Evening star., 1924-11-02
THE GRACEFUL SCAMP
An Efficient Girl and Shy Young Man.

with her and talk, his head would
stop aching.
Lets go and sit on the stairs" he
said.
the least idea what to say to her
actress or a model. He didn't know
anything about her at all except tha,
she was handsome and glad to be
alive and that she danced beautifully
and that Mrs. Wilkinson had said she
was hard-boiled. He wondered wha,
Mrs. wilkinson had meant.
What" he asked Brenda Berenson
did Mrs. Wilkinson mean by saying
you were hard-boiled?"
meansr'
NO" he said. Unless 1t means
cynical or disillusioned Or" he
hesitated.
"Or WHAT" she prompted.
Not susceptible"
ITO graceful scamps." she finished
Dick smiled. He had no idea how
wistful his smile was. Brenda
laughed. He knitted his brows
II don't know what she meant by
graceful scamp either" he said. Il
really don't know her"
But she knows you," Brenda said
She has seen SO many like YOU"
He shook his head. He was a little
hattered at being called a graceful
scamp, but he was more puzzled. In
ward and earnest.
TITS written on your face-in your
manner" she answered him.
What ise"
You know we'll enough"
But / don't"
why" said Brenda, you've an ex-
cellent manner-pleasant but assured.
It's the manner Of a man who doesn't
need to assert himself, the manner of
a man who has done things. But
you're not entitled to it. You've got
that manner not because you have
done things, but because you have
never done anything at all. With you
it's a mask"
Il see," said Dick humbly.
How much work have you done in
the last six enthusiastically fin
ished?"
Very little"
Enough to earn your own living?'
NO" he admitted apologetically.
Il thought not" Brenda commented.
You sound SO triumphant" he told
her. Its as If you took great salts
faction in convicting me of accom-
plishing nothing. Why do you feel
that way"
"rm bitter on the whole subject"
she admitted. "All women who know
as many artists as I do are bitter
about the way some of them waste
themselves. Ann is. Only she still
falls for a graceful scamp every once
in a while. Last year she let man
live here for six months without pay
ing any rent-just because he played
on her sympathy. And the ironical
thing is she wouldn't have cared
about the rent If he had done some
thing-anything. AIMS thoroughly
maternal at heart"
II supposed all women were ma
ternal at heart" Dick said graveiy
You would" Brenda said. "All
want to suppose that" She looked
at him-a cool look. THAT little-boy
smile of yours gets the maternal
kind. But it doesn't get the others.
So you never learn anything about
the Others"
"The hard-boiled kind?"
eyes," she said; the hardboiled
kind"
Dick saw that a man in the door
way was trying to attract Brendas
attention. The banjos were strum
ming again.
but you're not hard-boiled," he
protested.
Brenda nodded to the man in the
doorway and rose to join him.
You think not?" She laughed at
Dick.
II know" he said quietly.
= X = x
nICK sat on the stairs long time
- after she had danced off with
the other man. He felt hot. His
head ached. He wished he could go
to bed without climbing the long
flight of stairs to his room. He Won
dered If he would have a chance to
talk to Brenda Berenson again If he
stayed. He got to his feet and walk
ed slowly through the door, through
tie long, high-ceiled rooms lit with
lodging in and out among
the dancers. There was long side
board in the extension, where the
band was. Dick stood undecided be-
tween turkey and ham. He wasn't
hungry, but he thought he might feel
more like himself If he ate some
ballet costume of satin and tulle was
slicing ham. She offered Dick a slice.
he took it
You don't need to look SO glum
about it, she said.
I'm sorry," he said weakly.
She made a face at him and
on. Dick watched her dis
appear among the dancers. For a
it seemed to him that the
room was whirling and the dancers
still. He walked slowly and
along the wall back to
the place on the stairs. He would
rest a moment and then climb up to
his room.
When the music stopped he got up
and resolutely climbed the first
flight. He stood a moment, holding
to the rail and trying by an
effort to clear his head Of dizziness.
He knew now he was i'll, that he must
get to bed. Sleep was the
He stumbled dizzily down
the hall. ,
At a quarter to four in the morning
Ann noticed that her guests were be-
ginning to leave. She saw Brenda