Evening star., 1908-01-26

was blurred by the direct rays of the foot
lights. | turned and looked at the mass of
faces below me. and my one thought was of
myself. that for two days this girl had been
quite alone-alone with me, with me-
And then it seemed as if could stand the
noise no longer, and | hurried down the
staircase that led from my box to the little
door that opened on the stage. | pushed
my way through a crowd of excited. chatter
ing chorus girls and ran up an iron staircase
that led to the star dressing room ust
outside of this room there a small platform
that ran out over the stage and was used by
the man who had charge of the colored lights
The platform was vacant for the moment. and
so l walked out on it and peered over the
railing. that | might see Miss Abercrombie
again go before the curtain.
And then directly back l heard her voice
She and Baker were standing on the landing
could see them they did not notice me. be
cause there were several bunchlight stands
between us. Apparently she had stopped
him on his way to his room on the floor above
You'd better go back little one" heard
him say, and he nodded toward the audience.
"They seem to want you out there bad. 1t
sounds good for several calls yet.
And it really sounded to me as If the en-
thusiasm of the audience was greater than it
had been at any time For moment she
stood there flushed and painting, her .b1g eyes
all afre, with the excitement OF her triumph.
After ALL this was the moment of her life for
which she had waited and planned. There
would be other successes and other triumphs
but there could be only one first triumph
YOU'D better take the call, Baker urged
and started on toward his own room; but the
girl reached out her white arm and, taking
him by the shoulder. swung him back SO that
he faced her again.
what do l care about their noises What
do care about them" she gasped. What
l want to know is if you love meme, do you
understand and not that Altha Ryan girl?
| do not know what Baker said or did. be
cause the hundreds of electric lights all about
the stage seemed to flare up suddenly, and
steadied myself by holding tight to the iron
railing at my side. and looked away from
them and down on the cleared stage.
A few minutes later knocked at her door.
and she told me that | might come in. She
was standing in front OF her mirror her
of her AS l spoke she did not take her eyes
from those in the looking glass
1--WE come to say good by | said
have decided to go back to New York. Quite
unintentionally heard you talking Just now
long,-that was only outsider couldn't
understand exactly. That was probably be
cause l didn't want to; but do now | am
leaving you with your own people. Good by,
The girl inclined her head very slightly. and
| left her just as had found her, sun looking
into the mirror
TN drawer of my desk a. home there IS
little folder, and on the cover it reads. Tour
of the Princess Popinjay Company" and in
side there is list Of towns which the company
plays in and the dates which it appears in
each town. Very often during the best hour
of the twenty-four. which think is between
six and seven o'clock in the evening, ! take
out this card and find out just where The
Princess Popinjay" is that night | can
imagine the chorus girls walking arm in arm
through the streets of the little town unob-
serving but much observed as members OF
1.-The troupe: down in the hotel office Ben
Adler is talking to the clerk. and the actors
are sitting with their chairs tilted against the
wall; and Baker and Carroll and Altha Ryan
and Alice Abercrombie have just come in for
dinner after drive or stroll through the
town And later | know they all will put on
their fine plumage and go through the play
not even knowing the name of the town 50
we'll as l do probably; but they will have
their jokes and their gossip and their laughs
and their hard luck stories behind the scenes
and in the dressing rooms. and they will be
happy in their own way and IN their own
world