Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-06-20

L
came out of the dressing room for the
second act, her mother met her and
said, 81 want to present to you Mr.. Van
Ness" Kitty bowed and blushed.
She recognized the man she had seen
lately every night ID certain box.
Though not exactly handsome, Kitty
thought his face strongly attractive; the
manly refinement in it appealed to her,
as well as the quiet courtesy with
which be spoke to her.
That was the beginning. Van Ness
did not miss a single performance.
Night after night, in this theater and in
that, always Kitty saw him in the same
part of the play house. He was atten-
tive to her in many little ways beside,
and often kindly thoughtful of her
mother. But there was nothing forced,
nothing to attract notice i'll his atten-
tions, and this was felt in an underlined
sort of way, and appreciated by their
object.
Mrs. Harden quite lost her head as
well as her heart over Van Ness, and
was delighted to have man of acknowl-
edged position in the world enamored
of her daughter, especially as she saw
he was an honorable fellow and truly
devoted to the little actress. But Kitty
with her old ihfatuation for the absent
Peters, would give Van Ness no encour
agement. She was gracious to him for
she liked him. Thanks to Eer mother
she was a delicate refined girl, and
hose qualities in the man appealed to
her. But she did not love him. And
while she drew no comparisons, still
she unconsclously every day in her
mind refined George Peters in his
thoughts and in his actions. She was
blind to many things in his letters that
would have been distasteful from any
other, and by and by, before she had
been SIX months away from him, she
held in her heart an ideal George
Peters, which the original could never
reach to. She did not realize this her.
self, so could not know it was due to the
constant companionship of Van Ness.
And he still kept hopeful. Loving
Kitty with all his heart, feeling he
must succeed in the end, for he knew,
though he never dared even hint it,
how much beneath her and unworthy
of herself wa this man she chung 80.
After long and successful trip the
troupe came back to the home theater.
Kitty was as frolicsome in her gaiety as
one of her playful young namesakes,
full of JOY at the thought of meeting
George. The ideal George too, whom
she could never meet, unless possibly
in the next world, and of that there is
considerable doubt. But she was not
undeceived this time, for the company
which had been playing in the city left
the morning Kitty cane back. So the
two missed each other. Some men
would have waited over the couple Of
hours to see the woman they loved,
glad to run the risk of joining the COM
pany by later train in time for the
performance. But Peters never
thought of that. He felt lawful sorry"
he wrote Kitty, and undoubtedly he
did. One of the scene-shifters told her
George choked all up when he read
the notice that they were to leave by
the A. NJ. train.
Kitty was to appear the next night in
the title role OF a new opera. She had
to impersonate a male character, and
the first time in her career. At first
she declared she would not wear tights,
but, remembering Modjeska, who was
the girls ideal, and others she admired.
she yielded to her ambition. They had
rehearsed constantly on the road, and
this first night home was to be given up
to a dress rehearsal. Kitty had be-
come enraptured with her part, but
this night she could not work herself to
it. She had not recovered from her
disappointment at not seeing George; it
was a cold and rainy night and the
theater was chilly and damp; the seen
cry, still unfinished, was being hurried
" worked on by the artists; altogether
it was a miserable, discouraging night.
She went to bed in the early light of
the next morning, feeling wretched and
cross. The skirt to the waist she had
purposely heightened she had been or
dered to cut off. She had felt bold and
uncomfortable and she did not go to
sleep until noon.
About quarter Of an hour before the
performance she reached the theater
feeling exceedingly nervous. She
he wished he could see her, he knew
she looked splendid. Kitty tore up the
note and scattered the pieces on the
floor of her dressing room absent-mind-
edly. She took up big bunch of mign
onettes with cluster of white roses,
which strangely enough at first she
thought red. She laid them against
her burning cheek, they were so cool
and sweet. Everything about her
looked strange and unnatural, she won
dered why. Her eyes were bright, her
cheeks SO flushed the rouge made
hardly difference, and she tingled
WITH excitement ana could not keep
still one moment. She was to create
new role, and in the home theater Kitty
shared in her mothers exultation.
The supers who stood by looked at
her with open admiration but with re-
spect. One of Sarony's men obtained
permission to photograph her in the
new opera, and made an appointment
for her sitting.
She was very impatient as she stood
in the wing waiting for her cue. She
looked at the scenery approvingly 1t
was beautiful. The prompt book called
it ga glade" But when she went out
into the glare of the footlights and
leaned UP against tree in the fore
ground, with the first note of her first
song, every bit Of her nervousness dis
appeared. She sang as she never sang
before, God help us, as she never sang
again It was "spring song," and she
trilled till it seemed the painted
branches were full of the sweetest
throated birds just welcoming in June;
there was liquid, siivery sound as if
the mimic brook were running; while
this little woman there seemed
carried away with all the oladness and