Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-06-03
oD71 b IosiA Jossyh Rncs

that you may have concluded you've
had enough"
Enough, Bel?"
That can't be anything but cal
: culated impertinencew
Bel made wry face as he stopped
to pick up his motor-coat. "This
conversation is sdegenerating into a
wrangle in which | have the tradi-
tional chance a SNOWFALL has in the
place where motion-p pictures were
spawned. Mind lending me hand,
Linda? Can't quite manage this
with one arm"
At once angrily and gently Lu-
cinda draped the motor-coat over his
shoulders.
Bel continued: "I'm to understand,
then, my wishes mean nothing to
you?"
Lucinda gave little, silent laugh,
and in silence for a moment gazed to
Bellamy, her eyes mreadable.
You forget, what don't, BEL"
Lucinda SAID slowly, that it was
you who made the mode of life with
which | was content impossible for
me. If this life I've taken up here is
In some sense makeshift, it's all
I've got to take the place of all
had. And now you'd rob me even of
it! And one thing more you forgot:
If | should give in to your wishes
and leave Hollywood today, | would
only be doing what you say you
want to prevent, confessing by flight
that my only real interest in my pic
ture work was my greater interest
in Lynn Summerlad. For that rea-
son alone-and not, as you believe,
to spite you've got to and I'm
going to go on to the end of this
present production, at least. After
that -. ] don't know :"
Discountenanced, 81 hadn't |
thought of that" Bel owned square
ly. "You may be right That's
your last word, Linda?"
my last word to you, Bel i
hope"
\ XXXIV
The finding of Nelly's body |
crushed beneath the wreckage of
motor-car on, the beach some |
fifty miles north of dos Angeles, |
gave the story iof the Summerlad |
shooting an extended lease. of |
twenty-four hours only on front !
page space in the newspapers.
Then, since the death of the I'm
happy woman had defeated all Shope |
of ,lurid court proceeding and rem
: dere piquant' exploitation Of +'wild |
life inside the movie colony," the
case went, into quick eclipse. e.
Lucinda spent the best part Of |
that day in the projection-room with !
Zinn and Wallace Day, her neRrdi-
rector, sitting in judgment on thirty
six, reels of film, the accumulated |
sum of Nolan's fumbling with about
two-thirds of picture.
To the wearinss of those days the |
visit of Hartford Willis came as a
welcome interlude.
1t did Lucinda good to hear him
growl and scold about anything as
relatively inconsiderable as the
lunscy of throwing money away =
"like waterw then refusing to
set the machinery of the law in mo-
ton to apprehend and punish Lon
tame.
And Lucinda took leave of him
with dewy eyes :. Vi. p. her one true
Now she had nobody left but
Fanny; and she was coming daily to
repose less Faith in Fanny's loyalty.
She was feeling very sorry for her
self, and very lonely, and when most
in need. of friendly companionship-
Fanny was seldom at her call. Fanny
had give up the bungalow and moved
to residential hotel on the out
skirts of the Wiltshire district, whose
accommodations she claimed were
cheaper than the Hollywood's.
Deep in .Lucinda's subconscious-
ness an incidental recollection
turned in it's sleep. Somewhere,
sometime, she had heard that Barry
Nolan had a bungalow down Will
shire way. Or hadn't he?
A week from the night of their
.encontre in Summerlad's bungalow
Bellamy called to tell Lucinda he
was leaving for New York the next
morning. linn would take charge of
his producing interests during his
absence. He couldn't say just how
long that might be. If he could be
of any service to Lucinda in the
east, he would be glad ...
"Goodby, BEL" she said, with not
unkind decision but decision unmis-
taxable for all that. "And good
luck. But please never come
back" -.
\ That. night she sobbed \ rself
, awake from dreams of Far days
dead, and lay for hours hating the
cherries comfort Of hotel rooms,
missing poignantly the intimacy of
her home and the sense of security
she had known nowhere else.