Evening star., 1936-04-18
|Ef;$;WWM%1f6%tj2S' ~
&mNSW wkAIHLEEN NORRIS ~

/ service and achievement. No, it had
caught her instead. The laxneSS and
dirtiness and weakness had found her
just as easy prey as any poor little
girl like Lita ever had been-Lita, who
had never known decent influences,
fine women, fine codes.
And the smarting, insufferable
crown Of 1t all was to realize that
Mayne had escaped free into the
Southern sunshine, was working hard,
eating hard. sleeping deep, and that
other girls were smiling at Mayne,
fiuttered when he smiled back, ex-
cited when he suggested a cup Of
coffee and a sandwich at the Three
Pigs.
She wrote him once. In the two
weeks after they parted she heard
from him twice, but in neither letter
did he say one word of what she was
sick with hunger to hear. Tam hated
herself because her heart would leap
when she saw his familiar hand
writing and the Hollywood postmark,
but she knew before she opened the
letters exactly the sort Of thing he
would say. He did not surprise her
with his brief mention of health and
weather, his safe general endearments
his charge to her to be a good kid. and
not to forget that just as soon as an
opening showed up he was going to
wire her TO come down to Culver City.
All this she expected. She had
known about this since that heavy.
sultry Sunday in Sacramento when
he had had Berman's wire summon
ing him back to the movie studio, and
had left the cast of Five Sons"
Instantly the change that by
glimpses and moods had already
frightened her in his manner had be-
come confirmed he had become May
nard Mallory Of Hollywood again, con-
fldent, laughing. unreachable.
Every hour of that horrible Sunday
was stamped on her mind. 1t had
been sticky, sunless, empty The only
movies in the city. she and Mayne
had seen before and did not care to
see again. Mayne and Feeney had
had a quarrel about his abbreviated
engagement; Mayne was failing them
for the last two performances, and
Feeney had resented it.
I've hurt myself in the movies
enough now, coming out with your
damned little picayune company"
Mayne had shouted in the course Of
! the argument. Now Berman wants
me. and I'm damned lucky he does.
and you can go sit on a tack!"
| He had been flushed and angry as
he and Tam had started out for a
walk. but quickly his qualification at
the prospect Of this new contract had
Gained him. 1t was pretty fattering,
he had said to Tam, to be called of
one job for another like this, when
the darned fool of a public had been
crazy about you for years anyway
and ought to be fed up.
Tam had walked at his side, SYM
pathetic and congratulatory. But her
heart within her had been sick.
There had been no talk of her going
South with him;;.she had known for
days that there would not be. Only
once, some days earlier than this, had
she dared to suggest it.
IF Berman really sends for you,
Mayne. why shouldn't I go down and
have a look?"
"Oh. hell, no, darling" he had an
swered easily. That would throw
the monkey wrench into everything /!
This part I'm to play is a sort of
miracle man. fixing every one up, de-
cent, you know. couldn't take a
woman-I wouldn't have time-old
Same would get onto everything like
a shot"
Humiliated beyond anything she
had ever dreamed of humiliation.
Tam had been silent. But she was