The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-31

a week, with six changes of costume,
 all of which were supplied free of charge
 by the management.
 Annie could scarcely believe her good
 fortune. 1t seemed as if her most eX-
 travagant dreams had been crystalized
 into glorious reality. And. as she had
 expected, she found the work fascinat-
 ing She was always early at rehear-
 sals Extra matiness served put to Whst
 her appetite for more.
 Annie was ambitious and determined 10
 live up to that pretty little room at homa
 whose artistic establishment plainy de-
 manded a complete professional success.
 But it was slow, disappointing work, espe-
 cially so as all the girls in the company
 were bent on that Identical object, though
 none so heartily and with such undiscour-
 aged devotion. In one respect, at least
 she was in her element and far the su-
 perior of the other girls in the chorus Tor
 even In her girlhood days on the East Slde
 she had been noted as the best dancer
 in her block, and when the hurdy- -guruy
 men came around, crowds would gather
 to applaud her. pirouetting and skipping
 about with all the grace and abandon
 of one who had been trained to the bal let. A keen-eyed manager would perhaps
 have observed some of these indications
 of superiority; the hardening of the calf
 of the leg like a boys, the easy grace
 with which the knees were bent, the ap-
 sence of those jerky motions so often
 noticed In the ordinary chorus; and, more
 than .all that evident relish and zest for
 the music, the almost irresistible incilna-
 tion to keep time to the rhythm, the
 swinging of the head from, side to side.
 and the romping yet graceful carriage Of
 the whole body.
 The play had been running to crowded houses for more than two months, put in spite of all her efforts Annie had not yet succeeded In advancing herselr 10 the favorable attention of the manager.
 She was still a ''bacl1lner" and her sal ary was still s12 a week. But she was not discouraged. On the contrary, setting to work harder than ever to make her way to the front she had evolved g. scheme which, to one of a less determined and
 buoyant disposition would have appeared hopelessly impossible.
 In the Land of Nonsense" company each leading character had an under study These substitutes were chosen on account of an ability which had already been proved by the acceptable perform ance of some minor part. Annie was
 well aware that she had very little chance of being selected as the under study of any particular character, yet
 1t occurred to her, in one of her exuber- ant moods. that if she learned the parts of all the women principals, and thus, as 1t were, became a second understudy for every female role in the cast, for
 tune would have considerably larger opportunity of smiling upon her. It seemed at first formidable undertaking, but in reality was not. Constant pres ence at all the performances and close
 attention to the Hines" dances music and ''business'' soon enabled her to be- come fairly familiar with each of the ! -A~--. II .k1I lxxl lA- 1nkA et aA Tn the spare time at home she supple mented her work at the theatre and made herself letter-perfect by copying ! out the lines and reciting them to her , mother a critical and not altogether in i spring audience.
 At first it did not seem that this meth- | cd, arduous and somewhat desperate
 though 1t was, would accomplish the de- ! sired result, though never for a minute | did Annie waver. It chanced, however, | that one night when the production was l in the midst of a very successful run, ! Miss Flossie Dupree, the company SOUL
 hrette had been suddenly indisposed--a ! priyilege peculiar to actresses and prlina donnas when ordinary mortals are either 1 sick or ill., It was therefore up to- l Miss Flossie's understudy, young
 woman who rejoiced in the name or
 Venus Iemonde, to take the part. This
 particular young lady unfortunately for | the peace of mind of Abe Meyer, the
 stage manager, had been subjected the
 week before to what she regarded as a
 highly indecorous and humiliating call I ing down." right in the presence or all 1 the ladies and gentlemen of the chorus. 1 She had. in fact, been chidden for late
 ness at rehearsals, and had further been ! summarily fined two dollars Therefore
 being already disaffected with her posi- 1 ton and prospects, as she declared , through her tears. and having much
 better sjob" in view Ca circumstance al most invariable under the conditions), 1 she had abruptly terminated her engage | ment and taken herself off in a huff. 1 Thus, whereas the manager was in pos i session of principal and an understudy ! for every part in the cast except one, for 1 that particular part he had no one at all. / It was already 7:3O o'clock the doors ; had been opened, the lights were up. MT. l Meyer, a small, bald-headed gentleman,
 was fretting and swearing on the stage ; behind the hugh asbestos curtain walk 1 ing nervously about in a maze of ropes, | drops, properties and general parapher- i nalia. messenger who had been dis l patched to the residence of Miss Du-