The Washington times., 1936-12-08
TAYL0R'S JOY
MARRIED BY
TRAGEDY
BY LYDIA CALVERT
CHAPTER "A

CHAPTER IA
Now" thought Robert Taylor
on the day Of graduation from
Pomona College, II am the hap
piest man in the world"
He had his thumb in the "big-
gest gravy bowl in the world"
True. he never dreamed for a
minute Of counting on the movie
industry for anything but mod
crate living df he were lucky)
!, and a lot Of pleasure in his work
df they continued to put up
with him.
Meets Tragedy
HappyP Oh, radiantly! But it
was the darkness before the
dawn. Soon the sky fell, crash
ing around his strong, young
shoulders for the first time. He
walked hand in hand with the
grim life stranger, Futility. He
lost his father.
He had been attending one OF
the best dramatic schools In Hol-
lywood. He was on his own-no
longer college man. In the
maelStrom of cinema-land he be-
came another atom, for real rec
ognition had not yet come. But
he found this life exhilarating.
Competition was keen and It
stimulated him to better achieve.
ment: He was working hard and
making progress in this strange
new medium Of expression.
Wire From Mother
But then the blow fell. He tore
, open the wire from his mother
with shaking fingers. Being old
fashioned, she never sent tele-
grams except in matters of life
or death, and he almost knew
before he read it that one or
the other Of them was in trouble.
''YOur father was rushed to
the hospital today for an emerg.
ency operation. Come at once.
MOTHER"
He dropped everything and
started on a mad drive homeWard.
He disobeyed his fathers injunc
tion concerning speed. The shock
of the telegram still made him
tremble with it's awful message.
He stopped for a moment on his
way through Pomona to tell his
old friend, Professor Ross, the
tragic news. He needed sympathy
and an arm to lean on in his
hour Of stress.
"In 20 along with you, boy"
said the kindly professor. 1.-TWO
can drive it better than one.
It's q long way"
START LONG RIDE
" The understanding of the older
man caught the terror that was
. in the boys heart. He saw that he
was distraught. Leaving every
thing he climbed into the small
car and they started off immed'
lately on the ride to Beatrice,
where his father lay, unconscious,
in a hospital.
They alternated at the wheel.
Grim-faced, Robert was oblivious
to the rising needle of the speed
omter as the little car went tearing
up the white road, Illuminated by
the headlights gleam. Long hours
went by in which there was no
word between them. The profes,
sor understood. The boy was
fighting for courage and hoping
against hope for the stricken
father.
Father Rallies
Robert remembered how when
he had seen his father a gl1mmer
of optimism had returned. He had
rallied from the operation. Thin
ner, perhaps, with lines Of pain
p marked on his brow, he, however
showed, even in his illness, the
courage that comes from "forti
tude."
It was August, and Robert
stayed the month out with his
father.
But finally the older man
never wanting the moment to
end, but knowing that his sons
career was being held in allegiance
by his illness, told Robert:
"I'm all right now, son. You
20 on back to your Hollywood
and work hard. Maybe you
won't ever be President, but you
might get to be another "TOm
Mix"
WISH ME LUCK"
Robert laughed and patted his
fathers white-gowned arm af
fectionately. He was reaSSured.
sCViSh me luck, dad. What.