The Nome daily nugget., 1937-08-28

| actor l was still skeptlcai moreover, l felt guilty about not warning the kid. It wasn't right.
 Well, time went on and Darthea made another picture with equally successful results. and my feeling of guilt grew more pronounced In the end decided to tell the kid exactly what l thought. even though 1t cos. | me my job.
 Tt was hard telling her. hard be | cause she was so likeable, such a real | ly decent sort and so delighted with her own success. The kindest way. l convinced myself. was to be brutally | frank. to get it all over with at once.
 And so l called her into my office. 'Darthea.' said. without prelim inaries. let me tell you right now. you're riding for fall. IL can't last. "She stared at me with her big round innocent eyes, and for moment felt like cad and wished l hadn't begun. T don't believe 1 understand. Mr. Wells. What is it that can't | last?'
 "l looked away, got grip on my self and plunged. Tt can't last l said. because you're personality. Because you've lost your Individuality Because you'll become q type Be cause you're not an actress nor ever will be. Right now the movies are in their infancy. and most anything goes. But before lon. the public Is going to demand art. They're going to become fed up on seeing a mere per sonality exhibit herself on the screen They're going to weary of types. Styles are going to change. and stars like yourself are bound to take dive
 "I broke off. because Darthea's face had gone white and her eyes were blazing. You've said quite enough. Mir. Wells. For almost a year worked as an extra girl and halt starved myself to keep on. trying to attract your attention by merely being myself. And at last l had to resort to something else. It was my own | idea and 1t worked. It brought me fame and good income. and now when it looks as though l were on the road to becoming great-well, I'm not | interested in your advice, Mir. Wells. or in you or in Forrest Films. hap l pen to be in demand and I'm going where I'm appreciated and where I'm paid the most money
 And with this she turned and went l n1l 1ns& ha Maybe I'd done wrong. but at least my conscience was clear. felt better. and didn't lose my job. even though Darthea left us and went with Ma | tiOnal."
 Tony paused. It was quite dark now. but sensed that he was smiling. "So what happened?' asked.
 Tony turned his head. What hap pened? Why. the only thing that could happen. Within six months every extra girl. in fact two-thirds of the feminine population of the coun- try, caught on to Darthea's artifice and copied her personality. Incredible though ir seems, they could do 1t easily merely by applying bit of eyebrow pencil and rouge and a curling iron. Darthea ceased to become an indi vidual or even personality. She be- came type"
 He paused, and 1t seemed to me that he intended to say something further and thought better of 1t. Then Mrs. Wells spoke out of the darkness.
 "You see, Darthea wasn't an artist. and only artists last fin the movies. or anywhere else. That's why Tony is a great director today-because he's an artist. enough of an artist to realize what Darthea lacked, and enough of a man 10 warn her against what was to come.
 Another pause. felt suddenly strange and queer. "What became of herr? l asked "Was that the end of Darthea Ellis? She must have hated Tony"
 Mrs. Wells laughter cut me off. "She did. And she came back to tell him just what she thought of him." Her laughter sounded again. Didn't Tony tell yon how 1t all ended"
 No" I smiled, and everything was suddenly clear. Irony didn't tell me. But l can guess Tony was artist enough to recognize the woman behinl Darthea Ellis. eh? That's why he warned her. And that, too, is why he married her. Eh. Mrs. WellsT"
 "I never knew" said Mrs. Wells. "I was never enough interested to ask"