Show Telegram Fiction Fiction- tion I J Jealous e a r Gal Ga GalBy 11 By Vera Vcra Brown INSTALMENT 34 14 Gossip Afterward Eden wondered at her She had not realized the depth of Scotts Scott's hatred haired for her He owed her an old score he felt fell Here was a chance to get even esen He begrudged be begrudged grudged her her success He swore she had won her own fame by wrecking wrecking wrecking wreck wreck- ing his career And he had his chance at last Suddenly began a whispering cam cam- It Il came apparently from no nowhere nowhere where in a town lown which lives Jives and arid breathes for gossip It was just a murmur at first bruited about among those in the know heard it raised his eyebrows and wondered why he hadn't thought of oC that thal before Stamm heard it And Henderson But Eden no longer cared She had Thea rnea safe She would go into inlo court courland and swear Thea was wa her own child i if it should be necessary Two weeks after Scotts Scott's visit Henderson Henderson Hen Hen- derson came for d dinner He usually usually- dined with her one night a week but this time lime Eden knew he was troubled She waited wailed for tor him to speak After dinner as they sat sal at the edge of the swimming pool as they liked to do out under the stars he mentioned the gossip It It seems to have started all of ot a sudden I cant can't understand it Eden I know Ive I've heard Stamm spoke to me today loday Im But what can I do I cant can't deny it for there has been nothing noth noth- ing tag printed Oh they wont won't print anything But there it il is whisper is-whisper whisper whisper One lOne of the newspaper men tried to talk to me mc about it loday today I cut him himoff himoff lof off pretty short horl But Stamm Eden felt a sudden fear Henderson was silent for a little I think hed he'd like you to lo send Thea Theato Thealo to lo Europe for a year ear or two Iwo Just until this thing d dies es down Edens Eden's face was sel set So Scott was getting etting his revenge She had been afraid of an attempted or ora ora a lawsuit But this Sh She could I combat these these whispers s r Hc Her hands c were tied You could send her over over with wilh Mrs Whiting It would be a change for or her and their schools are arc excellent excellent excellent excel excel- lent N Never I But Eden I dont don't think you OU realIze real real- ize ho how seri serious us this is 3 True it will never be printed but these stories get out The fans hear them They spread like wildfire Everybody who goes joes back east from Hollywood likes to lo o dish the dirt They pretend they're in the know Its It's bad Did id Stamm ask you to tell me that Edens Eden's voice was flat Not Nol in so man many words But I think that's why he brought the matter up Henderson Wa was more worried than he cared to admit dmit There never has been a breath of scandal travel far far- about Ut y you ou U Eden Th These thin things Let them It isn't true I I know But Eden youre you're a movie star ar YOU cant can't Let say sav them talk Not ot you OU OlL You ar are the kind of girl who shouldn't be talked about It isn't your type The fans wont won't like Jl It They'll build up a legend about you He leaned over and patted palled her her- hand affectionately It Good girl That's Thal's th penalty 1 y you rou U pay f for r SUch a I haven't done so many thin things s in m my life liCe I am ashamed Shamed of aU Eden cried out in m protest Ill match my conduct with anybody's any any- body's in town 1 Ive I've stayed awa away from m wild parties ICS I Ive I've behaved Vt myself Ive I've worked longer Cr hours ours than the worst sweatshop ir m in the world would de mandi mand Ive I've V given them wh everything H What do they want But youre you're their Ideal American Girl T The fans i don dont don't l want to be dis abused They want you ou as you arc are A sweet lovely woman Therell There'll be the devil to lo pay if they're there disappointed Henderson felt tell he had to be cruel lo to make Eden understand Stars sometimes have to do a lot lol of ot d desperate things thing to save them them- selves Eden knew he 5 Was thinking ol oj Judith T Girard and Girard-and and her cruel marriage to lo o Gordon Gordon to to save herself and andl Stamm from scandal And Stamm complains about me Hes right dear It is business You must be carefuL It should be stopped now while now while there is time What Stamm has done is Lc nothing to you This is your future Ill never send Thea away Vic Vie She needs me She's a lonely little girl girl girl- Eden could not explain all those months when Thea was alone with wilh Mrs Whiting beloved by a mother who did not nol dare declare herself Henderson let the matter mailer drop for forthe forthe forthe the time being He felt fell he could convince convince convince con con- vince Eden later laler when the first shock shoe of this thing lhing was over But the whispering had gone gon farther farther far far- ther than even Henderson had thought bought It grew like a pebble thrown into nto a pond circling out and out until it t reached the opposite shore They heard back in Niles Her lIer aunt wrote reproving shocked There were traces of oC it in Edens Eden's fan mail The story o of Edens Eden's early romance with Gordon Saunders was bruited about She wondered if it Carol an ansi Valerie had anything to lo do with wilh that Not intentionally But a word here ere and there Enough people knew about aboul it t The army post talked of course Probably the they too believed the child chile was vas hersI hersI hers I wish she were Eden often though hough fiercely But she was helpless The whispering whisper whisper- ing b became came a buzz in Hollywood New Newspapers papers and Ian fan besieged be be- her for new pic pictures lures of herself hersel and rhea Thea At first she refused but bu Stamm finally ordered the photo graphs taken laken It was too late lale to stop he the gossip The damage was done No use to send Thea away now The situation had to be faced brazenly That week Colin telephoned from Chicago He would be on the coas coast Saturday morning Eden harassed and worried felt a wave of relief relic a at olin's olins voice For Eden had made a decision She was through with Holly Holly- wood She would marry Colin CoHn anc and be c happy happ away from the struggle the jealousies the quarreling Colin Cohn arrived Saturday morning on the Chief Eden sent her chauffeur and Brentwood to lo meet him himor for or she herself was tied up on he her new picture She was ill a at ease Porter the ace nce still sUII man who enio enjoyed ed photographing Eden found fount her ner difficult this morning Plate niter after plate He piled them up dissatisfied and a little annoyed Things just did not seem to go so right The wardrobe department sent over more frocks the makeup women were recruited Porter Parler had Edens Eden's hair arranged a anew anew new way vay By noon Porter was in sue suea such sucha a nervous state he turned on Eden in 10 a fury In her her- overwrought condi cond tion lion quick tears sprang to her eyes This then was the origin of Porters Porter's Porters Porter's Por Par ter's now famous picture of Eden Ede Thane You have read v various rious stories stone of ot How he struggled d lo to get set that portrait portrait por pore trait which was printed around th the world Columns were written about abou it It won prizes as the best besl photograph photograph photo photo- graph of the year It was the showpiece show piece of the national photographic photograph show But here is fc the truth It was pure pur accident Porters Porter's training from his newspaper newspaper- days had taught him a always al al- ways to be on the alert It was a fluke But what a fluke lukel That photograph o of Eden Thane her eyes brimming wit with tears lears was a thing of beauty Reports Report said they were glycerin tears that tha Porter was an expert had hac etched them In Odd that that- when the proofs came cam through h Eden was wae so engrossed ced in he her own personal affairs that she hardly noticed them It was only after mo st mo-st of the rotogravure papers in th the country had used the picture that tha she rhe could recognize what an excellent I piece of ot work Porter had done Tears rears the picture was wa called when it was entered in th the thc national photographer show J I CoHn Colin was as in Hollywood That was wa all that concerned Eden these days Because she he wanted Colin Cohn U to know Henderson she entertained cons consic consid d- d for him Eden had few close friends in Ho Hol lywood but she knew every everybody bod and everybody came to her home if the they vere er invited Eden knew CoHn Colin would find rind most of them Interesting ng man many of them amusing and some of them fascinating That next week Eden begged a few days days' respite from the lot They had finished her latest picture picture pic pie ture and were not ready for work on the next Eden and Colin Cohn went vent long drives together They played tennis lennis There were innumerable teas lo to which they were invited For the first time lime in her Holl Hollywood wood career Eden visited some of the smarter night clubs because Colin Cohn wanted to too go o He was so proud of her so naive in 1st his worship that he enjoyed walking walking walk walk- ling ing into a club with her beside him The sudden silence her appearance brought rought The applause The rush o of fans ins ans autograph seekers ekers You get tired of it But when were we're married well we'll foret forget for for- get et all this Eden You'll stop slop while youre you're at the height of your career With Vilh no regrets And well we'll go all the places all over the tb-c world you OU want wanto to o go They were completely happy Eden honestly believed that she loved oved Colin Cohn Not ss as she had Gordon of f cour course e. e It would never be like that again That was youth cuth She and nd Colin Cohn were companionable and andley the they ley could laugh together so easily The girl was utterly unaware how much she craved laughter how litle litlie lit lit- tIe lie le of is she had had in her life She had been afraid that she and I Colin Cohn would woUd n never recapture th that 1 gay New York adventure but Hollywood Hollywood Holly Holly- wood in May is a beautiful place This time it was Colin Cohn who got gOl such a tremendous tremendous tremendous tre tre- kick out o of ever everything lhing And Eden watching him was happy At the end of the first week Judith Girard planned a l large rge party part in Colins Colitis Colin's Colins Co Co- lins lin's honor honor- That was because of Gordon Colin Cohn had met her during he the short troubled marriage though he knew little of the trouble between his schoolmate and Judith lie He accepted accepted ac ac- ac the he invitation willingly enough h and Eden could not protest Ever Everybody body who was anybody in Hollywood was there for Girards Girard's huge uge party Everybody that Is ex except except except ex Henderson He He- was of oil off vacationing vacationing vacationing vaca vaca- had gone shortly after etHer Colin Cohn arrived He had pleaded he did not feel eel welL He had been working too oo hard and wanted to get back into inlo condition bet before ore the summer tion ion schedule started Eden had accepted ac ae what he be said because be cause she did not think much about it She was too preoccupied She Shedid Shedid did riot not mean to be cruet crueL Henderson knew that but he lie felt he could not stay in Hollywood now He had to get Ket his feet Ced on the ground U to use Edens Eden's own phrase The truth of It was he could not bear to see Eden and Colin Cohn together The party was a huge success Never had Eden looked more beautiful beautiful beau beau- li ul for she was radiantly happy Although their engagement had not been announced all nil Holly wood took it for granted that It would be before Colin Cohn le left l town That night Eden laugh at what her horoscope had to say soy She had gone through h her bad luck That was over The party was something something some some- thing in the nature of a triumph for fori Eden She was the queen of the af affair fair It proved conclusively how farshe far far- farshe farshe she had outstripped Judith Girard The new star and the old Some of the timers old watched They could see sec the tragedy behind Girards Girard's I dark eyes but she was the perfect hostess She did homage gracefully to lo this new nev beauty She stood beside her in the rec receiving iving lin line although she he knew that Edens Eden's fresh young youn be beauty uty made her own seem dead and old Judith Girard was sincere in her admiration for Edens Eden's work as a ap p picture clure star In fact Girard had never realized what her marriage to Gordon had meant to Eden She was too loo accustomed to taking what she wanted wanted wanted-no no questions asked no payment demanded Judith would not have beers been human if it she had not felt days and months month of bitterness at her fading fame But she was realist enough to know that if ii it had not been Eden it would have been some other girl irl And Aid Mavis Andre had cast the prophetic shadow shadow shad shad- ow before Eden came alon along But that night Judith G Girard rard was avenged for any indignities ties her fame had suffered And she never knew it it To Be Continued Tomorrow |