Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08


eyes. Life seemed at its lowest ebb in her.
She had courage left for drinking but no
more.
She picked up the glass, smelled it, held il
off and looked at it.
With the rim at her lips, she remembered
one thing more Some fool might call me-
I'll leave the receiver of"
As she touched the telephone, it rang,
startling her violently
Before she thought she spoke: "Hello?" She
had to set the glass down, then, and see it out.
Hello" she said again coldly, tired beyond
any tiredness her body had ever known.
Hello" said mans voice quickly. How
are you, Miss Carlin?"
If it had only been "Is that Miss Carlm?"
or May I speak to Miss Carlin?" But. How
are you, Miss Carlin'-she could not deny
that she was there.
Also. the habit of courtesy defeated her.
"Who is ths?" she asked involuntarily. Even
to herself she did not sound too different from
the Malou who habitually inquired of unex-
pected voices over the telephone: who is
this?"
"This is Herbert Ajken-hope I haven't dis
turbed you.'
mot in the least, Mr. Aiken" A touch OF
hystera made speech easy. Aiken-Herbert
Aiken-she had met the man at one of How
ards parties. His face flashed into her mind
dark, quiet, critical, withdrawn. He had
money-he had backed one or two plays-inter-
esting, but not too successful. What else had
Howard told her about him?
What did it matter? If he wanted her TO
go to dinner with him, or on a party, or any
where else at ALL Malou was busy.
She thought with tight knife-like ache In
her throat: Cant get away-without this?
I've had about enough"
Mr.. Aiken was saying: "If you'll dine with
us, tonight-he wants very much to meet you"
He must have been talking, and she had not
heard.
I'm sorry" said Malou. I'm afraid"
cit is quite impossible, Miss Carlin? You
see he goes back to Chicago tomorrow night"
"Who does?''-wearily. What did she care
who went back to Chicago? Then habit mel
lowed her voice, sharpened its dragging In
Elections 'Im sorry-I don't quite UNDER
stand"
He repeated urgently "As I have been telling
you, the author of the play goes back to Chicago
tomorrow. And / am most anxious for you
to meet each other. / am absolutely certain,
in my own mind that you were made for the
role And I understand from Howard West
that you'd like to go back to the stage when
the pictures finished"
He was offering her a part-he must be
backing another show-he had been talking
to Howard What sort of part was it? What
sort of play? Who was the author? Her mind
slid into gear, working slowly but with In
creasing clearness.
"You are willing-aren't you, Miss Carlin?"
eyes, I'm willing-so far as that goes"
"That's all we want to know-to begin with.
Once you've read the play, we won't have to
argue about it. It's the sort Of part you've
never yet had You know, Miss Carlin, I've
felt for. some time that all you needed was the
right part. So far you've had nothing but
tripe" A sharp thrust.
That's true!" said Malou suddenly-and
as sharply.
'Well, you'd have it in this said Mr. Aiken
with a chuckle He sounded extraordinarily
excited. He sounded incontestably sincere TITS
a war-play-war- is coming back now
you wait and see! This is a girl whose lover
is shot down at the front-while she's dancing
in night c.ub-in London-and she goes on
dancing"
Malou gave a strange cry-her hand over
her mouth not quite soon enough.
"You see-it'd get you'll" said Mr.. Aiken.
cit got me like knife-when first read it.
I thought of you at once-you've got some
thing you've never used yet, Miss Carlin. 7
caught glimpSes of 1t in your two last parts:
you've got capacity for emotion-violent emo
tion-under light-comedy surface that's very
rare-in women
Malou said slowly, something surging up
within her like an incoming tide:
ut does interest me-" She fought that tide
vainly; 1t flooded the farthest reaches of her
being as love had flooded her-strangely and
inscrutably the same blind urge.
Don't you think you could do that girl?.
asked Mr.. Aiken eagerly
Il think I could!' said Malou. Eyes,
think could!"
She said Where shall I meet you for
dinner-and what timer"
She hung up the receiver, details completed
and dropped her head in her hands,
'Ive got to do It, Eddy" she whispered
huskily. You know-don't you? This Is INV
chance!"
She thought: I'm betraying him I wasn't