The Jasper news., 1907-02-07

tired. and the place needed q mans
eyes. she wrote him. When he told
her that he could never bring him
self to teach the village school. she I
was pitifully disappointed
+ The summer that Lindsay came
to spend vacation ia Carriers town
marked turning point IN his life.
Lindsay was an Actor--a good one, ~
nous for his sympathetic acting Of
character parts. Carter sat at his feet
and listened--and talked. at first shy.
'ly. and then in food Of excited
words.
There ought to be good stun in
that old town OF yours" he said, cas-
lily, one day to Carter. for a first-rate
playa kind of Down East-'Old
Homestead thing, you know. Why
don't you write It, Carter? You've
nothing else to do, and you really
know q lot about stage affairs laugh !
ing carelessly.
Carter caught his breath suddenly.
e "Oh, don't know. Maybe win
some day. Would you play II?
He thought his voice was quite In,
different In tone,
.Might--if II proved to be what !
wanted, and had good part for me in
1t. Go ahead Lindsay added, kindly.
All through the summer Carter's
mother had seen him 60 nightly to
Lindsay's. Her thin lips tightened,
a J on the day she crushed the Make
Believe People," her eyes grew stern
ard unyielding. e
The next spring Carter went to New
York with roll of manuscript in his
bag. In weeks time he was back,
his thin face little keener, and lines
Of disappointment about his eyes, In
the autumn he went away again.
At home his mother waited and
prayed, and occasionally wept.
" He's got It in him." she sighed,
fearfully.
One night Carter came back His
mother read his face and braced her
self for the blow At the tea-table he
looked up appealingiy and said:
Mother, have been writing r
play. and Lindsay has bought 1t. He's
going to put 1t on this next season.
His mother pulled her shawl about
her shoulders and shivered slightly.
Her voice was even and colorless
when she answered:
II guessed that this was going on.
So you have chosen your life? It Is
in you-the players blood. MY sis
ter, whom loved deeply, went on the
stage-and her soul was lost--she died
--somewhere- miserably; we never
knew. Your father had it--and his
life was a failure. Perhaps It will be
better for you to go away 1t will
only hurt me and hurt you--your
staying now. No, don't answer me
yet
She rose and left him alone.
Carter went away.
Lindsay put his play on. and made
4 big hit with 1t, The papers were
kind to it, The public accepted 1t,
and laughed, and cried, and applaud
ed over it's homely pathos and hui
NOR. It ran all that winter In New
York
Carter's mother missed him sore.
ly. At first she did not admit II,
even to herself; later the conviction
was forced upon her. The fber OF
her disappointment and shame over
her only son released gradually; she
never knew how 1t came about. but
one day, quite by accidents she read
in q paper q fiattering account OF
James Carter's play. His mother
frowned and laid the paper hastily
aside. In the evening she cut out
the notice and put It between the
leaves OF the Life OF Bishop Simp-
son." She cut out another that same
week
The inconsistency OF her position at
first troubled her ceaselessly. At last
she made a deep and stern decision:
It came after night of prayer and
struggle. That afternoon she took the
train for New York.
Carter chanced to be in the thea
ter that evening in Lindsay's dressing,
room.
Il say, Carter, there's little bit OF
a thin woman down near the front
that's worth watching. I've been play
ing to her all the evening. She's
laughing and crying all at once, like.
a, little girl. BY Joye she's really re-
freshing.
Show her to me-can't ] see her
from the wings?" Garter said, when
1.-The last act was called.