Evening star., 1926-08-22

Long. lSIdnO places favored OF
Il actors. bankers. scenario writ
ers and people who go in for
tournament golf.
Archie Woolcott was one of those
chaps who used to be described as a
he-man. mea ming a big. honest, senti-
mental fellow who is scared to deaf h
of women and has the same roma ntic
notions about life at 35 that he had at
IS. He had no doubts about what is
right and what is wrong, or what is
probable and what is improbable. If
he had been born in the time of Rich
ard the Lion Hearted. ne would have
spent his life happily mounted on a
draft horse and wearing a couple of
hundred pounds of steel plate and
chain mail. AS il was, Archie Wool
colt went in for the only bone break
ing sport there is left. He rode To
hounds and averaged a collarbone a
season.
Gertrude Woolcott was the kind of
clever woman who has sense enough
to marry a man like that. She loved
his size and strength. He wore so
we'll that air of ma sterful protective
ness that means so much to a woman
SO long as she runs the whole show.
She loved his boyish helplessness,
When some other woman teased him
into kissing her he always imagined
he was in a serious predicament and
hurried home to tell Gertrude all
about il and beg her to eXtrica te him.
But above all she loved his being so
completely In love with her. He had
had in the beginning a childlike trust
in her, and this trust had grown with
the years.
For the rest, she had her children,
her garden and her abiding interest in
other peoples troubles.
This Summer the troubles had been
those of the Naples. Philip Maple was
an actor who always played the lover
I'm polite comedies. He was hand
some, agreeable, and he had a voice
with throb i'm it. When he made
his entrance the round of applause
was followed by a sound like that OF q
Summer breeze blowing through a
poplar tree. 1t was the sound of the
people in the audience whispering to
their neighbors that Philip Maple
made love as effectively off the stage
as he did on it and naming the lady
for whom he was then exercising
his gift. The mere list Of conquests
which were attributed to him by his
audiences would have required a news
paper page to print. Only his most
intimate friends knew the disllusion-
ing truth. which was that there had
never been other than one woman in
his life and that woman his wife.
Jane Maple had been born to the
theater: for several seasons she had
ruled there as the first of comedien-
mes. But she had lost her place. She
was a dipsomaniac who had ruined a
first night once too often. And she
refused to do anything about 1t. Ger
trude Woolcott had reluctantly de-
cided that there was nothing to do
about Jane. She would inevitably
drink herself to death. The only ques-
tion was whether Philip would survive
the process.
GERTRUDE had been enjoying the
~ luxury of a silent house of
night in late August. Archie had
been spending the week in Virginia
searching for a hunter up to his
weight. He was coming home the
next day. The children and the Serv-
ants were asleep. Gertrude was deep
in a novel when the telephone beside
her bed buzzed. She reached for the
receiver without taking her eyes from
the page.
I'm sorry If I've walked YOU up"
Philip Maple said. but l want
aWfully to see YOU
Gertrude glanced al the little clock
on her table. 1t was a minute before
midnight.
Where are YOU" she asked.
I'm at home-I could drive over
in Is minutes"
Very WE'LL" Gertrude agreed. IN
meet you in the garden
She slipped out Of a French window
into the garden a moment before the
lights of Philip Naples car swung
into the drive.
He got wearily out of the car. Ger
trude knew at once that something
quite devastating had happened.
They walked side by side To the sum
merhouse at the back of the garden.
Philip lit cigarette. Gertrude re-
f1ected that il was n night for some
thing to happen-a hot August night
with no stars visible, and the moon
riding high and pale in a misty halo.
and in the distance flashes OF heat
lightning against the clouds.
You know I've been in Washing
ton all week trying out the new play"
he said Il got home half an hour
ago. The house was in the most ter
rible mess. | should guess that six
or seven people have been holding
a drinking bout for days. Empty
whisky bottles on the drawing room
mantel. Dirty glasses beside every
chair i'm the library. The buffers
pantry fun of dirty dishes. one room
after another turned upside down.
Every door. every draw open.
Every rug and ooNerlet and table top
burned where q cigarette stub had
dropped. don't know whether the
servants left or if she fired them.
Philip paused. his head on his ha nd.
you see" he continued. Il haven't
told YOU the worst. couldn't bear
to- She's been running around with
the lowest C.ew she could find on
broadway race-traCk touts and
hootleggers and dope fiends. She's
been trying morphine. I've been
afraid she q he arrested any night in
in some raid.
Philip raised his head. and in the
pale light OF far-off flicker of light
ming Gertrude saw that the tears
were running down his cheeks and
his mouth was distorted with pain.
Why" he cried. why does she
want TO humliate me so??"
she doesn't want to Illuminate you,
Philip. She can't help herself.
Why can't she help herself? What
does il mean when woman as hne
as Jane. woman with nice instincts
and delicate sensbilties. trained
artist. falls so low"
Gertrude stroked his sleek head.
She had no answer except the answer
that Jane had gone insane.
Why" Philip went on, two years
ago she was playing in Captain
Rrassbound's CONVERSION = playing
the part that Shaw wrote for Ellen
Terry And how she did play it.
There isn't an actress living who
could play the lady az she could. She
lust was that sort--a lovely creature.
with grace and wit and manner. And
now
Il know" Gertrude said. Il re-
,,nenher" Whaf Philin said of her