Evening star., 1937-10-01

6OOho HtOf z fShE u . VI OC4
ing" After that he sang He was also
a good singer. He had a mellow voice,
and he put his heart in his selection
THE World Owes Me a Living
From time to time he stepped back
from his easel to admire his handi-
work. Sometimes he spoke aloud say
ing. Not bad," or Pretty good" or
even SWELL"
Outside all was harmony and
Springtime. Not the quiet harmony
of rustic Spring-although a few
seeds we're trying to sprout in the
parking lot-but the laundering har-
mony of a great metropolis-a bass
overtone of subways and elevateds
that formed symphonic foundation
for an obbligato of newspaper boys
voices.
There was a knock on the door of
the trailer. Charlie cried cheerily,
"Come in, come in, whoever you are!"
Margit came in. In fact, she sailed
In. She was wearing one of her own
new Spring creations, which included
a jade green hat with long feather
that pointed toward Polaris or Arc
turus. Her face was determined and
composed.
You look great" Charlie said.
whats that you've got on your
head?"
"a hat"
Looks more like a surveying in
strument. Sit down."
Margit obeyed. She stared from the
stuffed swordfish to the Malay kriss,
to the plaque from the Abyssinian
Embassy in Rome-an item that sug-
gested pilfering and smuggling. She
said, Il didn't know you had easy
chairs in these things"
He nodded. You'll find almost
anything in the world in trailers.
Paupers, millionaires, Russian crown
Jewels"
Her eye came to rest on his pic
ture. She stared. 1t was a portrait
of herself. Involuntarily she stood up
1t was herself-and yet not herself
1t was herself without intensity, with
out tautness, without the costume of a
modern business woman-herself in
a very fabulous and imaginary neg
1igee-relaxed, voluptuous, lips part
ed, eyes languid. The thing startled
her. 1t was like an insult 1t was
like losing some of her garments in
public. And yet it was very beautiful
so beautiful that instead of turning
IN him fIirin1Ic1yy u-l,i i1n h1o
her first impulse, she was struck
dumb.
Like it?" he asked.
His question disrupted her aston
ishment. mo! It's despicable! You
have no right to do that to people" :"
Il have a right to paint anything
see any way I please"
you have not!"
"On the contrary, I have. I was
thinking I would exhibit this in a
store window on Fifth avenue. I was
going to paint background of desks
and telephones and secretaries and
typewriters and call it Business Wom-
an My idea being that woman's
place is in the home. 1 mean-''
he glanced at her out of the corner
of his eye, ito see this lovely female
surrounded by dictaphones and filing
cabinets would be obviously fantas-
tic. Waste of beauty. Waste of what
Spike calls zingo."
IF you exhibit that picture,1 Mar
git said, hotly, half the people in
New York would recognize it," Her
voice grew angry. ."Td sue you"
Swell! Artists need publicity. But
If it really upsets you-" he picked
up brush. Rapidly, over the two
luminous, desiring eyes of the portrait
he painted black circles. With another
brush stroke he made ear pieces and 6
bridge. Margit's portrait abruptly
wore smoked glasses.
She gasped. You spoiled It'll"
Charlie stepped back and sighed
He dropped his brush. "No. Yol
did"
Suddenly he grinned again. He wa,
looking at her. He had painted hel
hair undone-a heavy, dark loci
fallen over her forehead-but nov
he picked up his tools and in a min.
ute he had placed upon the heac
Of the lady in the negligee-the lad.
who now wore smoked glasses
somewhat exaggerated replica of tn,
hat which Margit was wearing.
She had forgotten her first reac
ton. She watched the desecrat tio1