Evening star., 1932-10-16

EVEN o'clock In the theater forecourt
the usual evening crowd mllled ABOUT
and stared curiously into the mclosure
at Nikki and tried to guess which, IN the
group on view, actually was Nikki and
~ which was her wax figure counterpart
We'll, whichever ones the doubler, sne
doesn't so much as bat an eye" rumbied pass
"She doesn't breathe!' This was
Younger voice also male And it continued
amusedy, scofing: They aren't kidding me
there's no girl in there. I'll bet if fellow
could get through and stick pin into every
one of those figures all that would trickle out
would be sawdust!"
But although Nikki heard this and many
parallel remarks, her wide and black-lashed
eyes remained as empty of expression as those
Of the wax figure beside her
"Okay, Phony!-weH give you a rest now
The purple-uniformed guard swung heavy
velour drapes into place curtaining Nikki and
the figures about her off into a square OF
privacy through whose walls no outside gaze
might penetrate. About all done up?" he
whispered to her.
Yeah" 1t was just a murmur. Nikki had
abandoned the pose She proceeded now with
a grim rubbing, slapping and stretching of
her taxed young muscles She washed her
eyes and blnked them relevedly. Then she
dropped down into the soft cushioned chair.
Sitting So eyes closed her entire little person
relaxed she seemed almost to be unconscious.
SO completely did her muscles lose their tension
But the guard whispering at the cur
tain again.
Say. Phony," he said, do you know who
that kid was who said you'd trickle sawdust
If he stuck you with a pin?"
NO" Nikki's voice was subdued Her mood
was subdued. For Nikki was facing a prob
lem-the problem of determining what to do
about j. w. w. who had wealth and
sweet. fussy old sister. j. w. who (and whose
sister, held that Nikki, after little proper
training, might fill the role of wife to J. w.
quite creditably Yes Nikk faced a problem.
And now she said mo" again-said it alb
stractedly.
1T was Dave McVerne. You know, the
new juvenile out at Moonblush Studios.
oh"
Yeah. He was just talkin to me- He
wants to meet you"
CnENCE, with Nikki in the heart of it visual
- izing the advantages of being Mrs. j. w.
boudoir smothered with flowers
jewels gowns The big ]. W. in the ofing,
gracious correct. Why, she'd be crazy
not to accept ]. WIS proposal-including the
rather pride-searing terms of the proper train
ing" planned by his fussy, cooling, old sister
Rhcda.
Il said, he wants to meet you, Phony"
Nikki sighed. 'Tell him to go away, will
you? And now, scram, Aphonse, and let me
alone"
But Nikki was destined to hear more about
Dave McVernie. Propped up in her bed SOME
hours later nightgowned and jacketed and
looking as lovely and as astonishingly doll
like as ever she did during her dummy
doubling poses, she listened to great deal
about him, told her by tall, sun-tanned Byrdie
Wells. Byrdie Wells, who shared the rather
tawdry walk-up apartment that Nikki called
home.
Being studio script-girl Byrdie was well
informed about picture players. Long ago
Nikki had accustomed herself to Byrdies elo-
quent and sometimes romantic monologues per-
tanning to them.
Lord, it's o'clock" groaned Byrdie. cold
creaming her face. "But-gee kd!-we had
Moonbush was in the gang. And is he
kick! You oughtave come"
$40, thanks" briefly, sleepily.
Well, anyway, that Dave McVernie's a
scream. You know the kind-thinks he's wise
and tries to act wild and still believes in
fairies Gosh! I'm tellin' you, he goes around
grinning from ear to ear tellin' his life his
tory. Young, that's what he is But one Of
the peachiest guys I ever met"
Half asleep Nkki said Seems to me I
heard something like that about him once
before tonight"
"Yeh know all about that happened
to mention to Dave that know a girl who's
. dummy doubler, see? And in minute
he's asking me million questions. And when
he found out that you're the girl who's living
with me thought he was going to kiss me-"
Byrdie was wiping cold cream painstakingly
from her face now.
HE sure was disappointed when Alphonse
couldn't sell you the idea of meeting him"
Drop the subject, will you, Byrdie,', droned
Nikh I'm all In" ......-..
Anyway there's this much about It"
MT