Evening star., 1931-04-12
.NIPPY
And
NELL
First
Publication
OfaN Ne7O Story
By Cosmo
Hamilton

~ DID creatures men. Odder even than
women, and can't say more than
that. Here was one, for instance, young
~ good-looking and at the very top of
the tree. In Nice to find the sun, he
had found it. mere small slip of his body
mained its natural white. There on the beach
he sat, however, repeating over and over again,
in an attitude of one-piece calamity, this
catastrophe chant "DeSolate-life so gray and
deSolate-women and men in the crowd meet
and mingle-yet with itself every soul stands
single-deep out of sympathy moaning its
moan-holding and having its brief exaltation
making its lonesome and low lamentation-
fighting its terrible conflicts alone"
Unlike people who wear halo of martyrdom
In place of a hat he had very good reason for
repeating these shattering things. You see his
name was Legg though when Nippy was placed
in front of it in any part Of Great Britain a
disturbance took place like that which fiutters
q Seismograph when the earth has tummy
trouble. This serious and deSpairing young
man filled the largest music halls whenever
he appeared. Assisted by q girl who never
spoke q word and whose name was Rosy
Calf, these two had become well known and
highly popular as those great artists of our
fathers time But Rosy had fallen in love.
deserted art for marriage, and left him without
= partner for his turn. He had discovered
since then, to his horror that although there
are plenty Of pretty girls there are few with
his partner should break into constant and
ostensibly impromptu outburstS at everything
he did His unsuccessful quest had driven him
to doctor and afterward to Nice. Here he
the verge Of a nervous breakdown,
facing the end Of an amazing career at the
age of 49,
A CULTURED man was he, who loved the
best words in their best order and 50 read
I1aA
ming in his mind Woes" he said now,
cluster; rare solitary woes; they love train;
they tread each others heels" And in order
to demonstrate the truth of this the poor man
fell in love.
She too was always alone. Not beautiful,
she had something infinitely better than that.
She diffused an arresting charm. She possessed
an amusing nose, honest eyes, q courageous
chin. and there was kindness on her mouth.
man Of quick decisions, Nippy announced to
himself that here at last was Mrs. Nicholas
Legg. But all his attempts to speak to her
were persistently. politely and most expertly
repulSed. In reply to his timid good morning"
there was merely q pleasant nod. "Mr. What's
your name" she seemed TO say, I'VE have not
been introduced am not to be picked up
any kind of beach"
1t was awful. It was catastrophe It was
unbelievable AS day by day went by it brought
about an en0le8S caravan OF utterly 6leepeSS
nights. 1t made Nippy suffer with deep dis
appointment and thoughts Of suicide. 1t smashed
his plans Of married bliss in the villa Of his
dreams =. THE Laurels," THE willows" or
"ROSslyn Lodge" perhaps
He made up his mind to present himself,
defeated, at Cooks the first Of June. His
search for q laugh must continue he must
wind up his shattered nerves by jumping OF
bridge. AS for that cool, calm and charming
girl he tried to agree with Tennyson. ITS
better to have loved and lost than never to have
loved at all . - He wandered into the town.
Something happened which broke his ceaseless
quotations and almost made him scream.
Without the slightest warning he was smacked
the back. The smacker was Pat O'Cal-
laghan, a great friend Of his. Overwhelmed
with gratitude at being able at last to pour out
his soul to some one who saw him as a human
being with the troubles of his kind, he drew this
to vacant table on the terrace of the
Savoy and told him everything.
O'Calaghan was, of course, Irish and thus a
sympathetic man. What seemed so tragic and
distressing to him was that a great genius
should be removed from his work because he
couldn't find a laugh. He was far more dis
treSsed at this fact than that Nippy was in
love with girl who wouldn't let him speak
10 her because he hadn't been introduced
WITH a most remarkable brain-wave he re-
" ferred to a girl in Nice who was earning
her living at that very moment by the simu-
lation of mirth She's doing what Rosy Calf