Evening journal., 1922-05-23

II inulated and still the day when
shooting" should begin fingered re-
" motely down tomorrow's dim hori-
zon.
Lontaine had leased studio space
in the zinn plant, which Summer
n lad recommended as the most mod
ern and completely equipped on the
the coast. For this the company
was paying a weekly rental of fifteen
hundred dollars. An expensive ex-
ecutive and technical staff, lacking
only a director. was kicking heels OF
enforced idleDess on full pay. A
story had been selected. an old novel
by a moderately popular author TO
which Zinn had in 1914 purchased
all motion-picture right outright
for five hundred dollars and whicn
he was now willing to part with for
ten thousand as a special courtesy
because he had taken such mad
4 fancy to Lontaine.
A scenario writer. warranted by
Zinn the best in the business" had
1 received five thousand for casting
the story into continuity form, the
; labor OF one whole week, and retired
rejoicing TO his huDdred-and -fifty-a
week job in the Zinn scenario de-
partment.
A reading Of his bastard brain
child had persuaded Lucinda that
| continuity writing must be the mys-
! terry It's adopts alleged; in fact. she
couldn't understand the greater part
OF Il, and what she did understand
ko 4
But LoDtaine seemed satisfied.
Summerlad solaced her misgivings
with the assurance that Potter
Monahan simply couldn't write
poor continuity. and both agreed
that Barry Nolan would know what
10 do 10 make 1t right when he got
down TO work on II.
Incidentally. he did; Nolan read It
half through, thoughfully shied the
manuscript out OF a window. and
dictated a continuity all his own. OF |
which nobody but himself could |
make head or tail, and which at /
times IN the course OF production /
seemed to puzzle even its perpe- |
traitor.
In the meantime Lucinda had /
moved TO the Hollywood Hotel, the
Lontaines 70 a furnished bungalow |
nearby. where yhey vainly pressed |
her to join them. She thought 1t
wiser TO decline.
I'm far too fond OF both OF you
to risk living with you" she ex-
planned. Besides. it's high time 7
was learning TO breathe In a proper
motion-pict atmosphere"
This the Hollywood provided TO
admiration. Summerlad assured Lu-
cinda. and on her own observation
she could well believe. that at one
stage or another Of their careers al
most every motion picture player OF
consequence in the country must
have registered at this hotel.
With most OF these Lucinda be-
came acquainted by sight with
many she grew accustomed to ex-
change smiles and the time of the
day.
They made up 10 her saucily or
shyly. according to the style they
believed became them best. But on
one point they were all agreed; they
wanted work. Lucinda spoke 10
Lynn summerlad. and was rewarded
with a worried frowD. the first sign
Of care she had ever detected in
him. together with some well-chosen
thoughts on the dangers OF contract
ing haphazard hotel and acquaint
ance-hips.
First thing you know, they'll be
trying TO borrow money from you"
Lucinda was silent for want of a
conscience that would sanction an
indignant rejoinder,
But this is. after all Hollywood" ,
mo excuse for doing as the Hol-
lywoodenheads do"
Then, 1 take Il, you think It
might be more discreet OF me to
stop going about with you alone"
"oh. Lordl" Summerlad groaned.
II might've known better than TO
start an argument with a woman.
I don't like to think OF any outside
influences working on you just now"
Just now7"
"Distracting your attention from
really important matters, like me
and what you're going to do about
me. I'm so desperately in love with 4
you. Linda" =
Lucinda said nothing for a little. 9
She had been expecting this for ]
days. Now that II came 1t found her 8
OF course. unprepared. Nothing TO {
complain Of in that; a declaration Of {
love always finds a woman unpre- a
pared, no matter how long she may
have been preparing for II. The h
primitive instinct Of flight from the e
male is deathless. though Il mani Il
fest only as in that one brief moment v
OF panic which Lucinda knew. a
She was glad OF the darkness OF c
that section of the hotel veranda
where they had been sitting for a 7
quarter of an hour after returning .
from dinner a deux.
This had been bound to come be- @
fore long. One know the signs in a
a man who held his peace about as A
long as he could Five n
weeks since that night when. in the n
Beverly Hills bungalow, she had a
concluded that Summerlad's interest v
in her was neither impersonal nor v
of a transitory nature
The worst Of II was, she was glad. q
We'll Linda?" T
She put away her pensiveness. .
smiling to see Summerlad bending
forward in his chair, anxiously ,
searching her face for a clue TO her :
mind. but with the anxiety of i'm .
patience more than the anxiety OF h
doubt. He wanted to have her in n
his arms. A pleasant place 10 be,