The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-08-14


f=T-1 the place smet of cleaning
ammonia on the bare floors?
49, 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 il 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 stageg Why, It's bare boards back
there, bare as tho Cruelty, but oh.
there's something that you don't see,
but you feel something magic that
makes you want to pinch yourself to
be sure you're awake. ] go round
there just doped with it; my face, If
you could see 1t. must look like Molly's
kids when she is telling him fairy
stories.
love 1t, 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 il you don't
know who's who? How can you ex-
peet me to associate with you If you re
SO ignorant? Yes-a real Lady, as
real as The wife OF Lord can be.
Lord Harold GrAy's sure enough
Lord. and she's his wife, but--but a
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 just
a chorus girl and sweet chorus IL
must have been II she sang there!-
when she nabbed Lord Harold?
You'd better keep your eye or
Nancy Olden, or first thing you know
she'll marry the ear Of Russia-ol
Tom Dorgan, poor fellow when hs
gets ont! Well, just the same
Mag, Ii that white-faced, scrawny lit
tie creature can be a lady, girl will
ten times her brains, and at least hal
a dozen times her good looks-oh
we're not shy on the stage, Mag
about throwing bouquets at ourselves
Can she act? Don't be silly, Mag
Cant you see that Obermullers jus
hiring her title and playing it in BIZ
letters on the bills for all it's worth
She acts the Lady Patroness, come t,
look at us Charity girls. she come
on, though, looking like fairy prin
cess Her dress Is just blazing will
diamonds. There's the lady's corone
In her hair Her thin little arms ar
banded with gold and diamonds. an
IN her nenk-O, Mag, Mag, that ros
diamond Is the color of rose leaves l
fountains jet through which til
sun IS shining. It's long long as m
thumb swear 1t is. Mag--nearly
and 1t blazes, oh, 1t blazes-
Well, it blazes dollars into Ohei
mnNer'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
Gray's bankrupt He's poor as "a
Nance Olden Isn't that funny? Br
he's got the family jewels all right,
nave as long as he lives. Nary on
can he sell, though, for after his deaf
they go to the next Lord Gray. So Ii
makes EN- make living for hin
and as they can't 20 on ana exhib
themselves, Lady Gray sports EN-
and draws down 5000 week.
Yep--two hundred
But do you know 1t isn't the tw
hundred dollars week that make
me envy her till I'm sick; it's thu
rose diamond. II you could only 81
1t. Mag. you'd symDathize with m
and understand why my fingers ju
itehed for 1t the first night saw h
come on,
Pom my soul. Mag, the sight OF
blazing on her neck dazzled me
that II shut out all the staring aud
ence that first night, and even 70
6OL W ldFS SlAtSC ~ lShh-
What's doped you, Olden?" ODE
muller asked when the curtain we
down, and we all hurried tothe wing
was in the black dress with q
white .bibbed apron, and looked up
him still dazed by the shine Of tn
diamond and my longing for 1t. You
almost kill with your own hands I
a diamond like that, Mag!
"Doped? Why what didn't do
asked him.
That's Just it, he said, looking
me curiousiy; but could feel his d
appointment In me. You didn't
anything blasted thing me
than you were told to do. The worl'
full OF supers that can do that"
For just a minute | forgot the d
mond.
Then Its a mistake? You we
wrong and-and | can't be an actress
He threw back his head before
answered, pulling mouthful OF smo
UP at the ceiling, as he did the nig
he caught me. The gesture Its
seemed to remind him of what
made him think In the first place
could make an actress Of me- For
laughed down at me, and saw
remembered.
We'll" he said. wen wait and $