Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Fiction; Motion picture industry -- Fiction
The following morning found him slightly disturbed by two unforeseen
needs arising from his novel situation. He looked carefully at his
collar, wondering how many days he would be able to keep it looking
like a fresh collar, and he regretted that he had not brought his
safety-razor to this new home. Still the collar was in excellent shape
as yet, and a scrutiny of his face in the cracked mirror hanging on
the log wall determined that he could go at least another day without
shaving. His beard was of a light growth, gentle in texture, and he
was yet far from the plight of Mr. Montague. Eventually, to be sure,
he would have to go to the barber shop on the lot and pay money to be
shaved, which seemed a pity, because an actor could live indefinitely
unshaven but could live without food for the merest fragment of time.
He resolved to be on the lookout that day for a barber-shop set. He
believed they were not common in the photodrama, still one might be
found.
He limited himself to the lightest of breakfasts. He had timidly
refrained from counting his silver but he knew he must be frugal. He
rejoiced at this economy until late afternoon when, because of it, he
simply had to eat a heavier dinner than he had expected to need. There
was something so implacable about this demand for food. If you skimped
in the morning you must make amends at the next meal. He passed the time
as on the previous day, a somewhat blase actor resting between pictures,
and condescending to beguile the tedium by overlooking the efforts of
his professional brethren. He could find no set that included a barber
shop, although they were beds on every hand. He hoped for another night
in the cabin, but if that were not to be, there was a bed easy of
access on Stage Three. When he had observed it, a ghastly old father was
coughing out his life under its blankets, nursed only by his daughter,
a beautiful young creature who sewed by his bedside, and who would
doubtless be thrown upon the world in the very next reel, though--Merton
was glad to note--probably not until the next day.
Yet there was no need for this couch of the tubercular father, for
action in the little cabin was still on. After making the unhappy
discovery in the cafeteria that his appetite could not be hoodwinked by
the clumsy subterfuge of calling coffee and rolls a breakfast some six
hours previously, he went boldly down to stand before his home. Both
miners were at work inside. The room had been placed in order again,
though the little mountain flower was gone. A letter, he gathered, had
been received from her, and one of the miners was about to leave on a
long journey.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account