Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-19

elevated her eyebrows in the unpleas-
ant manner that always reminded
Douglas of n cat arching its back.
"Youm find her at the stage en-
trance. I think" she purred. II saw
her Just now. She was-er-talking
to a man"
"Thank you" said Douglas, and
stepping aside to allow her to pass he
turned into his dressing room and shut
the door.
Douglas strove very earnestly to live
I'D to his own ideal Of himself, which
was more or less a composite of his
various heroic roles. That is why he
tried not to refer to the incident Of
Kittens visitor as he walked with her
to their hotel after the performance;
but human nature got the better of
his resolve and he said:
Some one called to see you tonight
at the back door, eh?"
In spite of himself there was more
than casual interest in his question:
and he regretted instantly having
asked it when she replied coldly, YES"
That dismissed the subject until sew
eral nights later.
In every theater there is "call
board" upon which are tackled an
nouncements by the stage manager.
These take the form of commands to
rehearse at certain hours, warnings
as to impending fines" for delinquents,
and sometimes information concerning
I The call board is always hung con-
spcuously close to the door of the
| stage entrance, and near by is the mail
rack with its alphabetical index.
Douglas was looking over a bunch of
letters in the rack, and finding none
for himself had paused to glance at the
call board when he heard Kittens
voice beyond the green baize doors that
4 led into a small entry where the Ger
berus of the stage entrance kept guard.
i A single sentence caught his ear and
for the life of him he could not have
i moved out of hearing.
Take me home after the perform
ance? Nonsense. 1 don't want any
one to take me home. I've been going
to and from the theater alone enough
to be able to take care of myself No!
No! No!''
She spoke hurriedly, in the peculiar
intense tone that Indicated extreme
nervousness, and Douglas felt with
sudden oppression the cold mask of
makeup that covered his flaming face.
"And you must not come to the back
door again." she went on imperatively.
If you want to see me come to the
hotel. I've told you often enough that
1 won't have you around the theater." "
Then a mans voice in evident protest
at the denied privilege. The words
could not be heard, but Kittens reply,
though given in an undertone, was
perfectly distinct.
you know 1 have only your interest
at heart always. You can't accuse
me of not having done my duty. Why
come here? What can you have to say
| to me that can't be written?'
Again the mans reply was lost, only
the tone denoted that he was pleading
with her.
VERY well; very well,' Douglas
heard the assent. Tonight, then,
after the performance, I'll meet you in
the hotel parlor. Now go; you must
not come to the theater again. 1 will
not be annoyed. Yes; after eleven.
Goodby."
With sickening heartache Douglas
walked back on the stage. He could
hear the click, click of Kittens French
heels as she swung through the baize
doors and went up the iron stairway
to her dressing room.
The question as to what he ought
to do confronted him before his brain
had cleared from the shock of her de-
ception.
Whoever the man was she owed it to
him to have told him about it. He
was willing to overlook a past love
| affair." but the necessity for anything
clandestine he could not admit even to
himself.
4 Stockton Douglas was what men call
"a pretty decent fellow" with little
more than the law allows of masculine
vanity; so it was easy for him to over
look Kittens peculiarities of tempera-
ment in return for her abject hero
worship.
Undoubtedly there was method in
the mild madness which prompted her
to praise Unfortunately the work
of her fellow players in the company
but her endowment of Douglas with
all the virtues and most of the accom-
plishments of mankind was genuine
homage, and, be it to his credit, he
appreciated it,
AS ne waited to walk home with her
from the theater that night he was still
undecided as to whether he should
take up the subject of his unpleasant
reVerie.
7 EinanCiorC