The Washington herald., 1922-10-19
The Beautiful
And Damned
conts.ss6 from Yesterday.
Dy r. Scott Fitzgerald

tnOny was wearing = sohco suh
that his cuffs were slightly but per-
ceptibly frayed, that his eyes were
set in half-moons the color Of cigar
smoke.
SO gathered" he said. fixing his
friend with his bright-yellow, eye
But where and how is Gloria? Ny
God, Anthony, I've been hearing the
dog-gonedest stories about you two
even out In California-and when
get back to New York find you've
sunk absolutely out of sight Why
don't you pull yourself togetherT
Now, listen" chartered Anthony
unsteadily, 81 can't stand long
lecture. We've lost money in doz-
en- ways. and naturally people have
talked-on account Of the lawsuit
but the things coming TO final de-
cision this winter. surely
You're talking so fast that
can't understand you" interrupted
Dick calmly.
We'll, I've said all Pm going to
say snapped Anthony. Come and
see us IL you like-or don't?
With this he turned and started to
walk off in the crowd. but Dick
overlook him Immediately and
grasped his arm
Say. Anthony. don't fly off the
handle so easily! You know Gloria $
my cousin. and you're one of my
oldest friends, so it's natural for
me to be interested when / hear
that you're going to the dogs
and taking her with you"
Il don't want to be- preached
to-"
well. then, all right How
about coming up to my apartment
and having a drink? I've just got
settled. I've bought three cases of
Gordon gin from a revenue ofncer.
As they walked along he contin-
ued IN a burst of evaporation:
And how about your grand
fathers money-you going to get
it?"
We'll" answered Anthony recent
fully. that old fool. Haight, seems
hopeful. especially because people
are tired of reformers right now
you know il might make sight
difference. for instance. IL some
iudve thought that A dam Patch
made Il harder for him to get
liquor"
You can't do without money.
said Dick sententiously. Have
YOU tried to write any-lately
Anthony shook his head silently.
That's funny said Dick. Il al
ways thought that you and Maury
would write some day. and now
he's grown to be a sort OF ugnt-
fsted aristocrat, and you're
I'm the bad example"
Il wonder why?"
You probably think you know.
suggested Anthony. with an effort
of concentration. The failure and
the success both believe in their
hearts that they have accurately
balanced points of view. the sue
cess because he's succeeded, and the
failure because he's failed. the
successful man tells his son 10
profit by his fathers good fortune
and the failure tells his son to
profit by his fathers mistakes.
L don't agree with you" said the
author of "a Shave-tail in France
Il used to listen to you and Maury
when We were young. and L USED 10
he impressed because you were so
consistently cynical. but now-wel.
after all. by God. which of us three
has taken to the-tO the intellectu-
al lifec don't want to sound
vain-=lorious. butts me. and I've
always believed that moral values
existed. and l always will"
Well" objected Anthony. who
was rather enjoying himself. "even
---'inC that. you know that In
life never presents prob
l--.. clear cut. does it?"
5es TO me. There's nothing
r.. ,Iate certain principles for"
Rat how do you know when
ro1'r, violating them? You have
.., -..ess at things just like most
.-e = do. You have to apportion
the values when you look back.
You finished up the portrait then
paint in the details and shadows.
Dick shook his head with a lofty
stubbornness-
Same old futile cynic," he said.
It's just mode of being sorry
tor yourself. You don't do any
thing-so nothing matters"
oh, I'm quite capable of self
pity" admitted Anthony. nor am
claiming that I'm getting as
much fun out of life as you are"
You say-at least you used to
that happiness is the only thing
worth while in life. Do you think
you're any happier for being a
pesSimist2''
Anthony grunted savagely. His
pleasure in the conversation began
20 wane He was nervous and
craving for a drink.
My gollyr' he cried. where do
Won live? can't keep walking
forever"
Your endurance is all mental.
eh?" returned Dick sharply. Well,
7 live right here"
He turned in at the apartment
house on Forty ninth Street. and a
few minutes later they were in a
large new room with an open fire.
pIace and four walls lined with
books. A color,Ni butler served
them gin rickeys, and an hour van
ished politely with the mellow
shortening of their drinks and the
glow Of light mid-autumn fire.
The arts are very old" said
Anthony after while. With a
few glasses the tension of his
nerves relaxed and he found that
ne could think again.
which art?"
All Of them. Poetry is dying
urSt- It1I be absorbed into prose
sooner or later. For instance, the
beautiful word. the colored and
EIitterinC word. and the beautiful
Iir1i1e belong in prose now To get
attention poetry has got to strain
for the unusual word. the harsh,
earthly word that. never been beau
tiful before. Beauty. as the sum
II several beautiful parts. reached
its apotheosis in Swinburne. 1t
-an't go any further-except in the