The Bessemer indicator., 1893-09-23
THE UNDERsTUDY.

i u
One day, many months before Dor
othy left the stage in the abrupt
manner which used to ru1le tho
manager 40 afterwards. she had
come walking into the Office leading
smaller and much more untidy
iittlc girl than herself by one grimy
hand.
Here's my understudy. Mr.
Phillips" announced the little
actress, land her names Katherine. "
And though the manager had
stormod good deal and declared he
would Not stand it. norothy's word
had stood, and katherine became he,
veritablc shadow. Whero the small
actress had fond her. no one ever
/ discovered; but judging from the
ragged frock which scarcely covered
her plump body, and the dust.tilled
curls. it must have been IN some
alley, far removed from the fashion.
able qnarted of the city. But be-
tween Dorothy herself and her foster
mother and dresser. thcy soon turned
the smaller child into "a clean. sweet
big-eycd girl. Inside of a week she
knew everyone Ia the company. in
cluding the pets of the women; inside
OF month she could go through her
lines in "Fauntlcroyn with the best
| of them, and with an astonishing grace
and ease. Undoubtedly the little
rhgamuilin either possessed the tai
ent herself or else had Inherited it
from her relatives; aud, having shown
that talent, she dropped into the
company as naturally US il she had
been acting since she wore long
dresses
When Barry Markham. that elo-
giant, hlase young man who conde.
ncended to grace tho stage with his
distinguished prescnce-these were
the comedians sarcastic words cot
corning him--ioined the fauntlcrov
company, overy womun in that ag-
grogation said in hor inner heart she
would bring him to her feet; for
added to a most enchanting manner
and bearing, there was an air OF de-
iicious mystery about him which was
really quite irresistible. No one
knew anything definite of him,
though the old woman whispered
once or twice to the leading lady
that she knew his must be real
sweit, rnnnihg away from something;
ard the advance man, who droppad
oack once week to have game of
poker with the first heavy, was halt
way sure he lad seen him tHrouoh
the window at ar upper ten" recep-
ton. tfut this was mere onossino.
thc iacts were only these: iIo never
smtiedi he never goss!ped with the
others he dressed we'll, brt taste
fully something the others did not.
he played the earl as if his life de-
pended upon his success; and he tool,
life very, very, seriously. The one
thing which made him seem real and
tangible to the other men was that
he drank II good deal-nigh drink
ing. too-though he never got too
much; but although he asked them to
JON him, whenever they happened
in the scnie place, it was with the
cir OF Il baron paying for the wire for
his tenants All in al he was u
charmingly handsome and thor
oughlY delightful mystery.
Until he saw Katherine for the first
time. Then he became a veritable
puzzle. He met her one afternoon
as he was stumbling along the abom-
inaeiy dark and noisome alley lead
ing to the stage door. and, for mo-
ment the tall, serious actor stood
staring down ut the little girl as if
he had seen II ghost. 70 be sure. she
was anything but ghostly, being quite
as plump and rosy as when Dorothy
had brought her into the company;
and tho yellow hair which needed no
addition when she event on tum-
bled about her face in very attrac-
tive aud material manner; but the
actor continued to stare, until it
occurred to him that he was blocking
the way and possibly the little lady,
who was waiting so patiently with
the swectly childish smile upon her
sunny face which made every one
her friend, might want to go on.
With u hoar5e 81 beg your pardon u
he took of his hat gravely and step
ped aside. She looked up at him
quite as gravely and said: "Thank
you, sir, as she passed After which
he wandered down street toward his
hotel, and went by three saloons
without stopping in one. Which un-
doubtedly proved the disturbed con.
dition of Mr.. Barry Markham's mind
From that day forth he was a diff
ferent man, He drank less, he talked
more; he took to haunting back al
leys and streets-aftcr he had learned
katherine's very limited history
and he conversed with all the inhab-
itants OF these unsavory portions OF
TIE city who had reached the middle
mile-post OF life. Every day saw him
said; but, from his drawn, sad face
when he returned from his trips, it
was evidently not for the pleasure
he found there. If what he learned
there made him sad, however, he
made up for it when he came back,
for once near the little girl who had
Interested him so, he forgot his
troubles, whatever they were, and
warmed his cold heart in the sun
shine of her happy smiles. And it
would have taken cold heart, in.
deed, to withstand the straightfor-
ward coniiding little ways with
which Katherine went to him. Moth
ing could frightcn or disturb her,
seemingly; nothing seemed bad or
unpleasant to her pure heart; and
once her faith was grounded in her
new friend, which was soon the case,
nothing on earth could have up
rooted her conviction that he was the