He was always expected up in Viola Dana's apartment (she was a reigning motion picture star at the time.) where I was never invited. I'm sure they did a bit of drinking and I would not see Buster again until right on the dot of eleven-thirty he would appear and announce that it was time for me to go home my family having told him in no uncertain terms that I must be home before midnight.

At no time did Buster and I have an 'affair'. I was simply not his type, nor he mine. I was never expected, or asked, to kiss him goodnight. I'm sure everyone knows that people in the theatrical profession are a little freer and more outgoing than others, but believe me when I say that in those days we didn't go 'round kissing each other all over the place as is done nowadays. Even so it would not have been a violation of propriety for two young people who liked each other, as Buster and I undeniably did, to have 'smooched' a little -- We just didn't!

I hope I'm not giving the impression that my association with Buster was ever a dull routine affair. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact it would have been impossible for anyone to be bored on uninterested while in his presence, as there seemed always something happening where he was concerned. Some rather far out things as for instance. One afternoon he called to ask if I would like to go down to the Santa Fe Station, (the only one in Los Angeles at the time, I believe) with him to meet Roscoe who was coming in from New York. I said I'd love to; so down we went. A number of other people were there and after the usual greetings we left but I soon realized we were not going toward Hollywood, so I said, "Where ya goin' Buster?" "Oh," said he, "I'm going out to Roscoe's house where they're having a party for him, but it's not for you -- so you'll just go along home." My family had managed to acquaint Buster with the fact that I had been carefully, even strictly, brought up. Also I'm sure he knew that I personally had no de-sire to attend an Arbuckle party. But in consternation I inquired, "How am I going to get there?" (This was long before cross-town taxies became available.) "Why, you're gonna take the car" he said, as though' surprised it had not occurred to me "But Buster I can't drive!" I exclaimed "I've never driven a car in my life." (And I'll venture to say that women who had driven cars were, at that time, in extremely short supply.) "Oh, that's O.K. It's easy." he said calmly. I'll show ya." Soon we stopped in front of Mr. Arbuckle's palatial residence, on West Adams Boulevard, Buster got out, struck a match and said, "Now here's low gear -- here's second, and here's third. Here's the brake pedal right over here." (Showing me how they operated, by the light of the match as he went along.) "You'll be O.K. kid --see ya in the morning." I had gained a small reputation for being a 'dare-devil' in pictures but, as a matter of fact, I was never the least bit daring. My fame in this area came about because I simply could not bring myself to say 'no' to anything challenging I was asked to do. So now, although I was petrified with the thought of driving a car for the first time, plus being alone and at night --Everything, literally everything occurred to me except to say 'no one simply could not do that! So while Buster stood there I did something that made me lurch off the spot. May I remind everyone reading this article that traffic as we know it today was nonexistent at the time. I remember seeing only a few cars along the eight to ten miles distance to my home in Hollywood; though I must say that each one of those few seemed to be headed straight for me with deadly intent! I hugged the curb every inch of the way and covered the distance almost entirely in lurches and stops, but at no time did I kill the engine which would, of course, have meant it had to be cranked in which case I think I would simply have disintegrated rather than meet such an emergency.

Needless to say my family flipped when, after finally regaining my voice, I aquatinted them with what had happened. Had he lost his mind! What in heaven's name could he have been thinking of to let me do such a thing! Ere now I had begun to experience a bit of pride in being the center of so much concern and attention, so I said, rather casually "Well I'm here, am I not?" I'm sure Buster had no intention of subjecting me to a traumatic experience and if I had in any way in-dicated that I was afraid and did not wish to he would not have had me involve myself -- but being from a vaudeville family he learned very early to be extremely facile; was afraid of nothing and could do anything with his hands and at his youthful age, at the time I knew him, he had not as yet learned that not everyone was so gifted.

Only a few weeks after my unique driving lesson Buster and I were standing on one of our open air sets when we heard an airplane overhead. This was but one year after World War I had ended and a plane flying over Los Angeles was such a rarity that virtually every-one stopped whatever he was doing to look up, in awe, 'till it could no longer be seen or heard. Buster and I did just that and with his usual enthusiasm for any-thing new and intriguing he said, "Oh Boy! Wouldn't ya just love to go up in one 'o those things?" One would think that with my, oh so recent, experience I'd have known better but either I was young and dumb or else it was totally inconceivable to me that even Buster could, at that point in time, arrange an airplane flight. So with great gusto, I said, "I sure would!"

We did not work for a few days thereafter and I had completely forgotten the instance when Buster called one morning (less than a week later) and said, "Got a big surprise for ya, can you be ready at two this p.m. I happily said 'yes' and could hardly wait 'til two o'clock came. We drove over to Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. There were no buildings at that time, just open fields, but on the Northwest corner there was what could loosely be called an 'airport' (or an unreasonable facsimile thereof). A small shack in one corner and two or three very small one engine planes parked nearby -- Buster drove over the field and right up to the shack, got out of the car and made a sweeping gesture. Saying, "Which one of these planes would you like to take a ride in this afternoon?" If there was anything in this whole wide world I did not wish to do it was to take a ride in one of these or any other planes. All I could say was "Ohooooo Buster!" "Knew you'd be tickled pink!" said he. I thought if I appear to be 'tickled pink' then I just have to be the world's greatest actress! At that moment a young man stepped from the shack and Buster introduced him as an old friend who was in the Air Force during the war and now owned his own plane and knew that there were many people, like ourselves (said Buster) who were just dying to fly; and so was organizing this small 'airport' with two or three other pilots for those, like ourselves, who just couldn't wait to go up. I felt I could have waited indefinitely but with one young man on either side of me I was, during this conversation, being piloted toward one of the little planes and, without a word out to me was being hoisted aboard onto a seat built for two; there was no difficulty there however as Buster and I were both small -- but suddenly, as I was being strapped in, I came out of the trance I had been in and decided that saying 'no' (much as I disliked to) was far preferable to what I considered almost certain death in this unearthly contraption and I determined I would put an end to being thus shanghaied! I opened my mouth to elucidate on this theme when suddenly a most frightening and explosive noise drowned out what I was about to say and when it had subsided enough for me to be heard -- I found we had taken off!

Then and there I promised the dear Lord that if ever he'd let me set foot on terra firma again I'd never leave it even to go up in a tall building or an elevator. I glanced at Buster. He was ecstatic! Looking like a small boy having the time of his life with a new toy. So, gradually, I began to feel that perhaps, just perhaps we might have some small chance of sur-vival if only these two idiots, with whom I had cast my lot, would decide we had had enough and would use their limited resources to effect a safe landing. As usual I reasoned without Buster who, at this point, leaned across me to yell "O.K. Now!" at the pilot who smiled and nodded. So did I, thinking that this must be the signal to end this monstrous ordeal. I meant to do my best to try and pretend to enjoy the rest of it; when suddenly I was horror stricken to feel us rolling over and to see the earth below gyrating strangely in what seemed to me, all directions. This performance was repeated at least three times. I decided that I did not have to witness our demise so I covered my eyes with my hands and abandoned all hope. But then it seemed as if we were leveling off and I glanced up and in a flash I knew this had all been for my benefit! It made me so furious I concluded that death itself would be preferable to letting them know how terrified I had been. Ere now we really were landing. I had time to summon every bit of acting talent I possessed and managed to smile pleasantly. When finally we stopped bouncing and settled firmly on the ground Buster looked at me with a twinkle and said, "Wasn't that fun?" I said "Boy! It sure was!" He slumped dejectedly and with the utmost disgust said "Aw You!".

I am now a very old lady and long since learned to drive my own car and to enjoy flying but I've never flown without thinking of Buster and how tame all my other flights have been compared to that one with him. *End*