Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 115: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SOMETIMES PRETENDING’S RISKY. that’s as blue as indigo, but he looks like a butcher’s son!” ‘Better be rich than handsome—unless you can be both!” Anna loved to tease him. “Just the same,” she pressed his arm with tender apology, “ I’m glad you’re not fat and ugly.” Anna was more than fond of Dick; but at times she grew impatient. She had come to New York from an up-State town, with the hope that her meager talent might lead to a musical career. It didn’t, and Anna had sense enough to know she was a failure —as far as earning her living from the piano was concerned. But she had not been discouraged. She was far too game for that. Having no idea of business, and no talent for the needle, she invested her slen- der savings in a course at a beauty school. Not that she needed such knowledge for her personal adornment. To henna and rouge ‘and powder her would have been to paint the lily. ' Like Dick’s, her customers looked at her with an envious admiration. But Anna was not vain. She was good at her job, and she liked her work in the beauty parlor of the Hotel Hudsonbilt. Her one discouragement was the fact that while she knew Dick loved her, he never had proposed. If it had not annoyed her, she would have thought his boasting funny. Especially when he told her that he-might consider an offer from the screen. Of course, he was only hoping. She knew that well enough. But she didn’t relish the idea of Dick’s becoming the popular idol of feminine movie fans. Not that men with less brains than Dick had not achieved that fame! Yet, in a way, his cinema thoughts were not at all surprising. Simon Bloom’s was a costume shop, and its fascinating atmos- phere was one of make-believe. From fit- ting out pageants, to renting a suit to wear at Hallowe’en, Bloom’s had every sort of garb that could be well imagined. Boxes and shelves of fancy dress stirred Dick’s imagination. Often when old Bloom had gone, Dick would linger and array hupeel in fancy raiment. He would pose before the pier-glass as. 8A -vaice~from the upper floor, Ld 913 a pirate or a Turk, a cavalier or a grandee of the Spanish court. He envied the men who went to balls and danced with dainty maskers; but Dick himself had never been to any such affair. One of these days, by some hook or crook, he meant to. And he often wondered how Anna would look in one of those spangled costumes labeled ‘““Neptune’s Daughter.” This evening, however, Bolton wished that masquerades and costumes had never been invented. It was already half past eight and this was Thursday night. This meant that Anna would be through in precisely half an hour. Dick had a date to take her to the Crillion Theater. A film of Jean Car- valho’s was there, and Dick was keen to see it. He fancied that the actor some- what resembled him. But, of course, Car- valho did not have Dick’s poise, his ele- gance of manner, and his graceful move- ments. Anna had told him that one night— with amusement in her eyes. However, Dick Bolton believed her. Trately, Dick called upstairs to the sew- ing room. How much longer must he wait, was what he wished to know. “Say, I can’t stick around all night!” he an- nounced in an angry tone. ‘Go bite holes in cheese!” growled a “ Then sit on a tack and be comfortable. I’ve got four buttons to sew on—and I ain’t had no supper!” The tailor who was also detained on this costume order, was also in ill humor. Bolton sighed and assumed a pose before the looking glass. He was aping the man- ner of the man who had come in that after- noon, in a hurry for the costume. The Hon. Archibald Trevington, according to his card. He did not look like Bolton, but their build was about the same. Now Dick mimicked, with fair success, this patron’s haughty manner. Dick, in fact, had al- most gasped when Trevington had entered and drawlingly asked for him. ‘A manicure at the Hudsonbilt told me _ of your shop,” the Englishman explained. Dick was at once elated. Since Anna (E(@) Gomicbooks