, 1923-04-15

THIS hurt him Us much as she
hoped.
It's a come-down for you" he
said. "It's a setback. You'd have
been the next big star in the emo
tional field. Now you'n be swelling
all up IN n comic two-rceler. Ling
never gives anybody else any credit
in his pictures. An you'll do will be
to stand round Ind feed him."
Feed him7'
Yes. do things and say things
that vii give him a funny comeback"
This wa q trifle d%ampening. II
had held to that line of argument
he might have turned her aside. But,
as always he had to say too much.
Besides. ms 1 told you. Ned Ling
always makes love to his leading
lady. He quasrelea with tho last
one, Miss Clave. because she wanted
moro publicity. She wanted to get
a laugh or two herself and a Line
or two in the Advertisements"
This stirred in Mem a double emo.
tion-one Of curiosity. one OF self
confidence. She had had Ned Ling
clingtng to her fingers like a baby.
She could wrap him round one of
them. no doubt. Because Miss Clave
failed. thnt did not prove that n wiser
woman would.
Hobby did not quite persuade her to
refuse the opportunity with Ling, but
he sent her to It misgivings. He put
a fly in the ointment.
There r always flies in ointment
A few Gays later n wasp fell into
her ointment, She received one OF
the first of the numerous letters that
were to swarm about her path.
CHAPTER Ii.
Time in southern California flew
on wings that seemed never to
change their plumage. At home in
Cnlverly the birds put on their
springtime splendor, lost 81, and flew
way. Tho rees feathered out in
leaves and in a courtship glory of
blossoms. then lost all. The flower
bushes ran the same scale from shah.
biness to brief beauty and back
again. Tho very ground was brown.
was green. was bald, was white with
snow that went md came again.
But Los Angeles was always green.
In December. March-always there
were great roses glowing. often high
up in some tree they a climbed.
Sometimes Mem grew angry 1t the
monotony OF beauty. She read o.
billiards in the east and north and
longed for a frostbite Oh the nipped
cheeks of a Calveriy winter. There
was music 1 n her memory OF the
frozen snow that rang like muffled
cymbals under her aching little feet
as she ran to school pretending she
was a locomotive and her breath the
steam.
But this was only the fretfulness
OF the uncomfortable human discon
tent. She had hated winter when II
tortured her, and now the California
paradise tortured her because II wa.
winterless. Even in heaven thu
angels grew weary of golden and jas
per architecture and harp music an,
tried to change their government.
Discomfort with the weather wa
only one OF Menus unhappinesses
Her ambition was ruthless and he
critical faculty rebuked her. Sht
prayed for opportunities for biggei
roles and blushed at her obscurity
yet when she saw her finished
scene she suffered 6irefuiiy because
she had done them. SO I'll. wher
her colleagues applauded her she
said her true thought when she an
swered; ut could have been done SC
much better. II only we could re
take itr'
She vas living the artists life
goaded to expression, rejoicing in vi
terance IND afterward anguishet
with regrets that she had no
phrased herself a little differently.
AS with every other artist in tn,
worlds history. her personality. he
preferences. her very face and form
offended many people. Nobody eve
pleased everybody. She overhear,
harsh criticisms or they wer,
brought to her one way or another
They hurt hen cruelty. and the NOR,
cruelty since Il was her nature I,
believe them Justified and even +;
little less than harsh enough.
Some happier natures than her
could always protect themselves b.
saying that the critic had n per
sonal spite. or was a failure ventinl
the critics own disappointment, o
IA too shallow to appreciate. o.
had been bribed.
But Mem never could wrap he,
wounded soul IN such bandages. Sh,
felt that the truth was worse thai
the worst she heard. She could al
ways find some fault in her achieve
ments that the critics had over
looked.
She could not retake her pictures
however. and whom occasionally.
scene had been shot over again an,
she could correct some fault. she a
ways found another me. or more. :
replace It.
Obscurfty WINS a further anguish
She suffered because so few peopl
had seen her pictures. and the har
times that diminished the audience
looked like a personal injury to he
in her artistic cradle.
And then she had a stab OF anothe
sort. She learned tho curse OF SUE
cess. One OF her pictures was show
at tho California theater in Los Ar
geies. and she sat in a vast thronl
and saw with pride hat peopi
strange to her were leaning forwar