Modern Screen (Jan-Nov 1956)

his hand on my shoulder and said: 'Russ, there's no one in the world who wants success for you more than I do. But I was afraid we couldn't be brothers anymore. That's what hurt. Now I can see that isn't going to happen. Let's go back downstairs together.' "That was the last we ever said about it." Venetia squeezed Russ' hand and her face showed that she had understood. "It was a good thing for you to do, Russ," she s ad. Ruos gazed out at the blue sky. "Mom and Dad knew what was happening, but, as always, they let us work it out for ourselves." Warren is now a missionary for the Mormon Church in Germany. Russ shook his head slowly, and sighed a young man's sigh. He turned to Venetia. "And I almost made another mistake the first time I saw you. I said to myself, now there is a beautiful girl, but not my type. "You were so quiet. I was strictly the laugh-it-up character. I was strictly for fun and you looked too serious for me. I must have been blind. Then I found myself thinking about you when I was alone. It was the first time in my life that I had actually thought about a girl. "And the more I thought about you the more I discovered that I liked you, even if you weren't the life of the party. Not to mention discoveries I made about myself. "It took time but I've finally learned that you don't have to be loud to be happy. And I began to think about the future and all the things that man must do. And without even being aware of it I calmed down. I guess, in spite of all the noise, honey, the old Russ was a lonely Russ." Venetia didn't say anything. She just sat there and poked at the ground with a little twig. Waddles, the wicked "Say, I forgot to tell you about Waddles, my diving duck," said Russ. "I won him as a prize, at an Easter raffle. I fussed so much over that fowl you'd of thought I'd hatched him. And I trained him to jump off a board into a large pud dle. Only had one big trouble with him. For some reason he didn't like my grandmother who was living with us then. And she loved him. "She'd go out to feed him in the morning and for no reason at all Waddles would attack her and peck at her legs. But Grandma never gave up trying to make friends with him. "And you've never seen anything so funny as Grandma out there in the backyard with a big board fighting off Waddles while she tried to feed him. Too bad, too; Grandma was the nicest old lady a duck could ever meet." "What ever happened to Waddles?" Venetia asked. Russ smiled. "Oh, he just got to be four years old and died. We buried him in the backyard and Grandma cried a little. She still loved that duck. "Well, with Waddles gone I got interested in magic. I spent all my money at a trick shop and most of my time practicing. "I used to put on shows for the neighborhood. I charged admission at first but when the show was free I got a bigger audience. "The last show I gave I demonstrated my newest trick. When performed properly, the audience thought you had cut completely through the finger of the victim. "It was called the finger guillotine. It had a fake blade, which wasn't sharp, really, and I figured I knew how to do the trick pretty well. "I called one of the kids out of the audience and told him to put his finger in the gadget. He was very willing. Poor guy; if he only knew what was going to happen. "So I make a big show of how I'm going to pass the' blade through his finger without his feeling it. "Then with complete confidence I give the little guillotine a solid whopping. "The kid jumps straight up in the air, shrieking in pain. I had goofed somehow. But instead of stopping, I said, 'That's okay, that's okay, put your hand down.' Then I hit the guillotine again thinking it would work this time. It didn't. "Well, this time the kid started hollering for his mother and frankly I didn't NATALIE'S PICK UP Soup on the Rocks keeps her feeling fit This brand-new fashion in an "Old Fashioned" glass is just the sort of pick up pretty Natalie Wood would pick. It's Soup on the Rocks, which means chilled bouillon poured over ice cubes, with or without a twist of lemon peel. "I discovered Soup on the Rocks when we were filming The Searchers," says Natalie. "It was like finding an oasis in the desert — so refreshing and stimulating. And, knock on wood," she says, patting her nice, flat tummy, "no calories." Natalie says she was born lucky because most of the foods she likes are the ones that are good for her. "Take this," she said. "I work under hot lights all the time and I need to replace lost salt. Soup on the Rocks does that for me, too. Besides it's such a pretty substitute for the usual Old Fashioned. I serve it at parties, now, and more of my guests reach for it." that old-married couple debbie and eddie will be modern screen's cover stars on the may issue at your newsstands april 5 blame him. We finally got the thing off his finger. It had swollen to twice its size and he kept it bandaged for a week after. "I tried to regain my lost prestige as a young Houdini with the golf ball trick. "This one gave the audience the illusion that I was putting a golf ball into my ear and making it come out of my mouth. I did it very well, too. So well, that I said to the kids, 'Does anyone here know how I do that trick?' "Sure enough one guy in the front row hollers out, 'Of course, ya got a hole in your head!' "That show ended my career as a magician." Venetia was laughing again. "It isn't fair. Boys always have more fun as boys, than girls do as girls." Russ chuckled. "Man, it wasn't fun then. I figured I was a complete failure at twelve. Then I got into acting and well — you know the rest, honey." Venetia made more marks in the soft earth with the twig. Russ stared out at the big, sprawling city of Los Angeles. "You know, honey, remembering like that made me feel happy and sad at the same time. I wonder why." Venetia was resting her head on drawnup knees. "I think I know why, Russ," she said. "When you're older the memories of your childhood are always kind of nostalgic. There are moments you'll remember, with love, all the rest of your life." Russ put his arm around Venetia's shoulders and gave her a quick hug. "Okay, Miss Know-It-All," he grinned, "now tell me why I felt happy, too." Venetia gave him a big smile. "That's easy. You're happy because all the good things are going to continue. That is, if I can make them." Russ shook his head in admiration at his bride-to-be's insight. "Women sure know all about men, don't they?" "No," answered Venetia, "but I think every woman knows all about the man she loves." Russ kissed her lightly on the ear and stood up. "Okay, Smartie, we have to get back. Mom's having an early dinner for us and there's a letter at home from Warren. We'll have to walk fast." The sun had lowered off to the west and the company of clouds had dispersed to re-form for another look at the world somewhere beyond the horizon. Russ helped Venetia to her feet. As he did he saw what she had marked with the twig. "Venetia Loves Russ." "And that's why I'm happy," said Venetia. Then the two of them walked down the hill. END '0'.;; fit!) '