Evening star., 1936-05-16

ries and holly and the red ribbons OF
poinsettia. Men and women were
coming and going. laying their strange
ly assorted bundles In the pews as
they prayed, leaving their spiritual
playing the "Adeste" softly on the
organ.
Tam found q dark corner behind q
great pillar near the altar and knelt
down and buried her face in her
hands.
The glare of a brilliant October day
lay binding upon the big, white,
square buildings and the clean-swept
wide alleys between them. Every
thing whitewashed. corrugated iron
roofs. walls. roadways-trembled and
throbbed in the merciless light; work.
men stopped to wipe their foreheads
as they raised medieval walls and
painted the mellowed old rocks Of
moats and towers; q group Of girls in
ballet skirts, perspiration standing in
visible globules upon their saffron
painted faces, sat on some roped and
cleated boxes in q patch Of hot shade
and painted.
parative GOODNESS. but the air was
heavy and unrefreshing. Tamara,
coming through the hot sunlight that
lay between the neatly painted, bal.
conied layers Of dressing rooms to
the big iron door stenciled Stages
3-14-7." was addressed by the mem
bers of the ballet:
"Oven in there"
1T must be-" said Tamara.
"Is it the new picture?"
mo. Retakes."
"Oh, LordI" one Of the girls said.
pityingly.
"Yes." Tamara said meditatively,
I'VE had to rebuild the yacht. For
tunately. it was the cameras fault"
CARRIED in full evening wear. with
ropes Of gems about her throat and
some dozen bracelets clamped to her
arm and carrying an old-fashioned
sewing bag, Tamara pushed open the
big door and stepped into the warm
dimness beyond The tremendous
structure was undivided by partition.
ing walls, but her view Of it was OBJ.
structed none the less by sets. Int.
riors of libraries and kitchens and
exteriors Of desert sand, palm trees,
striped tents.
Between all these were the ugly in
congruities of the props and platforms
and beams that supported the cameras
and the lights. The whole was lit
tered with chairs, properties. rub.
bish ropes, wires, all the impedi-
menta of the deserted sets.
Out Of sight behind all the walls
and doors a jargon Of voices and the
interrupted strains Of weak violin
and celeste music could be heard.
Tamara turned . corner formed by
the facade of an old-fashioned New
York saloon, with . lamp-post bear
ing the words "Bowery" and Canal
street" tottering near 1t, and was In
the center Of the active group that
was engaged in the taking Of . NOV
ing picture.
To her left the familiar deck Of
the Almiris, millionaire cuthbert-
sons luxury yacht. was rising and
falling spasmodically on the familiar
waves. The director had told Tam
what those waves cost per second
many times, and she had forgotten
1t once again, but she was surprised
to see them going full force, with their
accustomed racket, when, the cameras
were not busy.
The Almiris was not, Of course,
completely represented, although she
was some day on the screen TO seem
the very queen Of pleasure boats. One
Of the beautiful yachts now lying In
San Pedro Harbor was to double for
the Almiris in her entirety. But here
In the studio was represented only
one deck, with curtained cabin win
dows and . business-Nke wheel and
with lfeboats and stacks and hatch
heads indicated only In so far as they
would show Is = background for beau-
tiful little Lorraine Alsace. who was
the star Of Kisses at Sea."
(To be continued Monday