The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-03
Would You Be a Star?

You are an hour late Miss Ire
maine" said the stage manager, tax
ing out his watch accusinsly and giving
the offender a look as severe as his
speech. I'VE couldn't properly practice
this steo with one girl out.
Il was unavoidably detained, STAN
mered the young woman
| The ever-ready excuse" said the
stage manager, growing angry. Don
waste any more time. Get in your pace.
Readyt"
"One and two and three and-Miss Ire
maine, you're not doing this step right
! at all What's the matter with you to-
| day? Begin over again. All together
nowl"
The girl who was the object of the
managers ire may have merited soma
of the reproof, for certainly her thoughts
| were not upon acquiring the step Of the
English chappies, whose role thes twelve
young women in line across the stage
| were to assume. To and fro, and in in
tricate figures across the stage. SO bare
and dreary without scenery, moved the
young women. keeping step with the
| drill master, whose contortions they
painfully endeaYored TO reproduce.
IT'S those long skirts he declared,
his keen eye sweeping the line of breath
less young women. ~ told you yester-
| day not to wear those skirts. I went
speak about It again.
TIL have to wear it. sir" said one
young woman. timidiy.
| ''Why?" asked the angry manager.
| haven't I said you shouldn't
! But It's all I've got" said the girl,
with suspicion of sob in her voice.
PIN IT up, them said the manager.
Now, then, try again. Come In from
the right. One
THAT will do. You've got to do bet
| ter tomorrow.
The young women went back with the
| chorus sitting on the benches, and the
| leading lady, who had been going
through a kind of dumbbell performance
with Drompter at one side, came for
ward and sang with such fervor and
effect to an imaginary audience in the
seats that even the musical director
cried Good" and added his braves to
the rest.
Grace Tremaine slipped unobserved
through the side door of the stage and
passed out through the boxes into the
long aisle. The theater was dark and
gloomy, the empty seats covered with
canvass. The figures on the stage look
ed weird and fantastic. the hollow, re-
verberating voices changing the scene
from Dantomime.
The girl darted a parting look of scorn
small table and between puffs at his
cigar joined the musical director. in an
CRY shouts at the bewildered chorus.
"The BRUTE she said under her breath.
Does he think I will stand his abuse
even to become q star. It's too dreadful
viii be later than this tomorrow. I
will never come again"
"He didn't know what kept me late"
she said, still talking to herself and re-
ferring to the stage manager as she
went out on to the streat-"that I had
that check cashed. Well, he'll scold
somebody else now"
She took from her pocket a small,
white envelope bearing the postmark of
a distant country town. For second
time she read the letter He'll come at
Z; it is now"
Half an hour later she was in her
room, a hall bedroom on the third floor.
81 am glad for once. it is on the al
ley, said the girl. tossing an empty
lunch-box out Of the open window "I
chant need this light housekeeping out
fit any 1onger''-said with disgust
am going to live now on something more
than bread and cheese and weak tea.
But. maybe, I ought to leave the kero-
sene stove for the next poor "shut-in
who will live here after me-"
She dragged small trunk from the
closet and started to pack her clothes.
TITS quick work. she said, with a Bit
ter little laugh. 81 haven't so many
of them as I had when I came TO the
city six months ago. Where's my watch?
1t was pawned, and there are other arti-
cles in the same place that shall never
call for But it doesn't matter now.
I'm going home
When the trunk was packed, the girl
made an attra ctive toilet for the cloth
street dress was we'll brushed and neat,
and the sailor hat was new. It cost
the girl a few dinners. She sat down
third time. drew the letter from her
pocket
Dearest Daughter" 1t ran, 'You have l
had your way You wanted a career, to
make name for yourself. If the path
is too thorny and you are tried Of the
great. selfish city. one who follows this
letter will tell you how we are waiting
for you to come home.
FATHER AND MOTHER"
There's a gentleman downstairs TO
see you, Miss Tremaine,' said the maid
pushing open the door which stood part
Iy ajar.
81 am coming down" said the girl
"And you will come back TO the old
life, Gracie?" said a big, sun-burned
young man a few minutes later. holding
the girls small hand In his hig brown
one. You will never want to leave us
AGAIN."
'I viii never leave you again" saia
the girl.
The stage had lost a possible star,
and young country merchant had
gained a wife.