The Washington times., 1937-04-01

|
Writing to a man you never set
eyes on. never heard of such silli-
neSS!" Julie sighed whenever she
caught sight of one Of Edwards air
mail letters, or knew that Marie
was writing one to him.
But it was harmless enough d.
version, and it was keeping Marie
amused and interested, and for
that she, who often thought Of her
self as the hen who Matched a
duckling, was prepared to give
thanks.
Maries was a problem. If she'd
been wild, or headStrong, or other
wise inclined to get into trouble,
Julie would have known how to
handle her. She still remembered
her own girlhood wildly.
But Marie wasn't like that.
Marie was different.
She didn't want to do things like
other girls. Didn't want to get into
pictures. Didn't want to go to a
business school, and become an Of
flee girl.
Well, Julie couldn't understand
jules people had all been "in
the profession" jules mother had
played in stock for more than forty
years, beginning as the maid in
"zaza" and working through I'm
counted weeks of ingenue and lead
ing woman roles to brief success
on Broadway, then back to stock
and character woman" and final
ly mother parts in the first days Of
the silent pictures.
jules father was an actor, and
so was her second husband. She
herself had worked in pictures.
Had done we'll, until the talkieS
came in. But her ambition had
been to get out of ito settle
down and be comfortable, and
secure.
Charlie Bronson wasn't rich, but
he was able to give her and young
Marie security. Or he was, until
the bottom fell out of things. After
that, to supplement his carefully
managed income and save the prin.
cipal for the rainier days to come,
she started the beauty shop, and
the circulating library.
The circulting library had been
for Marie. If a girl didn't want to
go into the business world, and
didn't want to try to get into pic
lures, and refused to take an in
| tereSt in the beauty business, then
Julie Bronson had just one more
idea, and that was a circulating
library.
For you've got to do some
thing!" she argued.
Marie had protested a little.
She didn't think Charlie ought
to put his money into it. Maybe
she could find a job in some
one else's library instead. Maybe
she'd enter the university next
fall, and study study some
thing.
"What?" Julie and Charlie had
asked in chorus.
well, I did think Of art"
Marie said, land of course there's
English-and writing. And I al
ways liked botany, at High"
So they bought the library, and
Marie sat in the window and
dreamed and read books, and the
months sped by and the years,
from 10 to 81.
CHAPTER II
Sometimes she thought of
making a real try to get into
pictures, for the idea held glamor
for her. She could never under
stand jules attitude.
What If you did have to Starve
yourself, and study elocution and
work crazy hours, and never
know what was next? It would
be EXCITING!
But in her heart she knew that
it would never be, TO. if her
mother, who had been born to
it, and was never afraid of any
one, had found the pace too fast
for her, what chance had a girl
like she?
The screen executives and cast
ing directors to whom Julie had
sent her so confidently three
years ago, had never really seen
her. They were out of town, or
out on location, or in confer
ence. Sometimes she wondered,
and was instantly ashamed of
her own disloyalty, If they really
remembered who Julie Standifer
was? The fact that Julie had
changed from Julie to Julia, to
Juliet and back again, and, even
for a brief period. had used her
first husbands name, Alexander,
didn't make it easier to recall
her.
And without an appointment,
Marie could never get past the
crowds in the waiting room. She
didn't have the nerve, and she
knew it.
If she had been arrestingly
beautiful, or even an oddly un-
usual type
Her mothers friends had ad.
Vised her to go Russian" Di-
rectors were crazy about Rus.
slams. Marie's father, big, hand
some ne'er-do-well Steve Alex
ander, hadn't been Russian
really, though they always spoke
OF him that way. He had been
a Serb.
ITO be COntinuedl