The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-25
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~ LOUIS JOSEPH VANcNr ~


XXI.
A month at Hollywood, and Luz
cinda forgot to think il strange
| that she should not resent being
made love to by a man with rouge
on cheeks and lips and eye-lashes
beaded with mascara.
II the feeling that she had cast
her lines in strange places was
quick to wear of, in those three
days of work with the Summerlad
company, the fun of it wasn't Ln-
cinda threw herself into the detail
of every hour with tremendous zest,
and liked it all as she seldom had
liked anything before
/ There was another side to the
business, of course. One heard dark
hints of the uglier side, one even
caught glimpses of it-as in the in
stance of Nelly Marquis. But aware
ness OF it had no perceptible effect
upon the spirits of those with whom
Lucinda found herself associated
for the time being Some of the
younger members OF the acting divi-
sion seemed to take life a thought
seriously-'life" meaning, as a rule,
| themselves-but the more expert
1 CASC0 UCAC oDO0I LhCAA WI n Win
jests ever on their lips The com
mon attitude summed up to this,
that making pictures was all a
huge lark and (strictly between
those engaged in it, a darned good
joke on the people who paid the
bills
AS for the part she was supposed
to play in this picture of Summer
lads, Lucinda never managed to
secure an Ineligible exposition of
its relation to the plot. Both Sum
merlad and Jacques seemed
strangely vague in their own minds
concerning it, and Alice Drake
frankly confessed she hadn't read
the script and hadn't the faintest
notion what the picture was about.
= To the best of her observation her
role was that of an involuntary
vamp. Not vampire: vamp. A vamp
. no longer means of necessity a
vampire, a scarlet seduc-
: tress of strong mems souls. A
vamp may be a far more socially
possible person than that.
AS an involuntary vamp, Miss
Lee was to meet Mr.. Summerlad
under romantic circumstances and
innocently wean him from strict
, fidelity to the charms of his be-
trothed Tor it may have been his
wife,, Miss Drake.
The said romantic circumstances
were sufficiently thrilling. Miss Lee
was run away with by her horse
while taking an early morning can
ter in the mountains conveniently
adjacent to her family's suburban
villa. Mr.. Summerlad, similarly
engaged, happened along at the
right time 10 observe her peril,
pursue. and snatch her bodily from
her saddle in his arms at the very
instant when her mount was plung-
ing headlong over precipice. After
? which he escorted her to her home
) and on the way the two INDUCED in
: normal and expected love-maki1g
Lucinda and Summerlad were
. photographed time and again, IN
distance shots, medium shots, and
closeups, riding side by side, dis
mounting to rest in a sweet sylvan
glade by the side of the stream, and
finally in each others arms, with
Miss Drake riding up to surprise
them as they kissed.
Because such scenes are a COM
monplace of picture-taking, Lucinda
had not been prepared for the fact
that she was to be kissed by Sum
merlad; whereas she had been flirt-
ing with him dangerously for the
best part of three days. Now sud
denly. toward the close of the third
she was instructed to permit his en-
brace, submit to his kiss, and kiss
him in response.
+ She made no demur, for that
would have seemed silly, but did
her best to ape the matter-of-course
manner of all hands, and went
through with it with all the stole
ism. when the camera wasn't train
ed on her. that was compatible with
] the emotions she must show wher
, it was.
, But her heart was humping
, | furiousIv. when she felt Summer
lads arms for the~frst time entold
/, her; and when, murmHring the
terms OF endearment appropriate &c
! both the parts the man was play
ing, he put his lips to hers, she
| knew, both despite and because 81
) | the tumult of her senses, that she
: was lost. Control of the situation
between them passed in that IL
slant from her hands to his.
Released at length. she looked
! around, dazed and breathless, tc
find that, during the business of the
: | kiss, a party of unlimited onlook
) ers had been added to their profes'
sional audience
A motor-car had slipped up on the
: group and stopped. and one OF It's
: two Messengers had alighted anC