| Show i J I A i. i V r rv 1 i J m i r f. i F r Roy Cohen V A AJ mAKE that every So poison drop y R Register gister hopeless despair Stagger a If J now bk-now bh begin to slump toward toward the ground That's it so l I Now fan Easy 1 Face down flat gai st the floor flat So-o So s1 it slowly Now slowlY ow-slowlY raise your head right at the register camera supreme tragedy tragedy-tragedy J so o so-o so That's it youre you're dying dying dying- j dying So So-oI AU All rIght Fade out camera fade out The cameraman gave his machine a couple f j of f extra t turns for good measure and the y dead woman woman arose arose quickly and bru brushed hd the dust from er evening One gown spot ref refused re- re f fused fuse to come out and the sensuous lips of th the woman curled back angrily This vampire stuff g gets ts my goat she j I said tartly What with snaking around t 1 over the floor six or seven times Umes i every plc- plc tore I haven't got of a gown own left that looks decent Ill I'll give a thousand to the man x I who'll write a scenario which lets pire live Cat Cal Harding laughed throatily c Gwan The Thelma youre you're always always always' kickin They s strolled rolled shoulder to shoulder toward I the room dressing corridor the regal woman and the dynamic little director They were good pals these twain and owed owe their success success suc suc- r cess on one to the other Thelma Barret s t r of o the vampires vampires and Cd Cal Harding queen queens a super super- f director i IT IS funn said the man what the public will fall faU for What the devil is fe a vampire woman anyway You YouL- YouL you ou- ou j Thelma Barret n a vampire But its it's money Thelma And I suppose theres there's another picture on tap for me right some off more of this heavy eyed floor crawling passionate passionate kiss kissi kiss kiss- i mg ing stuff Sure Bobby pop Naff was telling me today that were we're going to Colville for a few ew wee weeks s to take all the exteriors Its It's a of Roy Ulrichs Ulrich's novel ri tio tion and practically the whole story sto y iss is laid I in a a small town So its it's the gang of us for Colville- Colville The famous vampire clapPed her hands in girlish glee I the best est news ever Cal pit means means means' that I can get a layoff on this wickedness wickedness' tuff stuff I can meet people again like a human being The man grinned i Whoa Who there Thelma 1 Whoa Youve You've t got your wires crossed The youve you've been doing around these studios aint f a circumstance to what you'll have bave to pull at Colville Vampire Why Thelma you'll 1 have to vampire worse in Colville in one f day than youve you've ever done here in a month L s Around rou d' d here aU all but the schoolgirls are re I 1 pretty skeptical b but t in a little burg like f r J that phew t Im disgusted disgusted disgusted- I f I But its Thel-it's the greatest little old f Y 1 press agent opportunity ev ever r presented ri ys' ys Yo You'll ll have lla that tha burg standing en one ear inside of forty eight hours Well We'll get our ourt 4 t 1 for the a asking king An And you know those 3 ham towns towns-they'll be asking you to address f j n the Fe-d Fe Federation ration of Women's Clubs on the 1 evils of city life aLd to contribute to charity y r x in expiation of YOur sins and the young men will come flocking around itU be a 1 picnic i Picnic is right for the others The woman paused and faced him her lidded heavy eyes dancing her bet shapely hands f. f 1 i resting easily on rounded hips Cal Cal x a Yes Ir 1 Y You u know my idea iMa of a good time time-a h r. r sure tur nou nough h. h to honest revel revelt t v What nh at To get away where no no one knows me f put on a poke bonnet and gingham skirt skirt- v I an and chase butterflies like a b seller best st- st eller heroine herome 1 P ft t Moonstone Cinema Corporation was THE THE- j an efficiency cy organization but it is probo o a able le that no single department was as pert per per- t 0 operated as the press agent and andi i publicity bureaus Young Manning Jeffrey drew a sizable r weekly envelope from the treasurer of the 1 Moonstone but there was not a person erson c con con- n- n Ji netted with the company who tho did not ent en- en f t admit that he earned every I s r cent cent of it lIe He was a press agent par excellence ex- ex r a super publicity man And he f frankly admitted that h he reached the heights of artistic triumph in his advance work about the environs of C Colville Jt 4 So wen well had he worked in fact that when ben Thelma Barret stepped from the Moonstones Moonstone's Moon Moon- l stones stone's private car in the Colville railroad a t yards there were no fewer than of Col- Col Tilles Tille's society set there to stare wonderingly a at t her And nd she did not disappoint them them- thanks to Manning Jeffrey Within three days a vampire wave wave hid had struck druck ille Colville n a wave as irresistible as its I- I tidal sister Low cut black dresses and andi i. startlingly evident scarlet hats and hosie hosiery y yf k f made their appearance on the their streets Sj owners a bit shamefaced at first but grad grad- waxing bold bolder r under the spell of the y I siren iren And then In great glee the powers powers- that that-be masculine and feminine decided to lei 0 invite the members of the Moonstone company corn com pany t to the weekly dance at the country c t club F j And of course Cal Cal Harding accepted in f c behalf of the company and Thelma Barret arret much amused at the tho sensation she had ere ere- it r readily entered Into the spirit of the t. t vr thing h Its this way explained Ca Cal Youve made a hit with these folks by being a vampire and they'll woefully fully disappointed r r if you fail them at this crucial time I want r. r you rou to wear your most most daring gown and to toT T do a bit of among the young men being careful to avoid the married crowd That stuff goes in the movies but they'd 0 be a bit shy of It h in Colville life Pick out w a couple of youngsters and have a good r WOman Her Heart on Her e 4 A l May Not Wear N Sleeve but bu There Ate Are Times When She y h Will Display Her Love and andt t 1 Smile Derision at the 1 r t W World old Just as Thelma Did a yV i i 1 6 s 1 Vi f i L c c 7 P 1 4 I t 1 41 time with them It'll be fun and we can sit back and help rou laugh in your sleeve slee The girl stared at him speculatively Youre always always' business arent aren t you CAI Ca' Always Your people are nothing manikins more nor less Well Say what are you driving at She turned away slowly Picture a rather pretentious rectangular ballroom finished in rough hewn logs a rustic balcony surrounding the whole and studded with white covered tables where the members of Colville's social set were dining in parties or tete-a-tete tete picture gh gay festooning festooning fes- fes lilting orchestra stra music The site of the clubhouse was as unusually picturesque esque The rustic structure topped an eminence e that looked through tall straight pixies pines on the placid lake I and d grouped about th porte were all types of automobiles automobiles automo- automo biles from the perky speed two roadster to the palatial palatial- twin six limousine And then a hush fell upon the gathering word was passed about no one knew how yet every everyone one knew t Here they come I They came in a great clatter of sputtering sputtering sputter sputter- ing motors Cal Harding and the members members mem- mem bers of his troupe Behind the procession of little cars rolled a stately limousine and andon on the seat was the vampire woman the incomparable Thelma Barret in al all her regal beauty The young men of d the company hastened to assist her to alight and a dozen arms were scornfully rejected in her triumphant passage fr from m porte to ballroom entrance For the briefest fraction of an instant she paused in the frame fram of the doorway and in that instant Colville capitulated absolutely and forever Her gown was really a marvel designed s it had bad been at considerable cost for a now famous reception scene in The Social Sin It was of red and black blad vivid searing searing sear sear- ing almost and it set off the undeniable charms of Thelma in a manner which brought a hint of pink to the cheeks of a new debutante attendant with her extremely boyish cavalier For a few seconds the local hosts were stunned there was an audible of breaths Then a slow exhalation After which l the Reception Committee composed of i three gentlemen and two prominent matrons matrons ma- ma walked across the floor and introduced introduced intro intro- themselves It It was just the thing for Colville it was as expressive as a flow of rh rhetoric it said plainly as words could ever have done I am favoring you with my presence I shall bear with your company for a single but evening I am of royal and will will- rebuke presumption I am Thelma Barret the vampire woman They came singly and in groups the country club set and singly and in groups they were presented to Thelma Each new new acquaintance was greeted with a bow or or perchance a chilly smile And then from the other side of the room came Chester Dandridge Cal Harding young man crossing the room and he nudged the vampire woman I the Pipe the swells he hissed lIes come on Jo Fortunately the language escaped the ready ears of the Colville matrons and Thelma allowed her eyes to rest for the moment on the swell They saw a clean neat young man of perhaps thirty summers and winters immaculately dressed radiant of prosperity and ability and breeding she saw n a smile of genuine interest and flattering admiration n on his boyish lips and she agreed with Cal that he was an ideal come on youthful enough and sufficiently Innocuous for an exploitation thin tion of a vampires vampire's art Remember this not once had she unbent or allowed a hint of personality to enter into one of her greetings Therefore judge the change in temperature when the name Dam Chester Dandridge was whispered into her judge ear the hush of interest as she turned nonchalantly hand half extended extended- then trembled violently registered wonder incarnate stared deeply into his boyish blue eyes eye and turned away very ery suddenly Judge hut what's the use It cant can't be done Sufficient to remark that as Cd Cal Harding afterward comp complimented her the Ule V J I r 1 Thelma started forward hand outstretched Miss Fr Fraser Fraser- i greatest bit of screen work ever done was forever lost to the screen Chester Dandridge Dandridge Dand- Dand ridge found himself trembling violently and staring with gaping mouth at the snowy expanse e of shoulders exposed to his yes eyes as she turned to meet meet the next in line and the club hummed with talk Chet Dandridge impressed her Impressed her Did you see him bim It was love lo at first sight She trembled all over Said the vampire in a moment her voice a bit I met you somewhere before Mr Dandridge violently I no Ko No lIe choked I dont think you have Im sure sure- There was wasa a dreamy reamy faraway faraway far far- away look in her lidded heavy yes eyes that said plainly as day Our souls have become attuned in the infinite Who ho are we to say them nay No Im I'm positive weve we've never met al- al always always al- al though banal compliment I I have ways thought your screen work immense t She affected a sense of the heat It is warm in here Cannot you take m me onto the balcony for a few moments Certainly Delirious with an exhilaration the nature of which he could not q quite ite understand the young mm man found himself moving slowly across the floor with Thelma Barret on his arm The door swung open before them as though by magic and they gazed into the perfect night from the public seclusion of the balcony Marvelous She breathed rather than spoke the word More than a hundred bundred and fifty pairs of eyes gazed gazed after them as they stood on the balcony Every person in the ballroom found something to occupy or interest him near the windows which afforded the best spotlight of the pair Two matrons bustled to the low lower r floor that they might not miss any of the by by- play lIere was an making epoch events event an occurrence by which Colville society might mark time for n a decade Said one They act like like- she discreetly lowered her voice liRe affinities Yes Yes And Chet Dandridge I 1 Why I spanked him once when he he broke the glass in my greenhouse lIe may have e known her in some past existence existence-didn't you see that faraway look lookin lookin in her eyes when she said we met somewhere before Theres There's no telling about the vampires They aint human The Thc woman faced the man squarely and noted from the corner of her eye that the group behind the clubhouse windows had disintegrated with feigned innocence at atthe atthe the first sign of her return to their midst She allowed her eyes to rest caressingly on those of young Chester Dandridge attorney and counselor at law You are not married No I 1 She pau paused d. d and then suddenly suddenly sud- sud denly with a remarkable example of her power at spoken passion You affect me- me peculiarly Let us go Inside And inside they came At sight of the young mans man's face Cal Harding standing with Jim Warren arren cameraman on the other side of the room grinned malevolently and punched Warren violently In the ribs Jimmy boy he chuckled with supreme contentment its a knockout And Jim Warren grinned Yes only Cal more so The next day came came a pound five box of candy Ch Chester ster Dandridge's card That evening ening he just happened to meet her on the veranda of the hotel after she had discarded make up and costume The town heard of it and Thc next day a dozen American beauties ordered ordered or- or dered from the nearest metropolis arrived and were promptly sent to her room After Arter which came dally daily attention of candy flowers and more Dore candy I Figuratively speaking Colville was standing stand jug ing on one ear Never ever in the social history of the town had such a been sprung Chester Dandridge was vas the manon man manon on whom Thelma had bad fastened her talons that was the choice way of expressing it Why Chet was yet regarded as a boy and for the first time a prophet attained some such honor as it was was-in his own country And there was more to their gossip than discussion of n a mere entanglement entanglement entangle entangle- ment of a boy and n a professional v vampire News of this reached the ears of Thelma Barret vi via i the brusque lips of Cal Harding who breezed into her ller room late one evening and lighting a cigar stump flopped on a chair and remarked with more directness than polish eve sure played the mischief now I Thelma looked uP wr wrong ng CAL shook his head hopelessly That darned little ittle rummy youve you've been with A strange light dawned in Thelmas Thelma's eyes how lIow so lIes Hes in love with you Hell get over it Of course he will Its It's a kid tion Yes Cal sighed as he let his feet heavily to the floor Hell lIell got ft over it all right but the question is will she What She Thelma rose abruptly she Who Vho are you talking about Cal Id like to shoot myself right plumb through the place where my brains ought to be I just found out that this Dandruff Dandruff Dand- Dand ruff fellow or whatever his name is- is was engaged to as sweet a looking little don doll donas dollas as Ive I've ever seen and they have broken off flat She handed him the icy mitt mitt- How lIow did you know V Where did you find out all of this He never told me anything about an engagement Where did I find out Good Lord Thel this is Colville it aint New York er E Everybody's chattering battering about it And it got gotto gotto to me from about seventeen different sources That's why the blooming burg has been so excited Thelma was stunned I never dreamed dreamed- Of course not but who'd believe that They're so full of this vampire |
