Gary spent a sleepless5 night wondering how he might with impunity6 commit the unforgivable sin. In spite of his anger at Patricia and his sense of her injustice7, certain words of hers rankled8 in a way that would have pleased Patricia immensely, had she known it.
He rode out to the studio one car earlier than usual, and went straight to the little cubbyhole of a dressing9 room to put on his make-up as Chief Eagle Eye. Such was the force of Patricia’s speech that Gary swore vaguely10, at nothing in particular, while he painted his eyebrows11, lashes12 and lips, and streaked13 the vermilion war paint down his cheeks. He scrubbed the copper-colored powder into the grease paint on his arms and chest, still swearing softly and steadily14 in a monotonous15 undertone that sounded, ten feet away, like a monk16 mumbling17 over his beads18.
With the help of a fellow actor he became a noble red man from the scalp lock to his waist, got into fringed buckskin leggings, lavishly19 feathered war bonnet20, some imitation elk-tooth necklaces and beaded moccasins. Then, with his quiver full of arrows (poisoned in the sub-titles) slung21 over his painted shoulders, and the mighty22 bow of Chief Eagle Eye in his hand, Gary stalked out into the lot in search of the director, Mills.
When one knows his director personally as a friend, one may, if he is a coming young star and not too insufferably aware of his starlike qualities, accomplish much in the way of emergency revisions of story and stringent rules.
Wherefore, to the future amazement23 of the author, Chief Eagle Eye that day died three different deaths, close up in front of two grinding cameras; though Chief Eagle Eye had not been expected to die at all in the picture. The director stood just behind the camera, his megaphone under his arm, his hands on his hips24, his hat on the back of his head and a grin on his perspiring25 face.
“Thattaboy, Gary! Just sag26 at the knees and go down slowly, as you try to draw the bow. That’s it—try to get up—well, that’s good business, trying to shoot from the ground! Now try to heave yourself up again—just lift your body, like your legs is paralyzed—shot in the back, maybe. All right—that’s great stuff. Now rouse yourself with one last effort—lift your head and chant the death song! Gulp27, man!
“Run in there, Bill—you’re horrified28. Try to lift him up and drag him back out of danger. Say! Wince29, man, like you’re shot through the lungs—no, I meant Gary!—well, damn it, let it go—but how-the-hell-do-you-expect-to-drag-a-man-off-when-you’ve-got-a-slug-in-your-lungs? You acted like some one had stuck you with a pin! Git outa the scene—Gary’s doing the dying, you ain’t!—— Cut—we’ll have to do that over. A kid four years old would never stand for that damfool play.
“Now, Gary, try that again. Keep that business with the bow. And try and get that same vindictive30 look—you know, with your lips drawn31 back while you’re trying to bend the bow and let fly one last arrow. This time you die alone. Can’t have a death scene like that gummed up by a boob like Bill lopin’ in and actin’ like he’d sat on a bee—all right—come in—camera——
“That’s fine—now take your time, take your time—now, as the bow sags—you’re growing weaker—rouse yourself and chant your death song! That’s the stuff! Lift your head—turn it so your profile shows” (Gary swore without moving his lips “—hold that, while you raise your hand palm out—peace greeting to your ancestors you see in the clouds! Great! H-o-o-l-d it—one—two—three—now-go-slack-all-at-once——Cut!”
Gary picked himself up, took off his war bonnet and laid it on a rock, reached into his wampum belt and produced a sack of Bull Durham and a book of papers. The director came over and sat down beside him, accepting the cigarette Gary had just rolled.
“Great scene, Gary. By gosh, that ought to get over big. When you get back, call me up right away, will you? I ought to know something definite next week, at the latest. Try and be here when Cohen gets here; I want you to meet him. By gosh, it’s a crime not to give you a feature company. Well, have Mack drive you back in my car. You haven’t any too much time.”
That’s what it means to have the director for your friend. He can draw out your scenes and keep you working many an extra week if you are hard up, or he can kill you off on short notice and let you go, if you happen to have urgent business elsewhere; and must travel from Toponga Cañon to the studio, take off your make-up—an ungodly, messy make-up in this case—pack a suit case, buy a ticket and catch the eight o’clock train that evening.
Gary, having died with much dignity and a magnificent profile in full view of future weeping audiences, was free from further responsibility toward the company and could go where he did not please. Which, of course, was Tonopah.
He was just boyish enough in his anger, hurt enough in his man’s pride, to go without another word to Patricia. Flabby-souled, hunh? Painted eyebrows, painted lashes, painted lips—golly grandma! Pat surely could take the hide off a man, and smile while she did it!
He meant to take that Power of Attorney she had so naïvely placed in his hands, and work it for all there was in it. He meant to sell that gold brick of a “stock ranch” Waddell had worked off on her, and lick Waddell and the two men who had signed affidavits32 for him. He meant to go back, then, and give Pat her money, and tell her for the Lord’s sake to have a little sense, and put her five thousand dollars in a trust fund, where she couldn’t get hold of it for the first faker that came along and held out his hand. After that—Gary was not sure what he would do. He was still very angry with Patricia; but after he had asserted his masculine authority and proved to her that the female of our species is less intelligent than the male, it is barely possible that he might forgive the girl.
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1
tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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2
condoned
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| v.容忍，宽恕，原谅( condone的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
stringent
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| adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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6
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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7
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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8
rankled
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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10
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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11
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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12
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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13
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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14
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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15
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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18
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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lavishly
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| adv.慷慨地，大方地 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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24
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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25
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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26
sag
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| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
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27
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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28
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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wince
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| n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避 | |
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30
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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31
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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32
affidavits
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| n.宣誓书，（经陈述者宣誓在法律上可采作证据的）书面陈述( affidavit的名词复数 ) | |
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