Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1906-06-29
BY Virginia Leila Wentz

want her roses" back for the first
time since she had left 1t she set out
for her childhood's home.
After she had got out at the little
country station unheralded she wound
her way up the old farm road. Moth
ing seemed to have changed. She
heard the cows lowing far OFF, she In
hailed the loamy incense of her an
cestral land. 1t was SO sweet that 1t
panied her. The dear, familiar farm
house came In sight. and her eyes grew
misty. She opened the gate which led
to the yard path, bordered by lilacs
and hollyhocks There, pulling up
some weeds from underneath the lllacs,
she came face to face with her father.
At first he could find no words to say.
He only glared at her through his spec
tacles. Then:
"Where Is he-that scoundrel, that
vagabond. that
my husband" corrected Madge,
drawing back with touch Of dainty
pride.
"Then." Numbered the old farmer,
fiinging down his trowel In u rage,
"gc back to him-go back to your hus-
bandw The veins In his neck were
swollen like cords. That he did not
fall with a stroke Of apoplexy was q
miracle indeed.
So Madge passed out Of the gate OF
her fathers home once more. When
she reached New York, Jim had Just
been taken to the hospital. At first
she was conscious only of one thing.
Jim was III, terribly III. and calling for
her. Later the DOCTORS sentences re-
turned to her. There had been an &C.
cident-inJury to the spine-never walk
again--a cripple for life Why, ah,
why, had she ever left her beloved?
When, at the beginning Of the next
season. It was time to 30 ION the road"
again Madge had to start with vari-
ETY. company alone. But while she was
doing an eccentric dance In crimson
ballet skirt her whole he1rt and soul
were with man suffering In n stuffy,
top room In Eighth street
Something like six weeks after its
departure from New York the variety
company collapsed" I'm Ohio. Madge
other engagement. Each evening when
she had come back from her weary
tour of the theatrical agencies the ques-
ton would come anxiously almost be-
fore she had closed the door.
Anything today, Madge darllngT
And always tho answer would come
with a brave smile as she shook her
head In the negative:
you see, this Is tho bad part Of the
season. And the profession is really
Overcrowded."
Meanwhile medicine was requiring
cash and the landlady was insisting on
having her weekly increasing lodging
bill paid.
AS Madge entered the room one even
Ing bracing her heart to meet the
customary question, she heard new,
CHEEKY words instead
"Come over here, little woman. I've
something to show you"
Jim, who lay propped up by pillows,
had bright flush on each cheek, and
his eyes were like stars. He held to-
ward her q bundle of manuscript. II
was a play he'd been writing unknown
to his wife or doctor. 1t was con
structed from Incidents of his own life.
Madge and he were the leading charac-
tiers. In the last act they both made
tremendous "hits" and were Discover
I'd" Wealth poured In upon the long
disappointed artists, and they were
able to leave poverty behind them.
when we sell the play, what shall
we do with all our money, dearT she
asked, smiling through her tHars as
at last she finished reading the priced
manuscript. He turned YEARLY.
"Ah, we'll move into the country,
fresh and green. Well buy little
home with trailing vines 30 we can
hear the birds sing"
Che made the rounds with the play,
as many plays have made the rounds
beforehand no one wanted II. But
just as she had kept Jim's hopes alive
regarding her own possible theatrical
engagement, so now she treated the
disposition Of his manuscript.
One manager-a round, French able
Of man, with sleek, soft, fat hands,
who had promised to give her beloved
play reading-iaid one Of these same
hands upon Madge's arm one day.
That manuscript you brought the
other day fell off my desk into the
wastebasket, and the boy burned n
with the waste paper. I'm sorry, but
the truth is, dear girl, 1t never would
have done In the world-neyer! II was
amateurish. 1t had no action. II was
defective all through. Tell him to try
again" He wished the woman would
not stare at him In that bewildered,
helpless way. He wasn't a ghost.
Come, now. Don't look so white.
I'll take you out to lunch. and then
well call 1t square. won't weT But
she did not hear him. She had already
started for home. Home7 Before her
Jim. wasted and expectant; behind her
blank failursi