Evening journal., 1922-05-29
cDn ss Los,s Jossph vannl

yoI against Nelly. shes unfortl
nate, God knows, but she's danger
Gus, too. They all are, once tn
stuff gets a hold on them, there
nothing they won't do. no lie the
won't tell
And this is what goes on in thi
earthly paradisel"
1T isn't California, it isn't Holly
wood, it's human nature"
XXVII.
Lucinda dated from that Satur
day the dawn of a fortnight wheI
everything went wrong for her will
such regularity that, in the end, thu
burden of its crosses grew too sore
the woman had been something
more than merely mortal whose
stores Of fortitude and forberaancC
had not run low.
Naturally she blamed Bellamy .
But one day Lucinda devoted pain
ful hours to totaling up her bank ac-
counts, a duty which she had been
religiously forgetting for months and
whose performance brought 20 light
tho fact that she had already given
Harry Lontaine check to his order
In the sum Of two hundred and ten
thousand dollars. to be cashed by
him and deposited TO the credit Of
Linda Lee. Inc.
II she fe.t slightly dashed by this
discovery, Il 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 It would cost
than because the end was not yet.
the first picture remand unfinished.
Il was now necessary TO write Will
lis and ask him to find her more
money.
But her only course was to COM
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 II 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 COM
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 1t would have |
10 wait few days. or until she |
could hear from Willis, he seemed /
dnCountenanced, or else
fancy misled her.
The day when Lucinda broke with
Barry Nolan began auspiciously
enough with a 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 |
on her in person; he was leaving |
,yew York the day he telegraphed.
BUSY with such reflections. and |
with the pleasing prospect of soon
having a willing audience Tor her
complaints, Lucinda made nothing
OF the fact that Lontaine showed the
whites of his eyes and shied back
like a skittish cob from the telegram
which she submitted 10 his inspec-
ton. and was not much tranquilized 4
,v the check which, at the same
limo she gave him for the replenish-
nent of the company's Golfers. Ana
y her most amiable temper she hur-
.jod from his Office TO her dressing
.oom. in the newest, prettiest and
most becoming dance frock she hao
.rer owned who had owned SO
many. and then out to the stage.
The company was waiting. the :
ameras we're waiting, Nolan with
n air of noblest patience was wait {
,r An of which was quite need I
80 for there was other work in I
bundance that could have been at {
ended to. I
As Lucinda drew near. Nolan &
oisted himself out of the basket l
hair in which ne had been loung-
,r with something more than :
,gpestion Of limbs cramped by pro- 6
,nged inactivity. and bowed polite I
:. too politely.
.,sorry II rye kept you waiting a
-r Nolan. but I had some business
tth Mr.. Lontaine we couldn't put '
r." {
.eHo matter at all. Miss Lee,
,snre vou-not matter a-talll Ny e
me IS yours, the companys time n
yours. all the time there Is is n
,urs to use or waste, tist as you 4
link best"
Inncinda couldn't very well let d
fensiveness so pointed pass without b
,mment. She stopped, turned b
,uarelv to face Nolan, with a keen oi
nile looked him deliberately up and "
own. a movement of shoulders sum- r
aing up clearly enough the sub It
-ance Of her impressions. W
Thank you for telling me-" she fC
aid sweetly. And now that Is
Understood. suppose we try to make h,
ip for the time I've wasted, II pos a
sible, by getting to work at once
Nolan's eyes snapped, but the only
retort that occurred to his mind as
at all appropriate he felt Instructive
~ TO be inadequate in point of ele-
gance.
Fair enough he agreed with a
passable display of good spirit.
Lets go to It, then" He approach
ed the set, upon which two cameras
stood trained at close range, with
K1ieg lights focused. Now. Miss
Lee. III just line in what want Of
rou this scene"
The set was a simple angle, where
wo walls met in an apartment hall
Fay. with a door that opened Inward
rom a living room set beyond. In
his last the big dramatic moment OF
ne play was 10 be staged, scene
lvolving Lucinda and her two lead
Ig men, the heavy father and the
Ivenile. his son, both of whom were
1derstood to be in love with Nelly.
Here, In his bachelor apartment,
ely was to call at midnight on
g father. to beg him to intervene