The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-18
From Understudy to Star
By RICHARD KAHN

7 AS she looked somewhat obviously at the
carrying out of the clause Of the con-
tract that stood in her way, SO to speak,
busting advance man hurried to the
carriage and ordered the driver to be at
Miss Burton's hotel in time to make the
1920 train for Denver Monday morning.
Il shall walk she said sadly, land
and I shall carry little brown bag. After
1 have walked to probably a hundred
more trains shall at last walk to a train
to Bond Hill, where, ever after, shall
ride in carriages
!''You told me- said Ned, ""that if you
ever had a chance to sing the lead Bond
Hill would be postponed. And then per-
haps"-
Little boy" she interrupted, I'm not
to have chance to sing it. And I've re-
hearsed it until I've two more notes than
I had at the beginning of the season.
IF you could sing it In Denver he said
soberly, 'they might engage you for some-
thing better-if you sang it to please
them" he added.
IF sang it to please them indeed she
pQuted. Then the tears welled up. 1T
isn't question of singing it well, Ned"
she declared. Its question of singing
it at ALL I only want the chance-only the
chance"
IF you sang it Tomorrow night" he
began, you would have been a prima
donna, if only for a night. Then you
wouldn't need to go back to Bond Hill,
and there wouldn't be any reason why
you and u
IF any dire thing happens to Miss Bur-
ton,' she declared, land I do sing tomor-
row night then there will be no reason
why I shouldn't do anything
"Then you promise?" he asked her.
Doesn't Miss Burton look healthy and
strong?" she answered.
There was confusion on the train carry
ing the company from Drexel to Denver
before twenty-five miles of the 20O-mile
| run over the mountains had been covered.
No prima donna was on board nor was
| there another train rea aching Denver be-
| fore $50 that night, which was too late
| to hold curtain for anyone. Miss Bur-
| ton for the first time that season had
| missed train There seemed to be no
| other solution.
Il told the man to call for her with
! carriage at 1920" reiterated the advance
| man to everybody. Il couldn't do any
thing more
! 1T begins to look said Ned, ':as if you
| might be forced to sing the part to night"
| The managers thought so, too. She
was taken by them to the baggage car,
| where trunks were hurriedly overhauled.,
Miss Burton's costumes, she knew would
not fit her. So they were ruthlessly cut
| up and cut down again to fit. In fact,
music, which she ran over while she was
! being fitted, that she was at the theater
| almost before she had time to think of
| anything, even of Ned
Denver didn't know that the very pretty
! girl who got three encores for the Moon
| Song was not Miss Burton. Denver
didn't know Miss Burton anyway, SO why
tell it that it was hearing an understudy?
thought the managers. But somehow.
! when the dramatic men got back to their
offices they found that some one had tele-
phoned during their absence that Miss
Burton had missed the train at Drexel,
! and that they had heard her understudy.
I'VE trust" one of them wrote the
next morning, that Miss Bondhill. who
appeared in Miss Burton stead last night
will continue in the part during the week.
1t would be hardly possible to improve
upon her work
Il Miss Burton, greatly excited arrived at
u the theater in time to see the last act.
i ''It seems to me-, she said, that that
horrid cabman purposly missed the train.
1t wouldn't surprise me to learn that some
one had bribed him to- leave me behind, ;,
she finished. 49, ,
/ Ned, did you hear what she said:" the
understudy whispered.
i TT occurred to me at Drexel,' replied
Ned blandly. that it might be possible
to do what she suggested was done
\ Ned, you don't mean'-she began.
Il mean" he interrupted, when YOU
sign your next prima donna contract don't
have inserted in it a carriage clause.
Some one else who didn't wish to return
to Bond Hill might do it to you, and al
| though I can't offer you carriages ana
| acreage can offer you a.
/ 81 don't care for carriages anyway,
she said.