ears ever since. Don't ask me to
say what it was all about; The hero
was coke addict. the heroine lovely
lady with reputation as free from
spots as coach dog, and the happy
ending shows EN- going to fond clinch
latter they've each tossed off muriatic
acid hghball.
How poached egg like Kenneth could
think up stun like that is by me. but
that seems to be his specially. Hess
done q lot of others that he can't get:
put on even by the bandbox companies
Most Of 'em deal with the hectic pas
sions of hectic people and nearly all end
with dyin' gasps on dark stage.
/ ought to be able to describe EN-
better. for I've had t. listen to enough
of EN-. Oh. yes, Kenneth can be in
duced to read his plays to a select au-
dience on occasion You don't have to
urge him very hard. In fact, l don't
think you could stop him at times. un-
less you used a gag. All he demands
is dozen or so people grouped around
breathless with the doors locked. the
telephone muffled. and place where
he can stand with the light from a
ose-shaded floor lamp playin' over his
putty -colored features. Also, il he's in
the right mood he'll tell you how ut
terly commonplace and boresome are
are 1mposin' on the public. and how
the Barrymores could play something
really worth while if they'd let him
write a piece for 'em.
In other words. Kenneth kind of
favors himself He's his own press
one subject that he's willin' to talk on
to anybody at any time. Uh-huh,
kenneth. Why. one night over at our
house while we was waitin' for the
ladies to come down for dinner he
even gives me an earful. just because
I'd looked him over curious. from the
pipestem ankles to thin neck, and
asked him how 1t was he happens to
write about such rough doin's.
DO you work up your bad dreams
into plays. or what?" asks
Only stupid persons who have fail
ed to rid themselves Of silly old fears
and Inherited inhibitions have bad
dreams" says Kenneth. MY dreams
known lands. or delightful expert
ences. such as being tossed on great
| waves in a milkwarm sea-" Eti
huh. says ]. gawpin' at him.
But my dramatic Inspirations" he
goes on, usually come to me at early
dawn. when 1 first waken. And nearly
always in the same way. I seem to
De looking through door or window
Illuminated from behind with a bril-
liant orange light. And there, in that
denly and enact the thrilling scenes
which l write about afterward It is
the subtle working Of the unconscious
ego. | presume: Don't you think it
might be that?'
"Ye-e-es." says l. "Or worms"
AS rule, though. 1 ducked gettin'
into close quarters with Kenneth.
When he wasn't spoutin' his plays he
was apt to get on sort Of a whiny tone
and peevish. spoiled kid expression
wrist. You should see him orderin' the
women around. maxim 'em wait on
MIN, and gettin' 'em to fuss over him
oh. bother" he would rap out
I've mislaid my cigarette case again
my dear Mrs. Mccabe, to turn out
those ceiling lights. 1 detest a top
lighting. Always reminds me Of Pull
man cars. There! That is much bet
ter. No. prefer not to sit in an easy
chair. If you'll give me one Of those
cushions I'll just squat cross-legged
here on the rug, like pasha in his
tent, you know. / believe / must have
been Turk in a previous incarnation,
my tastes are all SO oriental. Haven't
you noticed it,"
And two or three of the ladies' would
murmur that they had. Yes, he knew
how to keep 'em hoppin' and f1utterin'
around.
All except Ann Whitney. He tried it
on her the first time they met, which
was one evening over at the Purdy
Pells, when he was gettin' ready to read
one of his pieces
Il say Miss-er- Miss Whitney, isn't
it?" he remarks. would you mind pull
Il think l shall allow you to arrange
them to suit yourself" says Ann, half
smotherfn' a yawn behind her fan.
You see. Ann Whitney had been kind
OF used to havin' most OF the hoppin'
and autterin' done around her. Rather.
Not that she worked up the act. or de-
| manded it, but she was the kind OF girl
| wearin sex doing that very thing. No
| use in my tryin' to sketch out Ann for
you for she's the kind they put on
magazine covers. Only I might say that
her front name is about as appropriate
as Betsy would be for an ocean liner.
She should have been born Princess
So-and-So. or Lady Whosit. or at least,
| she'd come from anywhere south of
Asheville, n. c., instead Of from Keene.
n. H.. she'd have been christened
1.ouanna May, or Lola Belle. or some
thing to indicate what a hand picked
pippin her folks expected her to be-