Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05

"I would rather starve, Eleanor, crleo
her mother passionately, returning afresh
TO the task OF celebrating her countenance
with a sofa pillow.
Eleanor bit fiercely at the end of her PEN
Gil and assumed a bantering tone.
THAT would sound very well, Mumsy, II
vou and I were on the stage, because tten
the leading man would turn up at the OPP
perfume moment and save us from such
a dreadful fate. But there is no leading
man on our horizon. Besides, dear, we
would not starve artistically. l fear me the
world would not rise to the musical scores
/ am leaving behind. To starve In the
cause of genius Is to live ever after In
poetry and romance, but to starve anu
leave only ragtime dittIes behind is to get
one line in the morning papers L aoS"-
lutely refuse to starve for less than col
umn of space so | think its up 10 me TO
1uin the Lorelei quartet.
Mrs. Whyte sat up suddenly, drying her
tears. -,
ITS impossible to make you see this
thing seriously. The very idea OF your
thinking for one instant of dong such q
thing as playing in n public restaurant
mot in the restaurant, correctei Eieahor
gently "above 1t, and far above II In a
little balcony painted all white and soid,
and there's going to be a brass gate at
the foot of the stairs leading to the balcony,
with a chain and paddock or II, 50 tha5
the bold. bad men cannot climb UP ana
firl with us You don't seem to under
stand that Mr.. Thalheimer's idea is to pop
ularze us through this very aioOfness. he
thinks the mystery will pique curiosity, and
draw the public to his beautiful new restau-
rant"
DRAW men, you mean. Women will not
come to see other women"
Indeed they will Interrupted Eleanor
laughingly eff only the men talk about us
enough. They've had women bands ana
women orchestras recruited from cheap mu-
sic halls but four unsophlstlcated maloehS
IN graduation frocks and with hair parted
demurely in the middle VIII be something
of novelty even In this blase town. i nose
gowns, dear Mumsy, will cost small 1or-
tune and the first girl who puts makeup
on her face is to lose a weeks salary. We're
TO keep the soft pedal down, so to speak, On
our manners as well as our music Ner
to have the union prices, "a a night with
the frocks thrown In. And we re dll solhS
to take stage names.
ION the strength of that SIS am 10
have the end of next week, l would ear
nestly urge you to purchase some real
beefSteak. / feel the need OF II at tihs par
tIcular moment"
Tie last words brought Mrs Whyte to
her senses and her feet. No doubt 1t had
been a very hard morning for her proud
daughter In her own diSmay she had not
stopped to measure the strain through
which Eleanor lad probably passed long
before she brought the news home to her
anxious mother.
While Mrs. Whyte was preparing the first
real solid meal they had had in a week.
Eleanor In the seclusion of her own room,
was passing once more through the morn
ing's valley of humiliation.
Only two years before she had come TO
tire great city nom the little town where
she had long retgned as a musical genius.
Here she had discovered that she lacked
three important OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
tances in either business or social circles.
really broad knowledge of the profession
size had chosen and the spirit of CONNER
cIaIIsm which had invaded even the musical
profession of city given over to sordid
things.
Dozens of her tripping little melodies
were lying idle in the safes of song pub
lshers, who gave preference in pushing
publications by people who had a name or
a pull. She had tried teaching, but no one
stood social Sponsor for her and lacking
this influence, she had failed to find patrons
who were willing to spend their money on
an instructress tho could not give prestige
along with training.
She had sung n a church choir for 81 so
a week, and hell a roof over her mothers
mead by giving piano lessons to the land
lady's child. She had haunted musical ex-
changes, had paid out money to agencies,