Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-08-25

| " 1UU remember Lady Pa
| IL tronesses' day at the Cruel
ty, Mag? Remember how
the place smelt of cleaning
ammonia on the bare floors?
Remember the black dresses
we all wore, and the white aprons
with the little bibs, and the oily sweet
ness of the matrOn. and how our faces
shone and tingled from the soap and
the rubbing? Remember ii all?
Well, who'd "a thought. then that
Nance Olden ever would make use OF
it-On the level, too!
Drop the Cruelty, and tell you about
the stage? Why, it's bare boards back
there, bare as thu Cruelty. but oh,
there's something that you don't see.
but you feel it-something magic that
makes you want to pinch yourself TO
be sure you're awake. | 90 round
there just doped with it; my face. il
you could see it, must look like Molly's
kids when she is telling him fairy
stories.
love it, Mag! | love it,
And what do ] do? That's what |
was trying to tell you about the Cruel
ty for. It's in little act that was
made for Lady Gray, that there are
four Charity girls on the stage. and
I'm one of EN-.
Lady Gray? Why, Mag, how can
you ever hope to get on if you don't
know who's who? How can you ex-
pect me to associate with you if you're
so ignorant? Yes-a real Lady. as
real as the wife of a Lord can be
Lord Harold Gray's a sure enough
Lord, and she's his wife, but-but 8
chippy, just the same; that's what she
Is, in spite of the Gray emeralds and
that great Gray rose diamond she wears
ON the tiniest chain around her scraggy
neck. Do you know, Mag Monahan
that this Lady Harold Gray was JUS
a chorus girl-and a sweet chorus i
must have beer if she sang there!-
when she nabbed Lord Harold?
You'd better keep your eye OF
Nancy Olden, or first thing you know
she'll marry the car Of Russia-ol
Tom Dorgan, poor fellow, when h,
gets out! Well. just the same
Mag, If that white-faced scrawny lit
tie creature can be lady, girl will
ten times her brains, and at least hal
q, a dozen times her good lOoks-ob
we're not shy on the stage, Mag
about throwing bouquets at ourselves
Can she act? Don't be silly, Mag
Can't you see that 0bermulleT's jus
hiring her title and playing il in BIZ
letters on the bills for all it's worth
She acts the Lady PatrOness, come Il
look al us Charity girls. She come
on, though, looking like a fairy prin
cess. Her dress is Just blazing wit
diamonds. There's the lady's corone
in her hair Her thin little arms ar
banded with gold and diamonds, an
on her neck-0, Mag, Mag, that ros
diamond is the coler of rose leaves i
a fountains jet through which tn
sun is shining. It's long-long as m
thumb swear it is, Mag-nearly
and it blazes oh it blazes-
Well, it blazes dollars into 0ber
mulier's box all right, for the Ora
jewels are advertised in the bill wit
this one at the head of the list tn
star of them all.
You see it's this way: Lord Harol
Grays bankrupt. He's poor asa
Nance 0lden. Isn't that funny? Blu
he's got the family jewels all right, I
have as long as he lives Nary a on
can he sell, though, for after his deaf
they go to the next Lord Gray. So
makes 'em make living for hin
and as they can't go on and exhibI
themselves, Lady Gray sports en-
and draws down $500 a week.
Yep-two hundred
But do you know 1t isn't the tw
hundred dollars a week that make
me envy her till I'm sick; it's ths
rose diamond. II you could only Sc
it, Mag, you'd sympathize with m,
and understand why my fingers jus
itched for 1t the first night saw he
come on.
Pom my soul, Mag, the sight Of
blazing on her neck dazzled me 9
that 1t shut out all the staring aud
ence that first night, and ! even fol
got to have stage fright
whats doped you, 0ldeni" 0bel
! muller asked when the curtain WEI
down, and we all hurried to the wing
/ was In the black dress with th
! whte-bibbed apron, and looked up I
him still dazed by the shine Of thu
diamond and my longing for It. You
almost kill with your own hands fC
q diamond Hike that, Mag!
! "Doped? Why-what didn't ] dol
] asked him.
|. That's just H." he said, looking {
me curiously; but could feel his di