Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-24


nevsnaper the Korona had brought
down from New York. but I had got
no further than spreading out the ro-
togravure section when tucson came
over from the club Judsons Valuable
life in Georgetown has been largely
devoted to learning more things ABOUT
the colony than they Will ever tnlnk
II NECESSARY to include in the official
Handbook of British Guiana He can
tell to almost the half inch how much
water an up country expedition VIII
find on the brink of Kaiteur Falls &C
cording to the season in which the eX-
peditton tries to get there. Tie can
tell what bankrupt plantations oneI
ought to buy and for how much. he
knows why. the leading auctioneer
happens to bear the name OF waiter
BaSot And he feels it sort OF rem
gious duty to make a daily defense OF
the temperature by condemnation Oh
the wicked Londoners who come out
and drink and drink and die and then
write home and say the climate killed
them" When he began on this l laid
the rotoEravure section on my knees
and summoned the required patience.
Its a ripping healthy climate and
a ripping healthy colony if you live
half right" concluded Judson. MY
hat. Who are all those women in
your paper"
1 put my hand on the rotogravure
section to forestall Judson's act of
appropriation.
They're actresses" I told him. I'VE
always have actresses for Sunday; lit
tie actresses and big actresses; ac-
tresSses that act and actresses that
are in the movies and actresses that
just have their pictures taken. The
Sunday editors won't even change the
cast very much l pointed to the
four-column center layout of Eleanor
Valiant. This one We always have"
said.
Judson most Enthusiastically set
forth long array of personal remit
niscenceS concerning the theatrical |
world of ancient Britain. He ex-
,plained how he had once seen Lotte |
Collins in a restaurant and had heard !
Henry Irving recite Eugene Aram'
and had reached the decision that Ell
laline Terriss was superlative in J
charm. Then he re-crossed the ocean |
at a leap and asked for information |
about Eleanor Valiant.
It has always been easy to talk |
about Eleanor Valiant and always as |
hard to tell about her. 1 furnished |
Judson with the usual information. |
told him of her obscure beginning,
OF her hard early struggle in New /
York and of her long study abroad,
where she mastered that certainty of
method. that true finesse of technique
usually given only to the continental
player and so wonderful in it's power
of effect that. once acquired. it can
glorify even a poSSessor lacking in
real sensitiveness of the deeply dra-
matte. ] told him. too. of her half
melancholy. eerie beauty, so powerful
in its appeal that men did not speak
about it lightly; Of the romantic tales
which had been woven concerning
her mysterious personality and of the
strange. calm aloofness which kept
her, unlike her sisters of the stage.
a woman almost unknown beyond the
glare of the footlights.
IF she's that sort" Judson wanted
to know. why does she have her
photograph in the paper"
] said I supposed it was for reasons
purely professional and very probably
a requirement by her manager. AS
a polite way of finishing with judi
son ] was about to say further that
had to go in and write some letters
when / heard the queer voice around
the corner of the High street /
1t quavered did the voice and vet
it was clear. II seemed to whisper
furtively and yet it carried with pene-
trating power. Its tone was almost
ghostly. but its timbre beat with life:
voice il was to be imagined in a
dark night on some dreary moor. but
not to be actually heard in the glar-
ing afternoon of tropical city.
"Walla. baby it said. And then
again. coming nearer, "Walla baby"
I knew the negro chatter the Hindu
sibilance, the soft Portuguesan and
the shrill cockney of the port. but
n his speech was strange among them.
whats that" 1 asked Judson.
And as asked the voice spoke again,
"Walla, baby
Judson laughed. It's probably
bank swindler or retired dealer in
French military information or even
fashionable murderer he said. "At
least he's sounding the pass word Of
their order
! looked blank. -
He's trying to say VOLTA, bebe' in
a way these black and tan youngsters
will understand" said Judson.
"walla. baby" sounded the voice
around the corner.
Its a French convict Johnny from
Cayenne" explained Judson. "Once
in while-once in generation is more
like it-a Johnny down there takes
to the bush and actually comes
through. How he manages it he and
heaven only know. But out OF five
hundred who try 1.-THE French don't
mind them taking to the bush, you
see; they know what's waiting for
them in there-one somehow man
ages to get by the Marion niggers
and keep clear of those dear little
poison darts the blow pipe Indians
would naturally put into him and
dodge the coral snakes and survive
the fever and get along in the swamps
and live where there's nothing to eat !,
and cross the rivers somehow and
skip the Dutch in Surinam and finally
show up here. OF the others, the
swamps and the snakes, the fever
and starvation, the Marrons and the
blow pipes get four hundred. Ninety
~ hor L