Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1907-08-22
tsTHE PLAY'S
THE THING'
By EMMETT CAMPBELL HALL.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Copyright, by Daily Story Pub. Co1

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Copyright, by Daily Story Pub. Coz
The public John Kennedy, Of tie
Independent Theatrical COMPANY,
Limited, announced pompous,y to the
newspaper men, lis growing tirs OF
poor shows by people who have moth.
ing but reputation-gotten almost
any old way. What they want is a
good show, good play with good4ac-
tors, and the name Of the actor or
actress doesn't have the valuea6f a
last years door-check.' i. +,
It was in following out this plan.
therefore,. that Kennedy picked II out
Marshall Madden as his leading man
! for :'The Cottage and the Studio" a
simple little tale of struggle and
heartache, of strength and the per
Torrance Of hard duty.
But say, I don't know thing
about this artistic atmosphere of
Paris, and all that, you know Mad
den objected when his selection was
announced to him. His strong point
was atmosphere and local COLOR
and he had been playing for years in
dramas of the west. II have been
fooling with guns and spurs so long"
he continued, that l am pretty near
a. real cow-puncher Hot art student
I'll make" "a
"That's all right" Kennedy said,
soothingly. You'll make good, all
right. AS to the atmosphere, I'm 60
ing to have you run over to Paris and
acquire it. You'll start at once, and
when you get there, you fix up a
studio and join some class-just live
the thing, YOU know, .sBss,r'.es>~-..,->~
Ali right" Madden agreed. How
about the leading lady? She is sup
posed to be an art student also, you
know"
Haven't decided on one just yet,
though l have one in mind,' Kennedy
replied.
The result Of all Of which was that
den was established, humbly, as be-
fitted his purse and the part he was
to play in the next winters produc-
sion, as a full-fedged art student in
Paris, under the name of Weldon
Hampton.
It was just month after his ar
rival in Paris that Madden met Elsie
Proctor at little students gathering,
and from that instant the days to
Madden were golden.
In the frank, easy air of the studios
they soon BECAME far more intimate
in a short time than would have
been the case under any other cir
cumstances, but at all times there
was ABOUT the girl certain shy re-
serve that checked too rapid an adj
vance TO Madden she appeared as
the one girl of his life, and she was
evidently not Indifferent to the big,
handsome chap, though she could not
resist the temptation to tease
That was one of her most charming
traits, although at times it drove him
to the brink of despair. Il
Why won't you be direct with me.
girl?" he pleaded. you must see
how much | care-don't play with
me-" but the girl would only smile
inscrutably.
"4'ou are very large for play
thing, are you uot?" she would say,
laughingly, and he would go away
raging inwardly, and occasionally
boiling over, to the hurt of his studio
| furniture
BY and by she grew more gentle
and confded to him some of the de.
tails of her life-how, as a child in
| her poor, cramped and bare New
| England llcr3e she had longed fer
some of the beautiful things of life;
how in that hard soil her artistic tai
ent had struggled toward blossom
and how at last she had succeeded in
obtaining a position in New York
which enabled her by the closest
economy to finally come to Paris and
take the course for which she had
longed. 1t would have to be short
however, she told him; she would
have to go home early in the coming
fall, to again secure her position.
widowed mother and two smaller
children required her support
"Why, that might have been Jes
sizes story" he exclaimed aloud.
"Then she has my sympathy
though do not know her. Elsie said
! who is she?'
He flushed little, thinking how
near he had come to giving away his
secret
"Oh, just character in play" he
said.
And the plays the thing ISM
ie?' she murmured, her eyes fxec
upon distant point y
Madden was startled. Had she
penetrated his male-believe? Almos
at once, however, she changed the
subject, and he gradually grew reas
sured.
AS the time for his return to New
York drew nearer, Madden pressed
his suit with more and more ardour
only to be kept gently at a safe dis
lance.