Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-23
History ofa TaUi-
light That Atoned
for the Years,
Written by the
Highest Paid Short
Story Writer TN
the WorM II
Fust-Run Tale of
a Series BY Mss
Hurst.

entered into what was practically to
be her life work, was typical Of the
way in which the average life finds
major activity Anna Tessault just
drifted into the business which was ultimately
to take on quite important proportions in the
community.
In the days when Hollywood was little more
than bit of garden coaxed out of the edge OF
the desert, Anna Tessault was dressmaker.
Her father had been gold rusher VINO
had left family stranded on a mortgaged 10
acres of orange grove.
1t was Anna Tessault's boast that she had
made dresses for the first handful of motion
picture stars, back in the days when the vast
industry was an infant in swaddling clothes.
That was probably true. There was signed
photograph of Mary Pickford hanging on Anna
Tessault's walls, and one of great robust clown
of fellow, named Bunny"
of the industry, all right. Her mnid was
on archive for annals She could tell you the
births, the marriages the scandals the deaths,
the successes, the catastrophes, the ups and
the downs throughout the film colony.
ASK Tessault," If you are in doubt about the
birthday of film star-if any one, in this day
and age can be in doubt of anything concern
ing the public and private life of film star
ASK Tessault," if want to know who, back
in 1909. had married whom, and in what pic
first outstanding success, and what has be-
come of Pearl White.
Ask Tessault
To ask Tessault, you obliged to visit
her beautiful and exclusive wide-frontage gown
shop on Hollywood Boulevard. The rugs in the
sumptuous interiors of Anna Tessault's three
shops-ir-one, almost tripped you by the high
ness of their nap. Mirrors sent you walking
into yourself on all Sides and nothing so mum
dane as gown or q fur scarf or a bit Of hat
70 10
wadded across the many feet Of expensive
frontage into the softly lighted French gray
showrooms, where mannequins paraded IN an
octagon room Of mirrors, and displayed the
latest skillful wares Of Tessault
Teassault was q character. And strangely
enough, in q land where the mere suggestion
of old age Is badge of ignominy, Tessault had
allowed herself to grow old furiously. She was
full of lines, deep ones that furrowed her face.
and her hair which 1t Is true she had tinted
as it struggled to become gray, fitted her head
like grim wig Of huted approximations
relenting.
There was a fierce look of bird about old
Tessault She reminded you of weather-beaten
eagle. There was q certain grandeur to her
big bony figure; certain power to her hooked,
aqune profile. You respected her for the ardu-
Gus story of her accomplishments, the long,
hard road from the early days of her struggle
to keep over the heads of herself and frightened
mother and sisters the tiny house set in the
10 acres of mortaged orange grove.
Anna Tessault had won out in a big, fine
fashion. Her shop was one of the most exclu-
sive on the West Coast corporation had
offered to buy her out at an astonishing figure.
She was to be reckoned with industrially The
entire motion picture colony claimed her, ahec-
tionately, as its own The most brilliant, the
most feted, the best dressed of its satellites,
rolled up to the triple frontage OF her shops
For 20 years, the life of old Tessault had been
devoted to helping create beautiful woman,
and in that period there had been little time
to devote to beautifying herself
The old eagle was gaunt. grim figure, fun
of years. full of fatigues. And she had one
major weakness.
If in her powerful makeup there was the
soft spot of an Achilles Heel, it lay in her
secret irrepressble, dominating love Of personal
adornment
TESSAULT loved fneryl Love Of it had first
prompted her to hang out the little dress
maker shingle in those days when the COM
munity was in its infancy. True, the years had
given her precious little time to indulge that