Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
from yesterdays Star
TNSTALLMENT xXxv.

full thing to see any creatur
caught In the snap of the ira
i which cut in through tissue to tn
bone.
It was the far more terrible cruelt,
of the trapper who had planned ant
contemplated it and sprung the catch
Beside her Relief Brainard was making
little sounds of protest, addressed to m
one, as she also turned away.
But she heard .Brainards cool voice
behind her again. Maybe" he wa
saying to the Arden girl, that is {
record you'd like to take to Jerry Bal
lard-when you CO."
Phyllis made her way across to the
north windows and stood there blindll
staring out over the city, Relief Brain
ard was still beside her. But she die
not hear anything now. For a long time
she seemed to hear nothing. Then Rad.
ley spoke, close behind her.
''Well?" he inquired.
His aunt turned upon him. "Radley
Brainard," she said huskily, "is there
any way by which you can make a
record of yourself-not what you say
and do, but what you think and intend
--of your aims and motives-out of your
brains or out of your blood-So that you
may yourself see what manner of man
you are?"
He stared at her an instant, then
his eyes grew absent again. mot bad
idea," he answered slowly.
The room was empty except for the
three.
"You talk about self-defense!" cried
Relief Brainard. And you use your
incredible power to strike at a poor
girl like that! I don't care what she S
done! She may have tried to cut your
throet-I'm not sure I would blame
what right does that give you. to cut
into the vitals of her life?''
"She has been trying to betray me
to my arch enemies" he said, his lip
curling.
Ballard and Ferdinand Mortimer! Oh,
know them. They're your enemies,
are they? Why? Who are always a
mans enemies? Those he hates! Why
do you hate them? Because you've
tried to ruin them, that's why! You'll
be hating all the world soon for the
same reasonl Oh. Mortimer and Bal
lard, the monopolists of the picture
world! You picked them for your enc
mics to begin with, didn't you? You
picked them--I don't believe they
picked you'll"
why get hysterical about it?" asked
Brainard coolly. "You seem to forget
that Mortimer and Ballard put every
body else before them out of buSiness!"
How? BY making better public en-
tertainment than was made before.
That's businessl"
Brainard laughed. t'You seem to for
get-that that is also my business?"
Your business? Heaven forgive you
lit might have been your business!
But it's not. Blackmail! Blackmail is
your business!"
For an instant he WINGED at that.
Then he shrugged II use the weapons
]. have" he replied. Zone of 'em Is such
entertainment as the world never saw
before. Mortimer and Ballard are be-
ing ruined, as you say, because they
can't compete. That's why they are my
enemies
"And they know they can't compete
with make-believe against life-and
90 they are trying TOTO get at me in
other ways"
They'll get at you in a way you
don't suspect! You're not using supe-
rior entertainment as your weapon
you're afraid they'll beat you at that
or get it away from you. So you've
turned criminal. And it's because, with
all your marvellous discoveries, you
can't compete with them!"
Cant compete?"
mol i've known all along that some
thing was wrong with the Vicarion.
Today Phyllis terror at your Catherine
de Medici show made me understand
Nothing you show is true-because 1t
IS only fragment-can never be any,
thing but fragment I've heard you
talk about unity. There's greater
unity than lies in the dramatic event;
It lies IN the dramatic whole! Pictures
and fiction and drama-at their best
are dramatic wholeS! They may be
true! That's what people want-truth!
In the long, long run that's what they
want! And you can't blackmail them
out OF It'll And when they get through
with the novelty of looking at-at mere
factS-theyu go back to literature
again, as they always have, looking for
GODS truth! You're dealing with
something bigger than helpless girls
you!"
Brainard smiled. you're right about
their wanting the truth-all of them
Who can stand it!''
But when the world wants truth it
doesn't take the X-ray and go back
studying racial pathology! 1t takes a
gun and kills its liars-or guillotine!"
Miss Brainard broke of abruptly.
Then she turned to Phyllis. Come on,
Phyl let's go home" she ended.
Phyllis looked at Radley. He was
by now" she said, what did in your
studio this afternoon"
Perfectly" he answered.
She looked straight into his eyes. az
made it momentarily impossible for
your enemies to blackmail you. But I
tempered with some of your plans, I
think. What do you intend to do
to me?"
Color began to rise in his white face.
1t spread in rush of crimson that
went to his hair. He turned half away
from her. Instantly she turned from
him and walked swiftly across to the
door.
"As you say. Aunt Relief" she said,
"let's go home!"
Raging, Brainard walked his Office
floor. Rage, not shame, had filed his
face with blood as Phyllis Norman had
looked him in the eyes and chal-
lenged hirn-challenged him to revenge
tA4Ain-11 OI1 1lcI LUZ W1ldt SIZE IldQ dome
But her challenge was far deeper than
that! She challenged the basic stand
ards of his character!
He knew what she had done. In half
an hour after she had walked from be-
hind the screen In his studio, where for
a daZed moment she had thought she
was ghost come real, he had traced
her movements Immediately before and
after that event. He had seen her re-
lease the record from that bomb!
Passion was weakness; he was well
aware of that. 1t had been because OF
the madness that had filled him that he
had crushed his impulse to instant &C.
ton. In his first realization that the
one treasured, priceless transport, which
he had denied himself through agonie.
of desire because 1t was all he might
ever possess, had been snatched from
him, and by her hand; he had been the
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