Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1907-05-30

| her at the first rehearsal of Film
| fam" She was fhe scrawniest home
| Hest girl in the chorus when the girls
lined up for first ilepection and hap
| pened to land in the middle at the line
| up. Davis spotted her and called out
| before everybody in the pleasant mer-
ry little way he had:
| THAT will do for yours. Little Bright
| eyes Never mind about taking the
| center Wen save the spot light when
| you're around. The back row for
| yours"
| Everybody turned to take good
look ut Little Brighteycs before the
back row swallowed her forever. She
was about thirty, slim little woman
with big gray eyes and dark hair. 1t
was II point Of beauty in its own way,
| that heir. soft and brown and straight
| as Minnehahas ever was, but she had
| tried to marcel it into shape with Il
home applied curling iron to make her
| look professional, and it was Il sight.
But she took her medicine bravely. and
even Davis recognized the grit in her.
| 1t was her best asset in the after
days, that grit 1t carried her through
| all of Davis major and minor tan
| trums and the teasing from the other
| girls She said little and worked hard,
| but the nickname that Davis had given
| her that first day stuck fast. Even
| Jennie Reynolds. the wardrobe wom-
| an. caught ii, and when she was hand
| ing out the costumes TO the girls she
| tossed Il bunch across the room and
| called out cheerfully.
| Here YOU 20, Brighteyesr'
| And Little Brighteyes just laughed
good naturally. although she had
drawn the least artistic clothes in the
lot. 1t didn't matter when one was
only the fourth girl in the last row
| back. She did as Davis had told her
and kept out of the spot light.
THAT girls an old timer" Davis re-
| marked to Vida Lorne as the two stood
in the first entrance the opening night
and watched the girls take a big encore
on the "Rattlebang' song. There were
sixteen picked out from the little ones
in the crowd, and BrlghteyeS was one
Of them. 1t was Il jolly, swinging,
|
| ute it hit the house The girls were all
in scarlet and black, with snare drums,
and Little Brighteyes was beating hers
for sure, no make believe. The rouge
helped her lots and so did the red and
black costume, Her head was held
high, just bit atit. and her lips were
parted in q smile.
Marshall-Nick Marshall that was
the manager. was beside Vida. He
watched the skinny little figure on the
end thOughtfully as the girls went off.
shes all right" he said. Put her
on to lead tomorrow night in that cho-
rus, Davis and see how she goes She's
on to the ropes all right.
Vida leaned forward to get better
look
I've seen that girl somewhere,
| Nick" she said. Look at her now
with that drum. And the way she
steps, Who is she?'
Little Brighteyes," laughed Davis
shortly That's all she is now any
way, but she's an old timer all right"
Vida laughed, too, as Marshall walk
ed around with her to the big white
automobile in which she made her first
entrance The first act showed. noun
| tain scene in country anywhere be
| tween Italy and China. The beautiful
American heiress was doing the tour
ing stunt all over Europe. and the
prince of the country was in love with
her. He had followed the lead of the
| white automobile all over the map and
finally had induced the girl to pay
| visit to his own land. She feared posi-
| bic handitti. He assured her the red
| and black drummer boys and the army
behind them could protect her, And
| all the time, of course, he merely want
ed to get her over the border, abduct
her, shut her up in the castled steep
fortress (act 2l and starve her into
marrying him and filling his stingy lit
tie treasury with coolies of American
coin. 1t was Il rehash, but ii went with
n bang. Even before Vida's entrance
| the thing was n sure success. and Mar
shall was solidiy joyous.
BE careful and don't lose your head
! when You take that run" he said MS he
| stood beside the auto while Vida was
|
| first entrance OF the \ uercan girl.
| They had a mechanical arrangement
for the auto to scOrch down the noun
| tain pass, ana 1t looked as though it
was going straight over the footlghts.
| There We're four turns to The run. and
| then it brought up short right in the
! center of the stage in self locking
frog and made a mighty effective pie
| lure.
| There isn't bit Of danger" an
swored Vida. drgNius on her white
gauntlets. I'm Just as cool as can be.
Not bit ratified, thank you Let her
20"
There was tue seconds pause In the
orchestra, then the crash of entrance
music, and they released the machine.
Ii took the incline likr boys coaster
smooth and swift aud easy. Davis
was white. but Marshall strokel his
vandyke ana frowned ever so slightly
as He watched the car ana its occu-
pant. 1t was dangerous trick. but il