Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-03-19
CHAPTER As

I JANET IA N 1 EIfS Regarded HcT
husband silently for a few min
utes. & She thought: I've seen him
register every known expression
en- the screen but I've never seen
such utter detection in a figure in
my life. He looks as though all
the spirit had gone out of him.
Later she would be happy to
realize that she was not going
back to California but these mo-
ments were not for herself. She
wanted to coddle his head on her
lap and pat him as though he were
a child. Instead she said quite
atter-of-factly:
"You don't mean it, Joel. You
may mean that you don't want to
go back to the coast but you don't
mean that you're scared. How
could you be? Of what?"
He Strengthened but his shoul-
ders dropped. "Of myself. I've
been trying to get plan for next
season for these last two months.
There isn't a manager in New
York who will have me-"
II don't believe it," she said
staunchly.
II know it's true. And I know
why. I can't act, Janet. I'm a
tremendous joke on myself. I
know theater. I was born with a
love for it. You used to call it
technique and it made me angry.
said it was art. Well, it's both
but was on the wrong end of it
and I'm coming out nowhere.
About Hollywood, well, I never did
like it. I liked the prolonged pic
mic and the easy money but I'm
not a youngster any more and I
don't want to spend my life cut
ting up before a camera, holding
some gals hand just to make
money. Every inch of my spirit
rebels against going back to it."
Then, we won't go. Let's for
get that you even have the
chance"
1.-THE chance isn't very good,
Janet. When you're an actor, you
get used to looking in a mirror at
your stock in trade. My stock
isn't very high"
Joel Paynterw
He smiled at her, twisting his
mouth in a wry grin.
'Is it, honey? You know what
the camera does as well as I do.
I've put on Is pounds since we
came east. I can lose that but I
can't lose the lines in my face.
The camera will pick them up.
Do you suppose casting director
will fall over himself to offer me a
romantic lead with my hair be-
ginning to turn gray?"
stop talking as though you
were Methuselah"
'I don't want to be a young
character actor, Janet. And I'll be
DANCED if I'm going to dye my
hair. I'll be an insurance sales
man first. I'll save some remnant
of my pride"
JoePs pAide. Joel's pride. It
was beginning to hammer at her
memory Of course she should
have known. She should have re-
membered that it was the strong
est thing in him. How could she,
who had made so many compro-
misses for it, have forgotten? She
had vowed that she would always
protect it.
"There's the money angle" Joel
was saying. "How do you suppose
j feel about that? What have you
got to show for all those years :?
I feel like worm, JAM"
Janet said, t'We've $125, 900 In a
trust fund and an income of $4,000
a year which is not my idea Of be-
ing poverty stricken"
He laughed mirthlessly. "That'n
pay the rent on this place."
Russell Bede had offered her
$4,000 year!
That was the moment to tell
Joel but Scotch caution and more
held the words back. Joeps pride
again.
"The money is not important,
DEAR" she said. '"The important
thing is to find something for YOU
that you want to do. You'll be a
success at anything that you
want. I know it."
you're a little sweetheart" he
said.
"And we've the little theater at
Grannis."
He laughed gaily then. "And
another $1,000 a year? 1t would
be theater" The laughter died