Talking Picture Magazine (Oct 1929 - Nov 1930)

January j 1930 TALKING PICTURE MAGAZINE Page 7 THE TEST OF THE AGES Elizabeth Hines Hanley PROF. CYRUS DARIUS LAMONT, an American archaeologist from Georgetown, D. C, comes with his daughter, Sarda, to Shiraz, Persia, to dig in the Garden' of Dilgusha, or Heart's Delight, for a lute of peculiar shape and mystic influence that has been a tradition in his family since the time his grandmother, — the daughter of an attache at the Persian Legation in Washington, who had married his Virginia grandfather. Lucien Dufour, a musician-singer of Paris, who has also heard of the lute, comes to Shiraz to search for it in the hope of selling it for a sum sufficiently large to finance an operatic project he has worked on for years. He is very hard-up, and the finding of the lute will practically decide his entire future. The Garden is out a bit from the city, and the Professor and Sarda dig there early in the mornings when they will not be disturbed by sightseers. Dufour hears about them from the chief courier at the hotel, and is much disturbed, but when he sees Sarda his attitude changes to one of delighted satisfaction. He meets the Professor, explains he is also interested in finding^ the lute, and manages to gain the old gentleman's consent to assist with the excavating. He soon loves Sarda with all the ardor of his emotional nature, and she is obviously attracted to him. The Professor is finally won by the young man's sympathy and industry, so that the way is open for his avowal to Sarda, but he restrains himself because he is not willing to ask her to share his life until he has a fortune to offer her, which depends upon a contract in' the Grand Opera, now that he has abandoned his project of selling the lute. Roger Leland, an American multi-millionaire, stops off in Shiraz to see the ruins of Dilgusha, and comes upon them digging there. He falls desperately in love with Sarda and conceives a scheme to "plant" the lute, excavate it, and win the support of Professor Lamont and Sarda for his suit. He engages the Courier at a large figure to find an old man who can locate the lute and tell its story — with no questions asked as to how he does it. Dufour's actions puzzle Sarda, for he has been holding himself aloof. Her feminine wiles and artifices fail to hold him. The story of the lute is told by the old men. It takes place in the great Hall of Darius, with all its atmosphere of beauty, ease, courtiers, houris, dancing girls. The favorite poet -musician is married to the most beautiful Houri. Despite his ardor, she becomes surfeited and unresponsive. A famous warrior passes the Garden and the Houri flees with him. They are found and condemned. The Poet is transmuted into the lute and buried with it in the Garden. Before the cessation of consciousness, he obtains from Ormadz, the god of musicians and poets, the promise that some day he will be restored to human form and win a love as great and lasting as his own. Ormadz adds that this will be when the lute is found and its true story told. Sarda in appreciation of Leland's interest in her father's enterprise agrees to marry him within a week. Dufour bears the blow bravely. Then the day before the wedding, the old Parsee takes the Professor off to see some wonderful ruins of temples. Late that afternoon a note is left for Leland demanding $ ! 0,000 ransom for the Professor. This is not part of Leland's plot. Sarda will not marry him until the Professor returns. Dufour meets Sarda and Leland witnesses their declarations of love for each other. He restrains himself. Dufour overhears the conspirators discuss the removal of the Professor to a safer place. He follows them and he is captured and made to join the Professor. They manage, fortunately, to subdue the guard. Leland, stunned by the revelations, confesses his part in it. The story terminates with Dufour commissioned to write an opera about the Garden, for all the world to see. THE STRAYED HERRICK Mark E. Bradley TOM DANVERS is troubled with amnesia, induced by shell-shock. It takes five years for him to straighten it out. On August I 7th, 1918, in a little salient of the Cambray sector, he commands a platoon of sappers who are engaged in cutting barbed wire entanglements three hundred yards beyond the front-line trenches. They are caught in a double barrage of artillery and machine-gun fire. For nine hours they are subject to this barrage, hugging the hollow places and scooping them deeper as they waited for it to lift. A high -explosive shell half -covers him with earth and human debris, and shuts out all sights around him. Tom paints himself back to health — a detailed process of drawing and painting back to normalcy. The love-interest is well supplied in this script. Tom's sweetheart who has been awaiting him, gives him up as dead, and is about to accept her suitor's hand when Tom strolls back. Tom's rival in love attempts underhand methods to keep Evelyn from him, but all fail. "One of the sketches consisted of an oldfashioned parlor with carved mahogany center table, a great glass case of wax flowers on its mottled marble top, and a huge fireplace with blazing oak sticks and brass and irons that extended almost to the brass fender at the outer edge of the hearth." In this way he is enabled to record with his pencil many of the fragments of memory that came through the long days and nights of convalescence. Tom wins Evelyn to him and normalcy as well through a strange series of development. TAMBOURINE Frances O'Sullivan GHITA. You would have known that the girl on the couch was of gypsy ancestry, apart from her dark beauty altogether. Even' in repose her slim body suggested the dance, generations of grace. So did the way she was listening to her companion, her pretty, whimsical attention shadowed with sombreness. Carol, her sweetheart, tells her to beware of Trimburne. Both Ghita and Carol come in contact with this Canadian Theatrical magnate each day, by nature of their stage work and Trimburne is exerting a mysterious power to win Ghita to him. Mademoiselle Myrian in her dressing room admits to Ghita that she too is afraid of Trimburne, though she is reluctant to admit it. Trimburne, by a ruse, endeavors to meet Ghita at a fashionable women's club. "I am a man of few words," he said. "1 care for you as for no other woman. That cannot be a secret to you, for every woman knows when a man is in love with her, and in this case there has been no effort at disguise." Ghita asks him if he is aware that a woman is seen to pursue him at his residence, but he dismisses this with a laugh. ''Some actress or ingenue out of work, seeking a position with me." Trimburne arrives uninvited at a party, and Myriam is taken suddenly ill. Trimburne tells Ghita not to waste too much sympathy on her; that Myriam loves Carol and is an enemy of hers and not a friend. One night. After a performance. Ghita finds Trimburne in her apartment. He has come to discuss the Myriam affair with her, but Ghita, panic-stricken, takes the revolver in her desk and shoots him. She flees to the calm of Acadia, fearing arrest, or revenge. Trimburne finds her there. "I wish it had been Carol." "Carol believes you are dead," he said. "I believe he is pleased with the new role he is to have this Fall. He is devoting himself to it exclusively. "I want my place back, Trimburne, but only for one night." She is tremendously successful. Joalchim and Amanda are there to witness her triumph. And Carol I "He came to me in that country," she murmured. "He found me there. I wished so much it might have been you who came, Carol. But you were intent on your affairs, which is as it should be — perhaps. If you knew the thing I did to him and how he took it quietly, gallantly, telling no one and afterwards came to me in that country, forgiving me, asking only to help me!" And to the man she no longer feared : "Take me home, lest this joy upon me start the curfew in my brain. 1 want it not to ring tonight." THE LIFTED SHADOW Marion Chandler Galey THE characters of this drama are as follows : Howard French, an Easterner who, after domestic strife, gives up everything for the West ; Martha French, his Western wife; Channing French, their son; Frederic Despard, a wealthy, aristocratic New Yorker; Marie Despard, his wife; Helen Despard, their beautiful daughter; Ronald Fish, another Easterner who goes West; Francis Duane, a young American lad; Bonnie Duane, child of Helen and Francis ; Otto Von Scheel, a prominent German surgeon, son of a Baron. On the same day a boy and girl are born; the boy in a Western mining camp and the girl among all the luxuries of a wealthy New York home. The boy is Channing French, — the girl Helen Despard. The girl grows up and at the instigation of an ambitious mother, goes abroad to finish her education. She meets an attractive German but returns home to marry an American chap. When their little girl is five years old, the child is knocked down by a car and is terribly injured. The mother finally takes her child to her German friend, who has became a noted surgeon. He promises to cure her child if she will go to his hunting Lodge in Germany. She goes to the Lodge with him for a week. The child is cured. She returns to her husband. Her husband, realizing that she expects a child, enlists in the English Army. He finally dies in France. His wife is heart-broken. Her child lives but an hour. For months she hovers between life and death and the danger of losing her sanity. The doctors claim that she must have an absolute chan'ge. One evening Ronald Fish comes to the house to dine. He is the owner of Lazy F. Ranch where Channing French is manager. He begs Mr. Despard to come out to his ranch and to bring Helen. After much persuasion Helen decides to go but she has no interest in the trip. Father, child and nurse leave with her for Wyoming. Channing French has left for France and one day returns, wounded. They become close friends and for the first time in ages she is thrilled and excited in relating her experiences and hearing Channing's stories of foreign adventure. Friendship develops into love. One day Channing takes her into his arms and tells her that he loves her but that she is so far above him in everv way that he hesitates to speak. Helen cries "No, — no — you don't know." He misunderstands her agitation and tells her he will never so much as suggest his love for her again. That night she goes into her father's study and tells him what has happened. He comforts Helen by telling her that Channing is a man, and if he truly loves her he will understand. "How can Channing understand, when my child's father could not? " Helen cries. Helen's father and Channing have a talk. Channing tells Mr. Despard that he knows everything and asks him if he might marry Helen saying that he, his faith and his West will lift the darkest shadow for her and make her forget her unhappy days of the past. THE AWAKENING F. Ravenelli "JTT was the night of the famous Carewe's ball. I All the aristocracy of Cuba was invited, ineluding Carlos, son of the wealthy tobacco planter in Buenos Ayres. Carlos didn't drink with the rest of the young bloods. He could not take his eyes off the beautiful young Dolores Carewe long enough to join in the revelry. But she was completely unaware of his wistful gaze. In fact she was completely unaware of all the adulation she was receiving. Attentions frightened her, rather than pleased her. And this particular night she was more timid than usual. Everyone was riotous, even her own dear father, Vincent Carewe. Suddenly her father grabbed hold of her arm and lifted her on to the table. In his intoxicated state, he blubbered, "Well, this is my last fling. I'm broke, do you understand it, — bankrupt ! Who will court my lovely Dolores now that she has no dowry?" The gathering was hushed. The guests filed out. All except Carlos. He offered Mr. Carewe enough money to satisfy his creditors. Out of gratitude, Dolores married him. But she did not love him. They sailed for the tropics on their honeymoon — each occuping separate staterooms. For he was too much the gentleman to force his love upon her. He could not sleep at night worrying about how So win her. His enforced self-control was wearing his nerves ragged. Dolores soon noticed that she was changing. She began to realize how handsome he was. She began to miss him after she sent him from her to the gambling games. One morning, she came upon him as he was dreaming of her. "You look as if you were saying a prayer," she remarked. "I was," he answered. "What were you praying for," she asked. "For la despertamiento," he replied. "But what does that mean?" "I'll translate that into English when it happens to yourself," he told her. That afternoon there was a horrible storm at sea. A vague terror oppressed Dolores. Carlos was not with her. She missed him and decided to go after him. As she got upstairs, she saw Carlos clinging to the rail, trying to save a puppy from being washed overboard. Terrific waves kept slapping against him. She rushed to drag him away. How clear everything was now! She knew she loved Carlos. "Carlos," she said, "I want ours to be a real marriage from now on." "Ah." he sighed, in his joy, '*La Despertamiento". A WRITER AND LOVE Marcel A. F. Chesney DAISY DELL has just finished her day's work in Childs as waitress and is resting on a park bench. Coney Island Jack, preying upon women, attempts to force his attentions upon her. Allan Joyler, a tramp, comes to her rescue, and after a terrific fight finally drives off the attacker. Daisy is grateful — very much so — and as Allan bids her goodbye she places a bill in his hand — more money than Allan has seen in an age. An appointment is made for the following night. Daisy Dell has come into some money of her own through the death of her parents and gives this freely to Allan to help place him on his feet. New clothes, warm food and that self-confidence which comes with money in one's pocket makes a new man of Allan. Daisy takes him to her home overlooking the East River and through her encouragement Allan obtains a position in a bank. Through a mishap Allan mislays papers and finds himself without a job. Nevertheless, the start which Daisy has given him encourages him to writing efforts. Back in Indiana, he had studied short story writing and he was convinced jbf his talents. But what was one to do when' manuscript after manuscript came back? In all, some 75 stories had been returned. In a wild rage he would tear them to pieces. But he persevered. He tells Daisy that he will have to leave her. His work demands absolute concentration. Of course Daisy will miss him. More than that, for she loves Allan. Allan is to be gone for about three months. In his rooms Allan is despondent. But one day good news arrives. "You story accepted. Please call for an interview at your earliest convenience." — Yellow Book. At the editorial offices of the Yellow Book, Allan was handed a contract. He was to receive two hundred dollars for each story he would write. "Send in your stories as soon as you can. We have eight different types of magazines," Mr. Jansen, the editor in chief informed him. He whistled to himself as he left his rooms, cane in one hand and large bundles in another. He summoned a taxi, and rode to Brooklyn. He stepped out before a house which was familiar to him. All seemed quiet, as Allan rang the button. He feared that something was wrong. He rang again, and the landlady appeared, and with tears in her eyes she regarded Allan whom she could not recognize. Daisy was ill for she had not been to work for three weeks. "Daisy! Daisy! It is I — Allan — Daisy speak to me," pleaded Allan, looking into Daisy's glassy eyes. "Daisy, — you haven't forgotten me, have you? I have succeeded. I have plenty of money now and you shall enjoy life. Oh, Daisy! I am sorry that I have deserted you so. Daisy! Forgive me," and Allan placed his face close to hers. Mention of the Talking Picture Magazine is the best introduction to advertisers.