The Washington herald., 1922-10-13
FICTION |
The Beautiful
And Damned
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
CONTINUED from Yesterdnr.

room in which the patient lay was
dark and quiet. Miss McGovern
was standing near the bed mixing
some medicine. when Mrs. Patch.
who had apparently been sound
asleep. sat up and began to speak
veheme ntly:
Millions of people" she said.
swarming like rats, chattering like
apes. smelling like all hell E.
monkeys! Or lice. I suppose. For
one really exquisite palace :.
on Long Island. say-or even in
Greenwich for one palace
full of pictures from the Old World
and exquisite things-with avenues
of trees, and green lawns ana
view of the blue sea, and lovely
people about in slick dresses E.
Ia sacrifice a hundred thousand of
them. a million of them" She
? raised her hand feebly and snapped
her fingers Il care nothing for
them-understand me?'
The look she bent upon Miss Nc
Govern at the conclusion OF this
speech was curiously elm, curiously
intent. Then she gave a short little
laugh polished with scorn. and
.tumbIing backward fell off again to
sleep.
Miss MCGovsrn was bewildered
She wondered what were the hun
dred thousand things that Mrs.
Patch would sacrifice for her pal
acc. Dollars. she supposed-yet It
had not sounded exactly like dol
lars.
The Movies.
n was February. seven days be-
fore her birthday. and the great
snow that had filled up the cross
streets ~ dirt fills the cracks in a
npOr had turned to slush and was
bong escorted to the cutters by
rra hoses Of the street cleaning
IL partment. The wind. none the
les bitter for being casual. whip
pod in thrOUEh the open windows Of
tho Ewing room bearing with it the
dismal secrets Of the areaway and
clearing the Patch apartment of
stale smoke in its cherries Circula-
tiCu.
Gloria wrapped in a warm kimo-
n8. came into the chilly room ana
taking Up the telephone receiver
called Joseph Blocckmsn.
DO You mean Mr.. Joseph Black"
demanded the telephone girl at
Films Par NccllenCe"
"EIocckmau. Joseph Hoeckman.
Mr.. Joseph BIoeckman has
changed his name to Black. Do
You want him
"Why-yes." he remembered
Hervuusly that she had once called
him "BIockhead'' to his face.
His office was reached by cour-
tc-y of two additional female
voices. the last was a secretary who
took her name. Only with the flow
through the transmitter of his own
fam:iiar hut family impersoual tone
did she realize that it had been
three years since they had met.
And he had changed his name to
Black.
~Csn you see me?" she suggested
li-htly. "Its on business matter.
really. I'm going into the movies
at Iast-if can"
I'm awfully glad. I've always
thought you'd like IT,"
DO YOU think you can get me a
triai2'' she demanded with the ar
TuEance peculiar to all beautiful
women. to all women who have ever
al any time considered themselves
beautiful.
ii. assured her that is was merely
q question OF when she wanted the
frlJI Any time? Well. he'd phone
later ia the day and let her know
Convenient hour. The cOnversa-
ri"u closed with conventional pad
ding on both sides. Then from
three o'clock TO five she sat CLOSE
Jr the lephune-with no result.
E.t U.NJ morning came note
trar ruUfcUted and excited her:
Ny dear Gloria:
Just by luck matter came to my
attention that think Will be just
suited To you. w"uld like to see
y.u start with something that
would brin- You notice. At the
same time if a very beautiful girl
or YOUR sort Is put directly into a
picture next to one of the rather
shop worn stars with which every
company is afflicted. tongues would
very likely waG. But there is a
"haDrer" PART in a Percy b. Debris
production that l think would be
just suited to you and would bring
you notice wiilasable plays oppo-
site CASTOR Mears in a sort of char
acter part and Your part I believe
would be her younger sister.
Anyway Percy b. Debris, who is
directing the picture. says II you'll
come to the studios dav after to-
ill''i l'N l4blS'ldN ne VIII run OIL
n :est. II ten o'clock is suited to
y0I. l will meet you there at that
time
With all good wishes.
Very faithfully.
JOSEPH BLACK.
Gloria had decided that Anthony
was To know nothing of this until
she had obtained a definite posi-
tion and accordingly she was
dressed and out Of the apartment
next morning before he awoke Her
mirror had given her. she thought,
much the same account as ever.
EcrinE traces of her sickness She
was still slightly under weight, and
SHE had fancied. a few days before.
that her cheeks were a trifie thinner
but she felt that those were mere
" transitOry conditions and that
on this particular day she looked as
fresh as ever. She had bought and
charged a new hat. and as the day
was warm she had left the leopard
skin coat at home.
At the Films Par excellence" stu
dos she was announced over the
telephone and told that Mr.. Black
would be down directly. She looked
around her. Two girls were being
shown about by a little fat man in
a slash-poeket coat, and one of
them had indicated a stack of thin
parcels. piled breast high against
the wall. and extending along for
twenty feet