Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-10-11
CHAPTER XNXIV

aA-hA
IL was half past ten when Irene
turned lazily in her luxurious bed,
yawned prettily, and telephoned the
office 20 send IN the morning pa
pers. She was not at all worried
about the reviews; it seemed to her
sufficient that Benny Evans had ar
ranged to give the critics q big
champagne supper. So confident did
she feel that she did not even take
the trouble 70 open the papers un-
til, assisted BIZ her newly-acquired
maid. she had completed an elabor-
ate toilette.
Finally, clad in a new ard very
gorgeous ncgliEee. she threw her
self upon a chaise Tongue and began
to look owe the reviews. Almost 1t
once a white anger rose in her petty
little soul. an anger which made her
want to rend and tear. to do some
personal violence 10 those who had
dared to criticize her. The thinly
yelled sneers with which the critics
had received her performance
brought flaming red spots to her
checks. Wooden. mechanical, utter
ly uninspired," one reviewer wrote
IA beautiful but brainless doll,
wrote another. "She gives out moth
inE. because she has nothing TO
give said a third. Phrase after
phrase inflamed her rage 10 the
boiling point. "An excellent III
somewhat sordid picture. spoiled hy
the a~mateurish efforts Of Miss Irene
Shirley. a newcomer 10 the screen.
As q star. she strikes US a. being
invisible without the aid of a tele-
scope And further down the
page. "Mr. Lew Davidson. hitherto
rather noted for the excellence of
his casts. has made a mistake in
placing his money on Miss Shirley,
Her work was childish. compared
with the superb acting. in a second
airy role. Of Miss Jane Dare"
Not all the reviews were unfavor-
able, however. Perhaps some Of the
reviewers among those who had par
taken of Mr.. Evans champagne felt
2 disposition "a let Mr.. Davidson
down easily. Even critics are often
human, with axes 70 grind. Certain
papers referred 70 the showing AS
ia brilliant success" of the picture
being well up To the c~ompany's
usual high Standard but even these
favorably inclined individuals were
careful not 20 commit themselves, to
imperil their critical regulations by
according any specific praise TO
Irene. Taken by and large. the YER
dict of the reviewers was damning,
n for the first time in her life
Irene Shirley began to suspect that
there might be more 10 screen sue
cess after all than physical beauty
and the backing Of an infatuated
producer. The suspicion. however,
was only momentary. BY the time
Mr.. Davidson arrived for breakfast
she was once moro her old, conf
dent self, ready to sweep the verdict
Of tho newspapers aside with con
tempt because il did rot agree with
her own. After all. did not Lew con
troll the company which distributed
his pictures? The exhibitors who
ran the Davidson program would
have to take the picture. whether
they liked it or not. A whirlwind OF
advertising would get the people
into the theaters; once there, she
felt certain they would stay to MP.
plaud, 20 away enthusiastic. Let the
critics 20 hang. She would make
her appeal directly 10 the public.
She told Lew as much. when hi
came in. said lightly. after n caress
mere ardent than she had been in
the habit Of hcstowing on him, that
she had entire confidence in the pic,
ture and in its reception BY the
masses. The critics were %highbrows
Crime stories always made a hit.
Lew, who had come down tow
immersed in a fog Of doubts, found
them vanish one by one as he listen.
ed to 1rene's arguments, not all Of
which were verbal ones. The warn
and unusually seductive kisses she
had given him. the perfumed beauty
of her, so close 10 him, had theft
effect. Before half an hour haC
nassed. he was as convinced o.
lrencs ability. rs certain Of her sue
cess. as ever. The critics were al
ways jealous OF a new aspirant q
fame. Had they not planned so
and-so. and ~so-and-so. only to fire
themselves hopelessly mistaken? HI
mentioned the names Of several mer
and prominent in the picture
! world. The greatest In the business