Evening star., 1922-02-12

JULIE HOWARD CAME IN AN
because they were engaged. and
every one knew 1t. Julie is diminu-
tive leading lady with rope-colored
hair and an encouraging smile. She
had played opposite Hugh in six of
his last fourteen pictures.
II do" she replied, staring at me
In some concern, but why clog the
wheels of progress and drag me in
to ask such a fool question on a nice
morning"
Some day you want him to be the
foremost male star in the movies,
don't your 1 continued, and Julie
bobbed her attractive head.
Good! You know, as we all know.
that his fights have been boomers.
Everybody is criticising them. If we
want to make better pictures with
about the fights. and you can help
me"
How" Julie asked.
Get Hughie mad. / have figured
out a scheme to rouse his angry pas
sion. He never went into a fight yet
when he was roaring mad, and that's
what want him to be. Pm going to
depend ON you, Julie
'Howg' she asked again, like an
Indian
Go to Hugh and tell him you want
to break your engagement"
The lady surveyed me in cold
m n1yr n =
What for?'
Tell Hughie that you no longer
love him; that you arehoWs older and
plainly see that you cannot ever care
for him as a wife should, and that
consequently you will not marry him.
Talk very sensibly about it, and
when he asks you If there is another
man. as he will. bow your head and
tell him there is"
Who might this other man be%'
Julie inquired with faint sarcasm.
Sidney Hopper" l returned, "and
there's your jolly little scheme in a
nutshell. Sidney is the heavy in
Lord Jones' and it's his last Job with
Hughie and be nice to Sidney, who,
Of course. will never know he has
won your trembling and maidenly
heart from Hugh"
JULIE continued to stare at me as
) though I was a goldfish with nine
legs that had just been called to her
attention.
The Sidney Hopper in question. for
whom l was cooking up an unmonot
onous future. was a second-rate actor
who suffered from violent hallucina-
tions about his ability. We paid him
500 a week to be the villain, because
he had a dissolute and wicked coun-
tenance, and looked like a miserable
sceundrel without any makeup what
ever
He was wholly unreliable, with a
chronic fondness for rum, and he
spent his nights at the beach in the
Brig Cafe. which was the one spot in
California forbidden to Cines-Torino
employees by old man Feltman. Hop
per was all through with our outfit,
and he knew it, and therefore it was
laying it on bit to ask Julie to fall
in love with him, even in pretense.
Sidney Hopper" Julie exclaimed.
How ridiculous"
us 1t ridiculous?' I returned. eff
it appears that you have given
Hughie the sack and have found low
able and husbandly qualities in Hop
per which are invisible to the rest Of
US, it may well be that we shall see
a minor massacre when we come to
the fist fight in Lord Jones' That's
plain. isn't it?"
Perhaps" she said. But If I did
agree to this piece Of nonsense, what
ia there to keep Hugh from larruping
Hopper without waiting for the cam
ora? He might, you know"
IT know Hughie. He will go quietly
away and gloom himself half to
death. He will sink into a smolder-
ing, silent Crouch. I'll guarantee
there will be no physical violence un-
til the proper time comes. Hugh is
no longshoreman." ...
ITS asking great deal OF girl"
she said. "Think of breaking with
Hugh for that drunken little beast Of
q Hopper"
Think of the picture. Yoa wan: it
to be q good picture, don't your
"All right" Julie said. I'll do my
best to help you. Steve. want
Hugh to get ahead, but I'm warning
you now-if any trouble comes Of al
this, it is entirely UP to YOU"
Fair enough" I said buoyantly.
pattinx her on the shoulder. You're
O nice little girl"
We began shooting Lord Jones'
ON the Cd Of January. and it skinned
along gayly, and without untoward
incident Following our usual Gus
tom, We shot everything but the sa-
loon stuff. which we saved for
the last, because the saloon was the
scene of the scrimmage between Lord
Jones and Cecil Titherington, the in