Show Telegram Fiction Fiction- J I E P A A I L 0 O U 1 I S 5 C G VJ AL A A I L i B Brown Vera WORKING GIRL From that night o cm on Eden waited each evening for lor the little girl Jirl who came so furtively to the hedge They smiled at each other and sometimes Eden had a gift for h her hr r. r The child would smile her than thans and run away It was more than a week after her meeting with this amusing and furtive fur fur- tive live little neighbor that thai Eden realized real real- she was the baby whom she had hadl seen cen at El Rancho playing plain in the yard ard of the little cottage below the ranch hou house e. e Eden m made th dis discovery covery when the woman came swooping swooping swooping swoop swoop- ing down upon the baby as she stood at the hedge The woman glared lared at Eden and spoke sharply to the little girl Please dont don't scold her it is La my fault faull Eden explained I uI like Uke t talking talk talk- lk 0 ing tog to her She's such a beautiful baby The woman only glared harder harder scooped up the baby and hurried away Work Every day Eden Thane 0 blessed those words She worked with her voice olce her acting her pos pos- ture She read rend innumerable pl plays s 's aloud Eden had found a struggling young young girl from Brooklyn n to live with her and do the cooking After Arter sup sup- sup 0 per sometimes the two of oC them did 0 scenes from rom various plays Martha l Wright had come to HolI Hollywood wood 1 to seek a career like so o many other struck movie girls Like too many others she was glad lad eventually to get a job at housework Eden saw almost nothing of Hen lien derson Iderson except when occasionally he 0 used her in a short Mavis Andre was busy with a new picture and although al at- 0 though she sometimes sent Miss 1 Wentworth Went Went- worth to Edens Eden's house she never came herself Eden did not expect 0 it She was happy to have known 0 Mavis as she had To Eden Mavis Andre would always be the most 0 genuine th the kindest person in all 0 Hollywood When Eden heard car cere 0 tam tain stories repeated about the star she was furious Suppose Andre had 0 had four husbands 1 She was a marvelous marvelous mar mar- person In June the star was ill for a few days and Eden formed the h habit bit of 0 dropping in at al her bet home when she came from the lot lol Shed She'd drive her dilapidated car in through the service entrance to the great house If IC there were no other visitors Eden would sit with Mavis Mayis for a little while The girls girl's irIs irI's freshness gave ave to the tired unhappy woman some measure of ot relief As for Eden she listened I to Mavis eagerly and learned much from her When Mavis went vant back to work vork an oddly close friendship had developed between the two ally Eden slipped sUpped into tHe tile habit of coming to the stars star's home each night and talking to her while she dressed L for dinner Sometimes Eden stayed for only a few moments but Mavis liked her to come no matter how hur ried ned she was Perhaps it was because Eden had not the remotest idea of the I ela elaborate Intricate studio politics that thai Mavis Ma found her such a relief Perhaps Per Per- haps it was partly because of all all the hundreds of at people pooDle Mavis had helped I in Hollywood this girl was the oni only one fact who Hollywood never took advant advantage ge of that L I knew nothing o of thi this friendship It Il was apart from Holly HoUy- I wood wod its ILc J intrigue jealousies its bat lung Mavis Insisted that Eden I ed h her rIe r. r rest If Ie youre you're ever tired or aged you never show how it ill illI illI I am sometimes But the girls girl's ca eager cager er freshness remained Eden liked to talk to Mavis about L the he plays she read It Oddly enough h I was Eden who suggested that she to Mavis do Coming Aphrodite Eden c came into Mavis' Mavis boUdoir one summer evening with that b book ok un der her arm And that night Mavis Andre was an art n hour and a half halt late for a dinner engagement Coming Aphrodite was to be the greatest of all Andres Andre's pictures anc and I afterward when they tried to ber just how it nil all happened they r could not tell teU But as Mavis contin with her dressing Eden read the thc story aloud to the star Edens Eden's soft sort dramatic voice made the story live for lor Mavis Andre When she came to tc I the last page she looked up tip Miss l Andre that would make a I perfect picture log lor you I I I I Mavis putting mascara on her l lashes ashes sat for a long time looking lookin li i into nto the mirror She could sin sing well sing well enough for Cor such a picture Yes she needed a good dramatic story Something Something Some Some- t thing hing different from her usual moll molt role Something more subtle with a colorful background Leave the book Eden Ill I'll reread i it t again tonight Afterward Eden E tried to remember remember ber too when she first told Mavis about abou the lovely little girl Irl in the garden garden gar gar- den across cross the way y from her bunga bunga- l low ow But she could not nol That casual c conversation was lost in the excitement excitement excite excite- ment of oC the new picture i Eden was to have the tiniest bit In int I i it il t and she was as thrilled She was to tobe tobe be Molly the circus balloonist with I j just a few lines hues to speak But that meant working for Hender Henderson on watchIng watch watch- Ing l og the famous Andre technique and she counted herself of the luckiest Eden felt a proprietary interest in inthe inthe inthe the picture She studied every part tried to lo sec see just how the script people peo pIe built pictures from short stories and novels She felt Celt that she was l learning earning a lot about the motion picture picture pic plc- ture business S Henderson was as too busy to talk to her much but in the middle o of the production he stopped her one night as she was as leaving Theres a i small ismAll part in Dean Scotts Scott's new picture Just a scene cene in a res res- res But Bul it is all experience Youre You're going to get gel et It it Eden did not see sec the rushes for lor Corning Coming Aphrodite She was too busy working with Pemberton But Milton Millon Sayers did and that clinched any argument about Edens Eden's setting getting etlin the bit in Scotts Scott's film Pemberton worked with her over the little mlle scene The They rehearsed it il using the blank phonograph record recordS And Eden would listen carefully to every syllable of her voice as the record w was played back Youve got to be so letter pc you dont don't have to think of oC anything but what hat you are feeling Pemberton Pemberton Pember Pember- ton insisted Eden wrote long letters home and sent ever every penny she could spare Since she went nowhere in Hollywood Hollywood Holly Holly- wood tood she needed few clothes and md those Mavis had bought earlier in 10 the season sufficed her Her lather father her aunt informed her was not so well If IC he could only be brought to California California Cali Coli fornia lornia That was Edens Eden's aim She dreaded his facin facing the hot ho summer again asnin If th these e parts went vent right he would come There was so o much at stake slake that sometimes she felt old and tired She understood Mavis better now It was such a struggle You hoped for lor so much Had such dreams and aspirations Like crying and wishing for the moon Dean Scott was pleasant to her more pleasant than she had expected She told Mavis about that and Mavis laugh ted shrugging her shoulders Hes a type you'll have to get used to Only dont don't fall in love with him The expression on Edens Eden's face satisfied satis sails lied fied her She laughed a little litHe bitterly Eden thought I wish he could see your face It would never occur to him that any woman could feel leel that thal way about him himi Mavis seemed more restless more unhappy than ever Eden wondered about her sometimes The new pic plc- turc ture was wa going so well Eden could not Inot understand her disquiet el Im a prisoner Mavis would ex ex- exclaim exclaim claim suddenly They TIley would take more care to keep a race horse happy than they do me Her bitterness against Stamm surprised Eden Im more valuable to General Films than anybody else on this lot lot lot- not excluding Girard Girardi Yet see what they arc doln doing to me And she would fall into a brooding silence from which Eden could not distract her Sometimes Mavis gave Eden reports on Girards Girard's activities Mavis took delight in her rivals rival's difficulties for difficulties she was having Her latest lat latest est picture released after alter all the publicity publicity pub pub- attendant on Gordons Gordon's death was a complete flop Her first And she's acting like a fiend Am I laugh laughing In I knew this day would come but it Is good Good Od How I hate that woman It was waI all inexplicable to Eden who certainty certainly bad had no love for tor Judith To h her er Mavis had so ro little reason to dislike dis dis- dis l like ike this falling failing star Why do you OU hate her so Mavis shrugged You dont don't need to hate her her her- youve you've so far passed her it is funny It isn't that I cant can't help feeling a little sorry Mrry f for lor or her She's frantic these days das And Im I'm glad Glad It was vas that night that Mavis gave ave Eden the kc key Without explanation asking that Eden keep her trust It II was a key to a safety deposit box t taken aken out in Edens Eden's name I know you ou must think this is queer but if it anything ever happens t to o me I want you to have this Eden looking down at the key exclaimed ex cx- claimed What could happen to you ou Life is uncertain and I have no friends friend I have nobody I can trust Eden It was a cry a of a R pitifully lonely woman a woman afraid It was so O like Mavis to dramatize her situation which Eden could not Understand understand un Un- as a situation at all aU You dont don't understand You'll know some day Im I'm lonely Im I'm afraid Afraid o of everybody Today there were more threatening letters though I dont don't care about them But I cant can't trust anybody only anybody only you and Hen Hen- derson Men Mavis' Mavis voice was 0 sharp Some day you'll know about 0 that I cant can't even get interested in a man I know what blackmail is ia I If I told you all the things which have happened to me you wouldn't believe it Ive I've just got ot out o of another mess not not my fault Eden I swear it I cant can't stand another scandal candal any more than Girard could It has killed her She didn't fool anybody about Saunders ders and the story is leaking out Stamm knows what's back of this failure of her new picture besides its bein being a lousy picture Im I'm pain paying alot a alot alot lot o of money a week right now now for for safety Ive I've always been pretty prelly decent decent de de- de cent Oh Ob Im I'm not posing Im I'm no i lily But Bu t I have played square quare and what h has s it got gol me Just trouble Eden had never seen Mavis so o up up- set She was amazed and a little frightened at the intensity of her words Mavis stopped slopped abr abruptly thinking think think- in ing she had said too much She went of off to dine somewhere in Beverly Hills and F Eden en went vent home to see the little girl behind the hedge At the bungalow Eden found an early call for the studio on the following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing day She had finished her part in Dean Scotts Scott's Dry Martini so o she wondered what it was all ail about Henderson stopped by about 11 just before belore she he was ready for lor bed I had to see ee you Eden Your chaice is here herel That bit in Dry Martini did it I want you oU to to seethe see sec ec the rushes at 8 II o'clock tomorrow morning He was sas smiling down ather ather at ather her eager lace face writ writing ins a apart apart apart part into the picture for lor you ou It will give you OU second lead a chance for lor forthe i ithe the critics to see sec what youre you're really like The boys are working on the r i script tonight It will be ready by noon tomorrow When he had gone Eden went upstairs upstairs up up- stairs to her bedroom She did not turn lurn on the light but sat at her darkened darkened dark dark- ened ene-d window looking out toward the mountains for a long time She could see sec the airmail beacon on the hills hUls I flashing out the course to night fliers The stars were brilliant Her heart hearty Iwas was so lull full of gratitude she could not nol j think coherently But she wondered it if somewhere up there in the sky Gordon might not know ab about ut her ber She hoped he did To be continued tomorrow |