The Washington times., 1931-02-04

know that I had been crying,
but try to keep back the tears,
hard as tried, was impossible,
and I sobbed anew in his
presence.
He put his arms around me
and comforted me. He even
kissed the big, salty drops right
out of my eyes. It was the
first bit of kindness I had met
with in days and he seemed so
repentant that I couldn't help
but forgive him.
More Kisses
Before I knew it, was sit
ting on his lap and he was sit
ting on the edge of the bed.
He kissed me again and again
and I didn't make much of an
effort to stop him.
Then he became intolerable.
I tried to break away then,
but he held me so tightly that
all I could do was squirm and
wriggle, to no avail.
I threatened to scream. he
dared me to!
Then he r-n out, banging
the door behind him.
I laid down on the bed and
cried some more. Then I
packed up my suitcase, intend
ing to go to my sisters house
and tell her everything. But
the old urge to make the name
of Rose La France a by word
in the theater held me, and
I showed up at the theater that
night as usual.
First on the Job
was one of the first to ar
rive, TONY" was alone back
stage. The minute he saw me,
he drew himself up and
growled:
you've got some nerve, you
have. Coming back here after
what happened today. You're
fired. And I'll have you black
balled so you'll never be able to
get another job"
I pleaded with him, but he
was adamant. BY that time
the other girls had begun to
come in and I departed sorrow
fully. a trembling, distracted
wreck of a girl, too heartsick
and too unstrung, to know or
care what happened to me.
Two hours later I was Sob
bing out my wild story Of grief
on my sister Hazel's strong
shoulders. She reassured me
and said she would help me to
get back home, 400 miles away.
She said she would send her
husband down to collect my
pay, and thrash Tony" if he
could find him. And I was to
forget all about a career on the
stage and go back to school.
But such was not to be.
Prop Man Tells Boss
One Of the prop men who
had a room adjoining mine in
the hotel, had overheard our
struggle. Also he had been hid
den back stage and was a wit
ness to "Tony's" actions when
I came in to go to work.
have forgotten his name,
but never shall forget his kind
ness. He went to Broncho Billy
and told him everything. And,
late that night came a message
for me, stating that TONY"
had been fired, and that I was
to rejoin the cast in Los An
geles, the next, and biggest
town on our circuit.
I was frantically happy again,
although I did feel a bit bad
about TONY" losing his job. I
suppose he thought that I was
just holding back; that I really
was like the other girls, except
that I wouldn't give in without
a tuSSle.
Her Old Position
Anyhow, I showed up in Los
Angeles for rehearsal. And,
that night, I was back in my
old position in the chorus,
proudly speaking my cherished
three-word part.
And that same evening real
opportunity knocked at my
door.
Roland Sturgeon, Vitagraph's
famous director, was in the
audience. Later, I learned that
William Rock had written him
that 1 was promising material
for the screen.
He watched the performance
and then sent his card back
stage after the show. On it he
scribbled directions for me to
call the following day at the
Vitagraph Studios in Santa
Monica.
Is this to be the big OppOr-
tunity of Alma's life, or is she
condemned to another sentence
in the SOul.killing chorus? Read
tOmorrow's chapter of the most
self-revealing story ever writ
ten by q great motion. picture
star.