rold Cuthbert, "I am about to be married and
at the eleventh hour Nemesis has gripped me. I told my fiancee that I
was being featured in 'The End of the World' and that it would be
exceedingly easy for me to get _her_ a part in the picture--she having
expressed a desire to that effect at various times. She will be here
within the hour to watch me being filmed and to hold me to my promise
to place her as leading woman opposite me." He stops and moans.
"Gentlemen," he goes on, "picture for yourself the contretemps when she
finds I am nothing but a super and that Genaro wouldn't give Sarah
Bernhardt a job on a recommendation from me! My romance will be
shattered, and the--the humiliation will kill me!"

There was a heavy silence for a minute, and then the Kid whistles.

"Well, pal," he says, "you have certainly balled things up a few,
haven't you?"

Joe Trout just let loose another moan.

"Gimme one of them good cigarettes!" pipes the Kid to me. He lights it
and looks over at friend Joe. "The first thing," he says, puffin'
away; "the first thing, is this--just how _much_ do you think of this
dame, all jokes aside?"

Joe turns around and straightens up, for once in his life lookin' like
the real thing.

"I love her!" he says. That was all--but the way he pulled it was a
plenty!

The Kid grunts and tosses away the pill. Then he walks over to Joe and
slaps him on the back.

"Listen!" he says. "You ain't a bad guy at that. I'm gonna give you
somethin' I never took in my life--advice! Why don't you lay off lyin'
about yourself, kid? Why don't you can that four-flush thing?"

The effect of them simple words on Joe was remarkable. He swung around
on us so quick that we both ducked, thinkin' he was comin' back with a
wallop--but his hands was sunk so deep in his coat pockets they liked
to pushed through the linin' and his face was as hard and white as an
iceberg.

"Because!" he shoots out through his teeth. "_Because I can't_!"

Y'know the change was so sudden, I remember lettin' out a little
nervous laugh, and then sidesteppin' a vicious left the Kid sent at me.
Scanlan had turned as serious as the other guy.

"What d'ye mean, you _can't_?" he says, grabbin' Joe by the arm and
holdin' him fast. Joe's face showed how hard he was fightin' to keep
from fallin' apart.

"You won't understand!" he answers in a hard voice. "But I'll tell
you. The thing has grown upon me until I cannot shake it off! I g