, 1923-04-22

then Into lsnay II h
could laugh at that, what decency had
she left?
Her soul groveled in itself remorsee-
fully until the next epigram Jared
1t out OF its opossumism, and she
laughed again.
She had so lost her orientation by
the finish of the seductive villainies.
that h did not faint when Ned Ling
said:
I've laughed myself hungry. I
haven't ordinarily any appetite. Let's
go to my house and have a bite"
ITO you house,"
Yes. It's all right. I'm quite alone
there. Just a Jap. Very secluded"
She wanted to say: You tell me
not why I should go but why 1 should
not. And I won't"
But It seemed a silly little girlish.
old maidish. d-prismish thing
to say.
Wasn't she an Independent. woman
now. a voter. a free and equal self
supporting citizen of the United
States? In her Imagination she could
near thr wild crtw of the Beg
CARS Opera" laughing at her for a
shy little hypocrite lacking the cour-
age to obey her instinct and her
training. she said. "All right" and
got into Ling's car.
When he said. Home I the
driver she almost swooned. but not
quite.
The Jap showed no surprise at the
late arrival OF his master with q
lady. Evidently 1t was the ordinary
thing. Mem longed for a mask or a
fire escaye or n gun. She glanced
about for weapons OF defense.
But Ned Ling said. Some scram-
bled eggs and bacon-some wine
Would you rather rave red or white?
or a little champagne? Let's have
some champagne - yes7 Yes. Wen
have some Comprehensive Cali
fornia-but good
She felt as Jack OF the Beanstark
felt when he found himself among
ogres.
But Ling turned out to be an IN
fantile ogre, II ogre at all. He was
more like an art.gallery guide at
first. He showed her his treasures.
He knew something Of art, or so she
Judged him from his talk, for she
knew nothing OF it herself: but his
manner was impressive. He was es-
pecia'ly proud of a portrait just
painted of him by one of the Cali
fornia artists. Ling spoke OF him as
of the California school"
Ling had brought home some jades
from a voyage to China. He was ad-
dicted to Jades, Of a certain deep,
dark emerald hue. He hated the sick
~ pallor of the usual Jade. Mem de-
c!ded to take up jade hunting as a
sport when she got rich.
AT the table Ling resumed his play
with her fingers. h felt only curl
osity. She could feel neither alarm
nor anger. She was hungry. but he
kept one of her hands prisoner and
preferred to talk.
Afterward they went into the beau
tiful living room. a strange roo for
a clown; more like what she imagined
a milEonaire's room to be. Judging
from what m~illionaines' rooms she
had seen In the movies.
He put a Caruso record on tho vic
trola, that old wall from 'Pagliacci.'
the heartbreak of the clown who is
human in spite of the powder. and
feels red blood beneath the grease
paint. Caruso was Just recently dead
and honored with the funeral of a
church dignitary. wild minstrel that
he was. singing his way around the
world on rubber wheels h way the
timers Travelled in celluloid spools.
"A few years ago. said Ling. "and
a singers voice died with him. And
now Caruso is singing here-every-
where. He'll sing as long as Homer
poor old blind Homer. who never
saw a picture. never knew that his
own songs would live after him in the
invention of the alphabet. never
dreamed that they would be printed
and used as schoolbooks thousands
Of years after he quit poking about
the world singing about the fighters
of his day.
"A few a ago and we actors
were condemned to oblivion as soon
as we left the boards. But we can
20 on forever now. They're laugh.
ing around the world at me this min
ute. Listeni' He kept an eerie quiet
and she could almost hear what he
perked his ears to catch. That's a
gang of sweaty coolies in China. They
are helped to forget the opium. laugh
ing at me. Hear that That's starv-
ing people in Russia forgetting their
hunger because the seat of my breech.
es caught on fire. Did you hear that
yelp? That was one OF the exiled
= kings guffawing when I got shot in
the pants by an angry husband The
king has forgotten his own grief"
This cosmic boastfulness did not
keep him long In pride. But I hate
my pictures. I'm Jealous Of them.
People don't like me-they Just like
that thing with the chalky mug. They
love him because he's such n fool I
want to be loved because I am Me
and not a fool"
Look at this painting OF me. The
artist caught the real me. See NIL the
sorrow in the eyes and behind the
mouth. See the longing and h I'M
happiness? That painter got under
my skin. He got to me. 1 love that be-
cause it's me-"
Suddenly he bent over and kissed
his own image on the mouth. II was
the mad act of a Yankee Narcissus-
overcome not by his own ioveliness.
Mem was dazed. She had a normal
woman's normal interest in her mir
ror because a mirror is the show win
a. -. g. anNA