The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-03
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WLOuIS JOSEPH NAlNcK4 ~
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! was leaving for New York the next
morning. linn would take charge OF
his producing interests during mis-
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 herself
awake from dreams of dear days
dead, and lay for hours hating ne
cheeYless comfort of hotel rooms,
missing poignantly the intimacy Of
her home and the sense of security
she had known nowhere else.
And in the morning and morning
after morning, she rose with heart
as heavy as any she had ever known
to address herself to the daily grind.
Yet she had no right TO whimpe-.
The new director was living up to
all Zinn's claims. There was no
friction, and under his sympathetic
guidance she felt ST. was doing
better work than she had ever
hoped to do.
But she counted hourly the tale
of the days.
Twice she heard from Summer
land: on the day following Bel
lamy's departure, a penciled scrawl,
informing her that he was now per-
mitted to receive callers and pro-
testing his Impotence for the visit
which he knew her charity would
not permit her to deny him; and
four days later another letter and
a longer, bringing proof of steady
! improvement in less infirm penman-
ship and phrases turned more care
fully, repeating all the first had
said and calling attention to the
venerable saw about the i'll wind
on the writer's side at least every
impeachment to their marriage had
been abolished
In the upshot Lucinda acknowl-
edged receipt of neither, but for two
mornings her basket. with
its deep drifts of note-paper
infinitely scrapped, bore witness 10
her endeavors to frame a reply 1T
once final and not too cruel.
Better (she decided) send No
word at all than a letter which
could only hurt his pride if
Lynn still believed he loved her
if he had ever
For her part. the thing was dead
and done and finished and as some
thing that had never been; the only
wonder was, it ever had
One evening, as she was leaving
the studio, she met Wallace Day on
the steps of the administration
building, and learned from him
that, making fair allowance for
every imaginary delay, he counted
on making an end to camera-work
in two days more
Accordingly, instead of going di-
rectly home to the Hollywood, Lu-
cinda motored to Los Angeles and
booked reservations for Reno.
On the way back to Hollywood
she instructed her chauffeur :,
make a detour and stop at Fanny's
hotel.
Drawing near the hotel, she rec
ognized the conspicuous car of
Barry Nolan waiting at the car
riage-block, and as she bent for
ward to tell her chauffeur not 20
. stop, she saw Fanny come out of
the entrance, Nolan ambIing, with
an air of contented habit, at her
elbow.
Well! that was that
Yet it was lo1rg before the picture
| faded of that girlish figure, posed
prettily in startlement, brief Skin S
whipped about it by the evening
wind. with its gay look of mirth,
half shame-faced, half -impudent.
wholly charming sweet grist
for the mills whose grinding knows
XXXV.
When she had bribed her maid to
observe discretion concerning her
plans, and had herself attended to
|