New Britain herald., 1922-05-29
cD11 H Lou,a Jo.e.h vancs
(Continucd From Our Last Issue)


 I'm sorry. only wanted you to
 understand why l felt I had to warn
 you against Nelly. She's unfortu-
 nate. God knows. bue she's danger
 ous. too. They all are once the
 stuff gets q hold on them, there's
 nothing they won't do, no lie they won't tell - '"
 And this is what goes on in this earthly paradise!"
 Tt isn't California. 1t isn't Holly wood. it's human nature." +t.
 xXVII
 Lucinda dated from that Saturday the dawn of a fortnight when every thing went wrong for her with such regularity that in the end, the burden of its crosses grew too sore, the wom- an had been something more than merely mortal whose stores of forti- tude and forbearance had not run low.
 Naturally she blamed Bellamy "*'
 But one day Lucinda devoted pain full hours to totalling up her bank ac- counts, a duty which she had been religiously forgetting for months and whose performance brought to light the fact that she had already given Harry Lontaine checks to his order h the sum of two hundred and ten thousand dollars. to be cashed by him and deposited to the credit of Linda Lee, Inc.
 If she felt slightly dashed by this discovery, it was less because of the money involved-for she had from the first been prepared to pay more dearly for her whistle than Lon- taine had declared 1t would cost than because the end was not yet, the first picture remained unfinished.
 It was now necessary to write Will lis and ask him to find her more money
 But her only course was to con- suit Lontaine in the faint hope that out of the sum entrusted to him there might be enough left in the company's treasury to see it through the present production. And this she hesitated to do because of an in tuitive feeling that he would take this as directly challenging his con- potency. Lontaine was a sensitive soul However, he spared her the pain, for the next time they met he blandly advised Lucinda that the company could do with another twenty thousand as soon as she could find time to draw the check; ] and on learning that it would have to wait few days, or until she could hear from Willis. he seemed | fancy misled her.
 The day when Lucinda broke with Barry Nolan began auspiciously enough with night-letter from Har- ford Willis stating that money mat ters had been arranged in conform ance with Lucinda's wishes, and add ing that Willis hoped before long to give himself the pleasure of calling an her in person; he was leaving New York the day he telegraphed.
 Not little to her own wonder, Lu- cinda found herself pleasantly excit- ed by the thought that she was to see this old friend again.
 Busy with such reflections, and with the pleasing prospect of soon having a willing audience for her complaints, Lucinda made nothing of the fact that Lontaine showed the
  like a skittish cob from the telegram which she submitted to his inspec-l ton. and was not much tranquilized4 by the check which, at the same l time. she gave him for the replenish- s ment of the cornpanys coffers And { in her most amiable tempre she hur- 1 ried from his office to her dressing 1 room, into the newest, prettiest and most becoming dance frock sshe had C ever owned, who had owned go t many, and then out to the stage. V The company was waiting. the II cameras were waiting, Nolan with S an air of noblest patience with wait r ing. All of which was quite need a less, for there was other work In 5 abundance that could have been at- c tended to. 6 As Lucinda drew near, Nolan T chair in which he had been loung- n ing, with something more than a h suggestion of limbs cramped by pro- longed inactivity, and bowed polite t ly, too politely. u Sorry if I've kept you waiting o MT. Nolan, but I had some business t with Mr. Lontaine we couldn't put g off" - Il No matter at all Miss Lee, I as- y sure you-not matter a-tal! My time \ Is yours, the company's time Is II yours, all the time there Is Is yours @ to use or waste, just as you think Y best" a b Lucinda couldn't very well let 8 offensiveness so pointed pass without st comment. She stopped, turned square, K Iy to face Nolan, with a keen smile m looked him deliberately up and down, h. B movement of shoulders summing vi up clearly enough the substance of al her impressions.
 Thank you for telling me-" she W said sweetly. And now that Is un- 1erstood, suppose we try to make ol ID for the time I've wasted, if pos ,ible, by getting to work at once ." U