, 1923-04-08

lost her roots in the good earth. As
the telephone wires of the prostrate
pole had gone dead. so the thrill
would hay ebbed out of her nerves.;
everything Beautifully gracious, vol
uptuous. would have been denied her.
She would have been old even Of
the precious privilege OF pain.
The old Greeks joked about the
simpleton, the philosopher. who had
wanted to know how he looked
when he was asleep and had held a
mirror before him and shut his eyes.
But h had seen herself asleep on
tho screen. and now she had seen
herself marching into her grave.
Tho vision was intolerable to her.
It assailed her like a nightmare. It
drove her frantic { o make the most
of life. to taste every one Of its
sweets. Its bitters. It's glories and
shames. FAC tang OF existence. To
experience n to make Others ex-
periencel She must be quick about
1t. for who could tell what moment
would be the last7 For the sake OF
other people she must live at full
speed from now on. act many pic
lures, briskly. brilliantly. h~urriedly.
so that she should not waste a grain
OF sand speeding through the hour
glass.
As she watched the Inst of the
takes her heart surgod with anguish
for that strange girl she was there.
struggling against the wind. fighting
her way out OF a little Inconvenience
Into destruction.
1t seemed TO her that she typified
all girlkinG. all wumanhood. all hu.
manhood, passion swept, love surged,
4 Drawing obstacles. defyine every re-
straint and stumbling on into the
liahtning, into the lurking horror.
running blithely. blindly into the am.
bush that every path prepares.
She was with an impa.
tience to begin a now picture at once
and to be very busy with life and
love. beauty and delight.
And yet-there is always an land
yet" Tho vets follow in inceesant
procession. treading one another's
heels.
And yet, when Tom Hobby. after
they had left the lot. asked her TO
ride with him for a bit of air. and
swept her to the perfect opportunity
Of bliss. her soul baked.
He was handsome. brave, mag
motto, chlva,rous, devoted. He had
leaped into danger to seize her out
OF 1t. He bore in his check n scar
that would mar him for life. per
haps. as his badge of courage.
J His big racing ear, like a fleet
stallion, had galloped them far from
tho eyes OF witnesses into n sunset
Of colossal tenderness. with a sky
; FLUSHED as ~delicately as a girl's
| cheek. yet as huge as n universe.
) They sped along "the rim OF the
! world" with desert on ono side ant
! the whole Pacific sea on the other
The world was below them for theii
!. observation and they were co~nceaie,
1 by distance.
r And yet. when Tom Hobby toll
her he adored her and that she wa
adorable, when no courted her wit
Difference and meekness and pleade
d for a little kindness - her hear
froze in her. She could not sven nc
{ cept a proffered beatitude.
She looked at him and thought
and said:
/ Too many people love you. Tom
my. You belong to the public. an,
you couldn't bring yourself down I,
> really loving little me-"
"oh. but 1 .couldl I Cor he cried
! Damn my publicl I don't care foi
anything but you"
h was not quite serious and no
quite insincere when she answered
But I haven't had my public yet
n 1 love Il. I want It. II evei
grow as tired OF II as you have don,
! ne N1ttra than, urn rnN.hN "a ..-t
other. But Just now tho only Low,
/ can feel is acted love-"
Then let's have a rehearsal" h,
suggested. c~ynically. But she shooh
her head and laughed. She could
not tell why she laughed, but, hav
ing tasted mirth. she decided tina
was what she had chiefly missed In
life n that she needed most.
Her home had been nearly devoid
OF gayety. except of an infantile. &c
o~leslnstical sort. Her father hac
boen one of those who could never
think Of Christ as wearing any smile
but one OF pity or forgiveness. A
laughing Messiah was incredible. hor
rlble. And as her fathers chief ain
In life was to fill life with religion
hilar!ty with Its inevitable skepticlsn
had no part Mt home.
Since she had left her home on the
: most dismal Of pilgr!mages. Mem had
given herself chiefly to the earnest
the passionate emotions.
And now she felt like a desert sud
denly dreaming OF rnin.
II want to laugh. Tommy" she
cried. "Amuse me. make me laugh
But Hobby was no wit. He had
an abundance of wholesome fun IN
his nature. and he cared when he
was tickleo, but he was not a come
dian. n humorist, or an inventor OF
rislble material.
He shook his head and could not
even think OF a funny story, at least
OF non that he dared tell Mem.
He wac as willing to escape from
her in her present mood as she from
him, and he said:
There's the new Charlie Chaplin
comedy. We might get in"
Lets try said Mem. I've Just
realized that what I'm really dying
! for is a good laugh. lots of good wild
laughs at 1 don't car what"
Hobby swung his car round and
returned toward Los Angelica.