New Britain herald., 1922-05-27

an interesting life, if that young wom an has got her claws into him."
 Lynn: where do you suppose tn, girl has been all this time, since thai night she left the hote2 It seem funny she should disappear so com pletely for-how long is 1t? fou weeks? fve-and then turn up fl Bells company"
 Well" Lynn submitted: q dare say if you were to ask him ."
 ''Or If you were to ask her."
 But immediately Lucinda repentec her resentment Of what she hat hastily taken to be in attempt te becloud impatience with ill-timec levity.
 The man shifted in his corner. til he sat half-facing her, his manner seriously defensive.
 Look here, Linda! I've knowr a long time you suspected there was something between this Marquis girl and me--or had been"
 Lynn fumbled for and found her hand beneath the rug that covered sii'ii hhcVS' Aou oee-s
 "Oh. l see!" Lucinda snapped and drew her hand away.
 No. you don't"
 But l do. Lynn: and I'm quite reasonable about 1t. Only, I presume I needed this to make one understand the kind of man I'd given my heart to-"
 That's unfair. You know perfect ly, nine times out of ten the man isn't to blame. Besides"
 Tt isn't a question with me of blame or excuse. it's just a feeling that's suddenly come over me, that I've committed my life to the care of man whom I must always share with his memories of other sweet hearts,"
 Well, but what about my feel ings? Do you suppose it makes me happy to be all the time reminded that Bellamy Druce-?"
 Please, dear, don't. Forgive me I couldn't help it. Besides there's this to be said: If I did love another man before l met you. he was only one: while you have known so many loves like--like this Marquis girl not, you know. not quite"
 You're all wrong. about Nelly Marquis. She's one that didn't hap pen, if you've got to know the truth"
 "Oh!" Lucinda commented without emotion-"didn't she?"
 Along with a hundred others get the credit for"
 T daresay, by Hollywood stand ards, credit is the right word."
 "Oh, hang it all, Linda! you must man in my line Oh, you know how it is There'll always be women ready to make fools of themselves over any man who manages to get a certain degree of prominence. l met Nelly Marquis shortly after I'd made my first real dent in pictures. She was so hard hit I used to be afraid to leave the house until I'd sent out scouts to make sure the cost was clear. I've always thought that trouble of hers was more than half for her mania about me"
 What trouble?"
 Dope She's hop nut. Coke-l cocaine's her big bet. That must've been the trouble, that time you found her stretched: an overdose. I lidn't like to tell you because-well, frankly, I didn't want you to think 50 much about the girl"
 "Oh, what a pity!'
 Hang it. What I'm trying to say| is this: Nelly took to the dope after I'd met her, but only. I believe, be cause she got in with the wrong ,rowd. And there's an awful lot of l hat sort of thing goes on more or | ess quietly out here. They lead one mother on. When they've tried f else they take a chance ,n the hop to see if there's reallyl Inything in it, and then they're, f, ,one. They drift into little cliques nd have parties, ether parties and hat sort of thing, you know where hey choose one by lot to stay off the turf and watch the others to make ure nobody strangles to death while hey lie around him in circle"
 Lucinda lifted her hands to her ars. Please, Lynn, please! I don't ,ant to hear any more. It's too readful."
 (Continued in Our Next Issue)