Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-09-12
"THE PLAYS
THE THING"
BY EMMETT CAMPBELL HALL.

Independent Theatrical Company,
Limited. announced pompously 10 the
newspaper men, lis growing tired Of
poor shows by people who have moth
Ing but reputation-gotten almos,
any old way What they want is a
good show. good play with good &C
tors. and the name OF the actor or
actress doesn't have the value q q
last years door-eheok,"
II was In following out this plan,
therefore. that Kennedy picked out
Marshall Madden as his leading man
for The Cottage and the studio u
simple little tale of struggle and
heartache. OF strength and the per
Torrance Of hard duty.
But say. don't know a thing
about this artistic atmosphere Of
Paris. and all that. you know" Mad
len 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. Il have been
tooling with guns and spurs so long,
he continued. that | am pretty near
"a real cow.puncher. Hot art student
I'll make"
That's all right" Kennedy said,
voothingly You'll make good all
rr.gh,. As 10 the atmosphere, rm 6.
Ing TO have you run over 10 .arie sad
acquire II. You'll start az once and
when you get there, you tx up a
studio and Join some class-tust live
the thing, you know"
"All 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 | have one in mind" Kennedy
replied.
The result OF all OF which was that
some four weeks later Marshall Mad
den was established. humbly, as be
fitted his purse and the part he was
10 play in the next winters produc
/ 'tion, as a full-fledged art student in
Parts, under the name of Weldon
Hampton.
II was Just month after his err
rival in Paris that Madden met Elsie
Proctor at little students gathering
/ and from that instant the days &c
Madden were golden.
In the frank, easy air of the studios
they soon became far more intimate
In short time than would have
been the case under any other cir
cumstances, but at all times there
was about the girl a certain shy re
sorTe that checked too rapid an ad
vance. To Madden she appeared a:
the one girl of his life, and she wa:
evidently not Indifferent to the big
handsome chap. though she could no
resist the temptation to tease.
That was one of her most charming
traits, although at times 1t drove hin
to the brink of despair.
why won't you be direct with me
glrl?" he pleaded. 'You must set
Row much | care-don't play witt
mo-" but the girl would only smile
ilscrutably.
You are very large for play
thing, are you not?" she would say
laughingly, and he would 60 ava!
raging inwardly, and occasional!
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 child Il
nor poor, cramped and bare New
England home she had longed TO
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 Il
obtaining position in New Yorl
which enabled her by the closes
economy to finally come to Paris ant
take the course for which she ha
,onged. 1t would have to be short
however, she told him; she woul
have to go home early in the comini
fall, to again secure her position.
widowed mother and two smalle
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 a little, thinking hoy
near he had come to giving away hi
secret.
"oh. just character in play" h
said
: And the plays the thing, ism
+, lt@ she murmured, her eyes fixe
, upon distant point.
Madden was startled. Had sh
, penetrated his make-believe? Almos
I at once, however, she changed tn
4 subject, and he gradually grew rea
sured.
e AS the time for his return to Ne
e York drew nearer, Madden presse
$ his suit with more and more ardou
only to be kept gently at safe di
a lance.
. At last the night before the day o
:. which he was to leave arrived II
n had called to see her, and found he
with suspiciously bright eyes. Ht
n handkerchief was crumpled into
IS ,..,, ln.,,, ba11 In bar hand aud bf