Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-29
opu ~ Leais JoszAH.
CONTINUED from our last issue)

nate, God knows. but she's danger
Gus, too. They all are. once the
stuff gets a hold on them. there's
nothing they won't do. no lie they
won't tell :"
And this is what goes on in this
earthly paradisei"
1T isn't California, 1t isn't Holly
wood. it's human nature"
Lucinda dated from that Satur-
day the dawn of a fortnight when
everything went wrong for her with
such regularity that, in the end, the
burden of its crosses grew too sore,
the woman had been something
more than merely mortal whose
stores of fortitude and forbearance
had not run low.
Naturally she blamed Bellamy
But n day Lucinda devoted
painful hours to totaling up her
had been religiously forgetting for
months and whose performance
brought to light the TACT that she
had already given Harry Lontaine
checks to his order in the sum OF
two hundred and ten thousand dol
lars, to be cashed by him and de-
posted to the credit Of Linda Lee,
Inc.
If she felt slightly dashed by this
discovery, it was less because of the
money involved-for she had from
the first been prepared to pay more
dearly for her whistle than Lon
taine had declared it would cost
than because the end was not yet,
the first picture remained unfinish-
ed.
1t was now necessary to writ,
Willis and ask him to find her more
money.
But her only course was to con-
suit Lontaine in the faint hope that
out of the sun entrusted to him
there might be enough left in the
company's treasury to see it through
the present production. And this
She hesitated to do because of an
lntuitive feeling hat he would take
this as directly challenging his COM
potency. Lontaine was a sensitive
soul . . However. he spared her
the pain, for the next time they met
he blandly advised Lucinda that the
company could do with another
twenty thousand as soon as she
could find time to draw the check;
AMI on learning that it would have
to. wait a few davs. or until she
could hear from Willis, he seemed
considerably discountenanced or else
fancy misled her.
The day when Lucinda broke with
Barry Nolan began auspiciously
enough with a night-letter from
Hartford Willis stating that money
matters had been arranged in con-
formance with Lucinda's wishes,
and adding that Willis hoped before
long to give himself the pleasure of
calling on her in person.; he was
leaving New York the day he tele-
graphed.
Not a little to her own wonder,
Lucinda found herself pleasantly
excited by the thought that she was
to see this old friend again.
Busy with such reflections, and
with the pleasing prospect of DOL
having a willing audience for her
complaints, Lucinda made nothing
of the fact that Lontaine showed
the whites of his eyes and SHE'D
back like a skittish cob from the
telegram which she submitted to his
inspection, and was not much tran
quilted - the check which. at the
same tine, she gave him for the re-
pleni;<iment of the company's cof-
fers. And in her most amiable
temper she hurried from his office
= ~ ASA OAl AhlO LilC AlCW-
est, prettiest and most becoming
dance frock she had ever owned,
who had owned so many, and then
out to the stage.
The company was waiting, the
cameras were waiting, Nolan with
an air of the noblest patience was
waiting. All of which was quite
needless. for there vas other work
In abundance hat could have been
attended to-.
As Lucinda drew near, Nolan
hoisted himself out Of the basket
chair in which he had been loung-
ing. with something more than a
suggestion of limbs cramped by pro-
longed inactivity, and bowed polite
ly, too politely.
Sorry if I've kept you waiting,
Mr.. Nolan. but I had some business
with Mr.. Lontaine we couldn't pu.
off"
mo matter at all, Miss Lee. I as
sure you-no matter a-tall! My time
Is yours. the company's time IS
yours. all the time there is is yours
to use or waste. just as you think
best"
Lucinda couldn't very well let
off~ensiveness SO pointed pass with
out comment. She stopped, turned
squarely to face Nolan. with a keen
smile looked him deliberately up and
down. a movement of shoulders
summing up clearly enough the SUBJ
of her impressions.
Thank you for telling me-" shc
said sweetly. "And now that is un-
derstood. suppose we try to make
up for the time I've wasted, If pos
siole, by getting to work at
OIiCe .
Nolan's eyes snapped but the only
retort that occurred to his mind as
at all appropriate he felt instructive
ly to be inadequate in point of ele-
gance.
Fair enough" he agreed with a
passable display of good spirit.
Lets go to it. them He approach
ed the set, upon which two cameras |
stood trained at close range, with |
Klieg lights focused. Now. Miss
Lee, I'll Just line in what l want !
of o this scene"
The set was a simple angle, where
two walls met in an apartment hail.
way, with a door that opened inward
from a living room set beyond. In
this last the big dramatic moment
OF the play was to be staged, a
scene involving Lucinda and her two
leading men. the heavy father and
the juvenile, his son, both of whom
were understood to be in love with
Here. in his bachelor apartment, |
Nelly raj to call at midnight on the
father. to beg him to intervene
with the titular villain and save her
Maynard brother from imprison-
ment.
The madly infatuated father was
to propose marriage, and Nelly was