The Glenwood post., 1924-07-24
He Was
5tN i4H bHr 6si.s
Playing
.A,e'Galll,e
b MoRRIs. .ScHULTz

By noRRIs. .scHuLrz
q. issi.,ss.sts-a Nsw.p.,sr ua,ea.,
p oLLINs leaned back In his chair
AN In the restaurant and surveyed
the girl before him. He couldn't quite
make her out. Things yere not going
exactly according to HoylA
Because he never deceived himself,
he looked with perfect apprscation at
his reflection In the mirror behind
her. He appraised himself, 4 middle
aged. seedy actor, In Z fur coat, slight-
ly the worse for age, and never very
good. He saw the lines In his face,
the weakness and irresolution stamped
about his mouth. y
But he knew that women Of her age
-twenty-three, perhaps-didn't sse
these things. They saw only the lure
and romance Of the stage. They saw
the tawdry glitter Of the footlishts.
He had met her three times, and
now they were having dinner together,
and he had made certain advances,
and she was regarding him with an
amused smile. He didn't like that
smile.
"Mr. Rollins, how old are your she
asked.
"Me7 Forty-0ne."
'sThat means forty-six or SEVEN"
she commented cynically. "rm TWEEN
ty-nine Yes, look younger, but
you'll understand now that I'm not q
slmpleton. Mr.. Rollins. are you really
enjoying yourself1 Do you really still
enjoy the game, the zest, the pursuit
Of innocent, young girls? Not that
there are many, but-Oh, do you
enjoy lit"
He was shocked into candor. "No,"
he answered. But what else IL there
to do? A man wants a good time"
"How many good times have yon
had, Mr.. Rollins7" =
"Oh, DOZENS" he smiled. He was
beginning to feel more at ea1e with
this strange, young woman. though he
realized that she had escaped him.
you never married."
He shook his head. Always wise
enough to keep out Of that"
| 1eA huC oDOut tuco9 BVO0 kAAuCo.
ANY special one stand out In your
memory7 Any real love affair among
the glitterf"
Rollins began to reminisce II had
one real love affair once" he said.
"That was ten years ago, when I'd
made 4 name"
II remember that. It was in The
Prince Of Broadway You we're
spoken Of as the coming man."
"Yes. But couldn't hold it. Hadn't
the grit. This was in a little country
town where was playing. She was
the minister's daughter"
go on" said the girl. playing with
her fork. TT sounds interesting"
swell, 1t started in the usual way.
1 thought I was going to have some
fun with her. l found a girl of un-
usual mentality, sincere, earnest-Oh.
good little thing"
Yes. Did she fall for your"
1--WE fell for each other heavily. 1t
was real love affair. I confessed
everything to her"
Like you are doing to mev
| Les, Ouiy IuOTc 81. tOlu uoI VI
/ my wasted life. I told her Of my
Intentions with regard to her."
"Quite candid. You shocked her hor-
ribly?"
II did. And then-we agreed not to
see each other again. You >see, l
couldn't ask her to share my life.
and"
"You felt too high above herr
mot too high; too old, too expert
enced. would have married her. She
would have married me. But-well,
that's the only good thing 1 ever did.
think. I've often thought Of her."
Meanwhile you broke her heart"
Yes, I'd been skunk. but might
have been a worse skunk"
"And you went off and left the girl
with her sorrow and her little added
BIT Of experience. ts-
II suppose So. It's lffe"
"And now you're psaying the old
game with me?"
II didn't know you were as intelli-
gent rs you are"
"Thanks for the compliment. Well,
let me give you bit Of advice. Look
round for woman nearer your own
age; tell her everything. and try to
get her to marry you-if you can.
You can't keep up the game much
longer. Now you may take me home"
And she watched him departing,
crestfallen. from the steps of her
boarding house. And she was wonder
ing at the tricks fate plays She
thought of the years she had striven
to perfect herself. so that one day she
might meet him again and their love
might be renewed-only to fnd him
like he had become. "a
But thank God she hadn't told him
she was that girl.