Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-02-02
CHAPTER 10

THE WORD that Joel and Janet
PAINTER awaited so anxiously came
by telegram and told them nothing
except that Joel was summoned to
the New York offices Of the Fed
eral Picture Corporation immedi-
ately.
And there Joel was given the
contract that, for six months at
least, was to assure them security,
to lift the cloud Of worry from
Joers brow and to sky-rocket him
to heights of jubilance. It was to
do other things that neither Of
them could have foreseen.
Let ..l - happy, then, in the
contemplation of their adventure,
exultant as children facing a bright
new world. They had wealth be-
yond the dreams of avarice. They
had three hundred dollars a week
"a sum that was later to be pin
money but today it was a fortune
--every week for the next six
months starting from the day that
Joel signed his contract. The day
was October 1st and Janet was
never to forget it.
They had four days in which to
dispose of their pitifully few pos
sessions in New York. And they
had a drawing room on the extra
fare California-bound Superb Chief.
They were like two children dur
ing those last, mad, exciting days.
Were not coming back until we
are famous" Joel said to her while
they lunched at the Ritz, $50 we've
got to cram everything we can into
these last days. We will never see
New York through such enchanted
eyes again"
Those were prophetic words.
When next they returned, the gloss
was off the gold, dimmed by time
and circumstance, and money, the
power that makes dreams come
true, was an accustomed thing to
them. But now it was something
that gave you everything you
wanted. It didn't hurt you to
glance at a dinner check that
would have bought a weeks meals
in those difficult days SO short a
time before. You could so where
you pleased. When it rained, you
took a taxi. When you were so
tired your back ached, you no
longer had to hang onto subway
strap. You rode in a cab.
You shopped. You bought a
smart little beige twill suit, beau
tifully tailored to the slight, svelte
lines of your figure. You bought
ha1d-knit sweaters and lingerie
bleuses as dainty cs baby's dress.
You bought an aquamarine blue
shirtwaist frock of real silk and
an evening gown with q jacket
banded in dark fur which cost more
than your Scotch heart thought
best because Joel said you looked
lovely in it. You bought beautiful
shoes and gay little hats and you
discovered for the first time that
you had great chic. New clothes
gave you distinction.
Or you bought a rough tweed
suit and a new dinner jacket and
polo coat and a top hat. Oh, you
had as much fun as children in a
toyshop. And you salved your con-
science by saying: you have to
have things like this because they
are the props in your profession.
You gave a party, too. You
wanted to show off your success.
So you borrowed the home Of Mr..
and Mrs. Taylor where first you
if you were Janet or Joel-had met.
You invited al the people you had
ever known. There were the bows
and girls from the theater, the boys
and girls who had made up Janet's
world before Joel had erased it and
made a new one for you. You in
vited the Reverend Fisher, who had
married you in his home in Chester
where you had grown up in little
house like his across the road. and