| OCR Text |
Show I ! Woman's Page) HER SIDE AND HIS The Tonic of Sympathy. Llicy Benton's eyes widened as Walt repeated slowly, "I'm with you, Lucy -you and your kind. I'm must do things in my own way, Janet doesn't understand why I'm not willing to al-ter al-ter my story to suit Nicoll and his half million subscribers! She doesn't mean io I)' faultrinding, Lucy. It's just that to her the changes he wants are more fl tritlcH. while to me they smash my whole Idea to bits Why, I wouldn't put my name to a story of the pap-filled, pap-filled, sugary kind he demands 1 couldn't "There, there, dear old chap, you Deedn't bother to tell me," soothed Lucy, taking rapid note of Walt's wrcught-up nerves and longing honest-ly honest-ly ii ease them "You speak of 'me and my kind.' Well, 'my kind' are the kind who have sweated and bled as you are doing for the sake of the best in them! Look at Ogla Carol freezing to death all last winter in her Btoveless studio, hammering away at her little bas-reliefs, and figurines that conen-tional conen-tional people sneered at and insisted were 'ugly' and 'absurd.' And look .it Olga now prosperous as an am-munition am-munition maker Her flcuring are sold everywhere and she can t keep up with her orders for the has reliefs, fl "And there's Hugo Lantry Re member Hugo's threadbare overcoat and how the girls used to mend it SUirpetitlOUBly and put sandwiches in HL the pockets? Know what Hugo's do- A inc rnv. ' Well In-s producing his own comedies at the Pocket Playhouse and making good like anything.' And look at mc, even!" Lucy saw how her1 narrative was cheering Walt, bow hisj tare lit up, his shouldrts straightened. She went on briskly ' Look at me' Did you know I landed a rover on last month's Zenith ? Well, sir 1 did, and j I've got an order this minute right here in my bag for 800 worth of' title-pace decorations for 'Ambleton's!' And didn't everybody call me a fool for not taking that job at twenty-five twenty-five a week designing BOap-wrappers ? "I Pell you, Walt, it pays to stick to your Ideals Sometimes it only pays ! in satisfaction to yourself And some- 1 times it pas in bonest-to-goodness ash. Vou stick around with our crowd I for s while. The atmosphere'll put the punch into you. Your trouble is I that you're working against too much I pressure from the outside. 1 know your wife. She's a peach of a girl, I too. Walt. Bui she can't sec things from our point of view You can I change her point of view, dear, but j I'm sure she's sensible enough and j broad-minded enough to be willing you I should go at things in your own wa But whether she is willing or not, you nm'-t get into the atmosphere that en courages your work. You must meet ' people who are working along the I same lines and prople who have con j nectlons that will help you. Leavi that part to nie, Walt. I know every - I body in bohemia " j Lucy could hardly keep out of her I voice the exultation she felt at the J thought of helping Walt Stcdman j Already her woman's mind was j BD ding through a menial lie I of men j and women in her world, the queer, I highly colored, half-dark, half-bnl- liant, up-and-down world of painters. I writers, musicians, dancers and quast- i professional play managers. Already I she was iketchily planning meetings and club gathers, studio parties and private exhibitions where Walt would lit in admirably and draw real inspiration inspira-tion for his work. To Lucy Benton's credit be it said that her plans for Wait were unselfish and clean. Lucy and lived much, suffered suf-fered much, missed much Her feeling for Walter Stedman was deep and Pennine. In her loneliness and lone ing, she had once expressed it, to her ov. n humiliation and to Walter'- Infi nite embarrassmi nl and pltj The best in her nature now rose to do him service. She expected no return. re-turn. But it wormed her heart a little lit-tle Just to materialize over him. It was better than not.dng. They finished their coffee and a tiny sweet liqueur in almost unbroken si- lence. Lucy was busy making plans Walter, feeling the glow of comrade-j comrade-j ship creeping through his veins, was content just to enjoy it. All about 1 them was lipht and warmth and a current of talk and laughter not gar-! gar-! ish, as at the uptown cafes where people drink and eat just to be drinking drink-ing ir.! eating, but rather as an accompaniment ac-companiment to coin ersation. the exchange ex-change of ideas, the untoldmem of ' purposes and hopes Walter loved it j He Celt the urge to go at his work with new strength. It was late when , he reached home He feared to waken Janet. Dut to his surprise she had ' not yet come in fin |
