Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1902-12-16
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
By Lovett De Wolfe


The call of fifteen minutes had beer
given long. age, and Jimmy must b,
| tied up. The girl who was going to b
an actress looked doubtfully about ths
small dressing room Ia quest Of an i'm
movable piece of furniture. Jimmy
had an impetuous disposition which
had not yet adapted itself to the limita
lions Of the stage. and the girl felt that
therein existed bond Of sympathy be
tween them. She had received her
name of the girl who was going to BIZ
an actress from the leading man. Ii
was somewhat surprising, coming from
him, for the title was fiattering and
sounded clever, and the leading man.
being decided genius, was emphat-
ically the reverse of clever.
The girl finally concluded that the
water faucet was the only thing in the
room TO which she could safely attach
the dogs chain, and she picked Jimmy
up in her arms to explain the matter to
him. She was Invariably courteous in
her dealings with animals and the
prompter, though at times offhand with
| others.
I'm afraid you won't like it, Jimmy.
! dear" she said. You never do like
i being tied, for some reason or other,
| and the worst of 1t Is that if you jump
and pull, as you generally do, you will
4
you, because you won't understand 1t.
In many ways, Jimmy, you are a very
human dog, you see" She put him
| down gently and fastened the chain to
his. collar, while he licked her hand.
But shant be gone long. Jimmy,
dear. This is short act and you can
enjoy yourself thinking Of how glad
you'll be when | come back"
The girl fastened the other end of the
chain to the faucet, and us she did sc
came the call of Orchestral Glanc-
ing at herself in the glass, she laughed
II worship you, Jimmy, but ! can't con-
scientiously say that you're help when
ones making up."
Jimmy stared up at her In wrapt ado
ration as she gave her chin a saucy
touch with the powder puff. This ac
complished, she stopped and kissed him
on the nose. Then she hurried out OF
the dressing room. forgetting with
| proper artistic negligence to pull the
door to-
The leading man was surveying the
house through an eyehole in the cur
tain. By and By he came over TO her
The leading man WAS Jinany's owner
and when he remembered it the respon-
sibility weighed on him.
Jimmy all right?" he said in his
most imposing Mark Antony style.
She looked up at him. She was ready
| for the rising of the curtain and was
sitting in the approved ingenue fashion
on a footstool in front of an electric
light fire.
"Quite safe" she answered, ''since bic
is tied to the water faucet. But he is
probably in state of active rebellion
by this time, having been alone fully
| five minutes"
The leading man nodded like Hamlet
at the skull, "Iimmy's social being
! Then the orchestra began the curtain
! raiser, and he slipped into the wings
His entrance was not until later The
| girl began TO think CT her first lines
| for she opened the act. She also opened
| the next and was always afraid she
would begin the play at the second.
As the girl was standing on the plain
| deal side OF purling fountain during
| the second scene. listening for her cue
/ the villain came up to her She knew
the cue would be given In moment
/ and therefore did not wish to engage IL
conversation, so she smiled at hin
vaguely and not encouragirgly. But Il
| was no use because he was not pol
ished villain, but a villain of the deep
est dye. s.I'Il tell you n joke" he whis
pered @Jilnmy's loosa.7 The girl lis
tened for her cue no mere.
4 "What!v
4 The villain nodded BE funny
went it. if he follows PenfieId ON a
his next entrance? It's that tragi
one of his"
The villain laughed a wicked laugh
h twirled his black mustachios AM
stalked away. his own entrance beinI
from the other side.
The girl looked around There wa
no one near TO search for Jimmy o
get word to the leading man. The Iat
ter was on the stage, happily uncon
scions Of the impending canine ant
climax Suddenly she realized tina
her cue was being given. She pulle'
herself together mentally and went OF
i During the scene her mind worke,
double The only person she had t
/ act with was the villain, and she kney
1t was useless to appeal to him. Her on
hope lay In finding Jimmy during
five minutes exit she had later. whe
she would reappear in hat and coai
Her scene with the villain neve
seemed so long, and she made her exI
with more exuberant sense Of relic
than even on the opening night, whe
every scene finished was bliss unspeaf
able
She came OF on the left and rushe
over to the leading mans dressin
room, which was on the stage, but O
the right side. The door was ala
and the girl whistled. Then she callet
Jimmy, Jimmy. darling" she mul
INJURED beguilingly, but there followe
no impetuous rush Of little paws, Z
she knew he was not there. She "a
back across the stage, searching an,
iously for the dog, and then upstaiI
to her own dressing room. Sh
snatched up the hat and cape whic
she was to wear, and as she put tt
lat On and ran the hatpin through b
hair continued to look about for Jin