The National tribune., 1893-03-23

| face imaginable laid paper he had in his hand
/ upon the managers desk, and went to the long
| window to wait until he had finished with his
| new caller.
| very small girl came quietly ina very
small girl with large gray eyes, and the yell
lowest of yellow hair tumbling about her round
face She was such pretty and attractive
child indeed, that the gray haired man stopped
| looking out of the window and turned his gaze
upon her. She seemed not to mind it in the
least, for she went straight up to the managers
desk aud bowed very prettily to him.
What do you want, Dot r" asked the man.
ager, frowning down at her from behind the
pile of papers and letters on his desk. The
little girl took deep breath.
Mr.. Phillips" she said, planting herself
/ firmly before him much she was wont to do
when she played hwuleyoy, " i am going to
leave the company. I'm tired of acting, and
acting and acting, and never having any good
times like other childrens does-do-I mean.
And ] came to tell you that am not going to
| play tonight"
! We'll. What do y0n mean, you impu-
| dent little wretch 2" demanded the manager,
bringing his large hand down with thump,
while he fairly glared at his small "star."
Not going to act tonight? I'd like to know
what's gone wrong in the nursery to-day. Out
with it, now; what's gone wrong?"
"Nothing's gone wrong, cepting what's
always going wrong" declared the child. not
| in the least disturbed by his rou Illness. " It's
always the same. / just act and act, forev r
| and forev'r, seems to me, and sometimes" she
! looked wistfully away as she spoke, and her
voice was full of childish longing, sometimes
l get so tired, and want to play SO much.
To-day. inst little while ago l sawed, saw
two childrens playing in the alley, out of my
window, and asked Mrs. Mntet to let me go
out, just this one time, and play with them.
But she said i ought to be ashamed and know
better that it wasn't nice to make mud pies.
She don't know, though; / think it would be.
When she said that cried, N then got mad
and when she took her nap came here to tell
You | want" drawing herself up in quaint,
unchildlke way Il want you to cancel all
our 'gagements, Mr.. Phillips, cause am not
going to act any more. / want to play like
| other childrens, and 90 way off in the country
where they send the little sick ones, and pick
flowers and sit on the grass all day long,"
The manager, with eyes and mouth wide
open in speechless establishment, stared at the
little girl, and she waited calmly for him to
answer her.
well. ] never did J" declared the astound-
ed Mr.. Phillips at last. Then he turned to
his visitor, who was smiling gently at the little
actress. "What do you think of that for a
demand, Bracely?" he inquired. i tell you
| the American child is getting so very fresh
and so very independent that it is wonder
Mr.. Bracely said nothing. and the manager
turned back to the little girl.
Miss Dorothy" he began with mock polite.
ness, for all poliieness was mockery with the
| manager, you'll have to excuse me for not
complying with your request. 1t is quite inn
possible for me to do SO, am sorry to say, but
owing to-You get back to your room. young
woman" he broke out suddenly, dropping his
politeness and returning once more to his nat
ural manner, "and don't let me hear any
more of this nonsense. Understand Then,
skip!" and he accompanied the order with a
comprehensive snap of his fingers.
The child moved slowly toward the door, and
the visitor saw that she was making brave
effort to keep back the tears which welled into
her big black eyes. AS she put her small hand
on the knob she turned to the manager again.
am not going to act any more" she said
grayely, :" don't want to. / want to play out
doors, in the country, sometimes" Then she
went quietly out with very determined look
upon her innocent face.
We'll, that gets meW exclaimed the non.
plussed manager, as the door closed. Did you
ever hear of anything like it, Bracely? That
little vixen will be running the whole show
pretty soon"
Mr.. Bracely came back to his chair and
looked curiously at the other man.
"Whose is she 2" he asked.
dot? Why, nobody's especially. Her
mother played small parts in one of my road
companies but size died soon after her husband
was killed in the wreck, and the child was
dumped on me. Pm not rich enough to sup
port paupers, as you know" with rueful face,
land so put her to work, and she's success.
She does child parts to perfection, if do say it
myself and there's fortune in her if can
just keep her down. But she can't be allowed
one inch, or she takes the whole thing"
"What was her mothers name," asked the
other man. slowly.
" Let me see-I forget--no, it was Harcourt,
/ believe. Marian Harcourt, on the stage. She
married Montagn the comedian"
=" She was beautiful"
eyes, and Dot inherits some of it along with
her independent ways.
" How often does the child get out in the
country?"
The manager laughed shortly.
I'm the country" he repeated. "Never."
" She hardly knows what grass and trees and
cows and dogs and horses are like, / suppose?"
VERY likely; but see here, Bracely, this
isn't any class in catechism, is it? Let's get
back to this business" tapping the paper upon
his desk.
Phillips" said the other, leaning forward
and speaking very slowly, lyon are as near a
brute as any man l know. Cant yon see that
child is hungry for Gods own green country;
for flowers and birds and fresh air and blue
sky? Can't you understand what she needs?
or are you so blind, SO wilfully blind, that you
won't see it? She knows what she needs, and
she comes and asks you to give it to her. And
you refuse it, like the miserable specimen Of
man you are! . But it is no use trying to
get at you on the ground of common humanity,
you haven't even that. Look at it from a
business standpoint; think how much benefited
she would be for month, oven, where she
could take breath of fresh air and see some
thing besides filthy streets. Can't you manage
IN nd hara For pt,tI ny,d frIvy hnr
chance to get some color into her white
cheeks?"
What are you talking about? I'm not
made of money! OF course | can't She's do.
ing well enough where she is, l tell you, and
you are wasting your sentiment on her."
Bracey got up and took turn about the
little Office, followed by the curious eyes Of the
manager. At last he stopped before the desk
and looked down at the humane Mr.. Phillips
and there was something In his kindly gray
eyes which the other had seen there but once
or twice before-a look that BODIED no good for
the manager.
"She has an understudy, of course?" he
asked.
YES" said the manager promptly.
Who could 60 on with her work without
any trouble or inconvenience?
Yees," said the manager, more donbtfully.
Then" said the gray-eyed man, send for
Dorothy at once"
What in creation are you going to do?"
demanded the manager; you are getting daft
on this subject. aren't your"
Perhaps; but send for the child"