Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-20
How became
4 MoUie Star
As Told 10
NEZ KLUMPH
CHAPTER
Breaking Away from Home

d GIVE anything in the world II
I could get into the movies 80
Madge told me rs we left the Star The
atrc and turned toward home 1T must
be such heaps OF fun--thc plcasartcst
way in the world to earn lot Of money
and you'd know such interesting peo-
pie and travel around 10 all sorts Of
places. Oh. | wish l could leave this
old town and try TO get in at least :"
didn't sny anything about it just
then. even though Madge wns my chum.
but Id been thinking that same thing
for months. Id always wanted to get
into pictures ever since the days when
| had my first movie CruSh--un Mae
Marsh. And since I'd graduated from
high school the year before Id thought
more about it than ever.
You see, there really wasn't much
of anything for n girl to do in our
town. You could go back to high school
and take what they called the college
preparatory course. which included
stenography and bookkeeping. I took
it, but l skipped th"Se two studies be-
cause l certainly never wanted to settle
down and be a stenographer or book
keeper. One Of tho girls | knew went
into the library as assistant, but that
seemed sort Of grubby 70 me. too. And
one Of the girls went East to boarding
school, Father would have let INC do
that. but my sister was going to get
married the winter nfter ! graduated
from high school, and there we're lots
OF parties being given and | thought
I'd rather stay home. ! had pretty
good time there. but | never meant for
n minute to settle down; | always
thought tnat when ] found out Just
what career was fitted for--and |
know il would be a pretty big one
ia 70 ahead and be something. And
I'd decided just few days before that
day when Madge and l walked home
from the movies and she confessed her
longing 10 go into pictures, that d
BE- movie star.
we'd seen Pauline Frederick that
day in Madame Y" for the secon1
time; it had played our town carrier
in the season and been shown again
BY request | was crazy about 1t, but
Mndgp didn't care for 1t so much.
I'D like to play emotional parts, but
I'd like TO wear uwfully good looking
too" she said. Pauline didn't
wear ANYTHING very stunning; all her
biz scenes were played in terrible look
Ing clothes. Why, the only thing l can
remember that I'd want to wear vas
her gloves-those long white ones that
came up so nice and smooth clear over
her elbows. I think I'll nsk for pair
like that for my birthday.
Privately, [ decided that I'd give my
ewes right out Of my head TO play parts
Ike that, though | do think ia like
wearing gowns like Norma Talmadgc's =
better than just having scrubby things.
I thought It MI over once more inter
I'd left Mudge, and imagined what the
life OH a Great star would be. | could
lust see her waking late in the morning
and having breakfast on q ChRise Tongue
before a wonderful open fire, with
flowers everywhere and great heaps "f
mail from admirers all over the world
and interesting men teephontng to
make engagements for luncheon and
dinner, and the evening. knew the
star would probably have to work dur
Ing the day, but then think Of coming
homo and being dressed for a gorgeous
dinner party and going from it to the
frsr night OF wonderful play, with
pc,pIc everywhere recognizing you and
pointing you out as a great and talented
star. It seemed so vivid to me that !
help thinking maybe ] was
meant for that sort Of thing. And
went up our front steps imagining my
self entering one Of the famous New
York hotels for supper after the thea
ter with Eugene O'Brien and Emory
johnson with me and gay crowd
waiting,
Ms sisters voice woke me from that
T,casant dream she lives right next
door since she's married, so she's al.
waya at our house.
You have letter from Persis
Grant," she said tossing II to me, ]
simply clutched that letter and ran for
NV own room, even though dinner was
nil on the table and the family had
been waiting for me. For that letter
from Perss linked me with the world
! wanted to enter--at lcas', il sort Of
did.
Pcrsis Grant had come 10 Oakwood
three yPars before to 1--we with her aunt
md finish her high school course. She
and ! were dear friends-fhe vas JUS
about my only Chum the year she lived
in our town. But she left az soon as
she'd finished school tho sad she'd
got to earn her living and vas going
to big city to do It. She tHLcn the
business COurs" Ht school, 80 rho went
into her uncl"'B office IN Chicago--
Oakwood'd a suburb u Chicago and
worked awfuIy hard, Then, after n
wear, she got m offer 10 60 10 New
York az secretary TO an awfuliy rich
woman who was Interested in all rortS