The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-02-28

gone hOme and now Miss Hattie went
over to the county seat to visit girl
friend. She and Hiram had been
"Out' for the last three months. In
stead of moping and sorrowing and
| breaking his heart he had again called
| her jay and continued his business
of buying butter and eggs for the mar
ket
A theatrical company playing did
She Love Himw had struck the town
and excited the people. The actors and
actresses had sauntered about the
street and been the observed Of all OBJ
servers. There was talk of sire
mendous cast and carload of seem
cry" There was talk Of farewell
tour" and tremendous applause" The
play had run several hundred nights
in New York and the same in London,
and its author had received over a
million dollars in royalties.
Miss Hattie Stebbins had determined
from the first to join the company. She
met the manager In grocery where
he had called for crackers, cheese and
herring, and, to her intense joy, he
was looking for a young lady to play
second lead. Her salary would be $25
per week. Her part would be to hold
up the train of the leading 1ady's dress
as she entered the parlor, trim two
lamps and ask the leading lady If she
should turn the cat outdoors The
manager could promise her no more
just at present, as the leading lady
was insanely jealous Of her part, but
later on there would be change.
1t was agreed that Hattie should
leave when the company did and make
her first appearance at the next town.
She lodged her friends and was at the
depot as the company made ready to
depart at midnight. 1t departed in
the caboose of a freight train. The
manager explained that they preferred
to travel that way in order to view the
scenery.
There were five actors and three &C.
tresses. The actors were gallant
enough, but the actresses held aloof
and threw out insinuations and made
Hattie feel as badly as they could.
There was sleep that night for all who
sat on the floor. In the early morning
the company rolled into it's next stop
ping place, and the manager took the
upper. rooms at the village inn. These
included the garnet. He did this, he
explained, on the ground of health. He
! borrowed Hattie's watch that day and
| forgot to return it.
She went on in her part that night.
She had studied it for hours and was
letter perfect. She fell over a chair on
her entrance, and she fell over another
on her exit, and, though the actresses
Sneered and wanted to know II she
thought she was in a cabbage patch,
the manager took her aside and said
he never saw such acting by an am
ateur, She had only to keep on and
fall over four chairs to bring four
rounds of applause from the audience.
He wound up by borrowing her breast
pin.
For a whole week Miss Hattie Steb-
bins played second lead and rode from
town to town in cabOoses. For whole
1
ousy Of her. Sometimes enough money
was taken in to pay the bills and get
to the next town. Sometimes the print
err and the landlord were held up by
promises. Sometimes the audience
| numbered fifty people, and the APP
plause that went up the manager call
ed positively tremendous" Sometimes
only half a dozen people sat around
and wondered what it was all about.
Miss Hattie had two gold rings, and
the manager borrowed both of them.
She loaned two or three of her dresses
and a hat to the actresses in the hope
of getting into their golden opinions.
She learned to enter and to exit, and IL
she fell down she learned to fall grace
fully on her shoulder. The manager as
sured her that the pinnacle of fame
was not far away, and everything
looked rosy, when she awoke one morn
ing to find the company gone and to
learn that the landlord was holding her
for the bill.
Luckily her father arrived at that
iuncture. There was no scene. She did
not fall into his arms. She had had
|
acting enough. He simply took her
home, where she found Hiram waiting
for her. He had been biding his time,
and there was no scene with him Ell
Their. He simply remarked that if she
had got over being a jay he would
like to revive the marriage question,
and an hour later female head was
resting on manly shoulder and gazing
up at the new moon with dewy eyes.
After long while Hiram gently asked:
Dearest, what does varlet mean?
You know you called me one"
'It's-it's some kind Of an animal,
guess, and I'm sorry" she replied as
she snuggled closer.
| Adam Knew the Flood Was Coming