, 1923-02-25

w she began to laugh, hysteric,
ally at first, then with more
wholesome self deris.on.
Her eyes were SO bright and her
laughter so glad that they impressed
q director who pressed his face
against the screen door. Mem had
been so deeply absorbed in her plan
that she had not observed the other
door standing wide open save for its
screen.
Tlrrey asked the director in as he
opened the inner ooor for Mems exit.
But the director checked her with a
gesture. Tirrey presented him as
Mr.. Rockies. He had TO ask MEMS
name. She gave it, from habit, as
Mrs. woodville.
Mr.. Rockies said to TIrrey:
I've got to let Perrin go. She's
no good at all-no comedy, no charm.
She's supposed to play a village cutie
and she plays it like Nazimova's He'd.
da Gabler. This young lady looks
the type. She's very pretty. nice
and clean looking"
Mem was aghast at being so dis
&ussed. yet it was thrilling to be con.
y sidered. She die not even note that
the director had neglected to demand
virtue as the price. 1t was almost
more embarrassing to have him de-
mand her experience.
Her story improved with repeti-
ton:
"Oh. I played a bit for Mr.. Folger.
He said I was wonderful"
WAS It comedy?"
We'll, not exactly. 1t wal charac.
ter" She was trying to talk like a
professional.
Would you mind giving me a
tcst?"
She was not quite sure what he
meant, but she was there to pay any
price, SO she said:
I'd love to-"
ITS late" said Rockies, but I'm
desperate. Come right over to the
set before the electricians get away"
lie hurried her through the screen
door, across the grass to one of the
vast warehouses. and there under a
bombardment of grisly lights, with a
camera aimed at her puintblank and
mder the eve OF various men in over
alls. he asked her to smile, to turn
her head slowly from side to side, to
imaginary man. to indicate Jealous
vexatlon at a rival.
Rockies was fretful over the snarl
this small role WIS causing in his big
picture. The delays and shifts it
had compelled had already added sew
eral thousand dollars to the expense
account. since the overhead Ind all
totaled nearly $4,000 a day even with
He assumed that Mem knew the
rudiments of her trade and could use
tho tools of it. which were her mus
cles. He gave her no help. painted
no scene. did nothing to stimulate
her Imagination.
In the desert, among the famine
wrung people in costume. under the
fiendish sky. it had been easy to lift
her eyes in prayer and to weep.
+ She found out all of a sudden how
much harder it is to be natural in
ones own clothes than to play a po-
etc role in costume: how much hard
er 1t is to be funny than to be tragic.
She could not smile at command.
Her lips drew back in a grin of pain.
wink was leaden.
The camera caught what her lace
expressed and It expressed what she
felt, which was despair. She had
her chance and she was not ready
for It.
She knew thai If she had been droll
and mischievous. the directors lace
would have reflected it as Mr.. Fol
eyes had grown wet when h
wept in the desert. But Mr.. Rockies
was merely polite: the camera man
vas mirthless; the props and grips
stole away.
The test was short. Mr.. Rockies
said: Very nice. Ever so much
Mr.. Tirrey will let you
know how it comes out. Thank you
again. Good night"
And now she must find her way
gut. Tirrey was just driving away