The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-15

though one of his axioms was that no woman could possibly ecome an accepta- ble actress until she had had an emotional past. When he was engaging a leading woman it was no pasts, no contract. He did not go so far as to insist that these pasts should be regrettable, but they gen. erally were, so there you are. He also contended that no actor could thrill his public unless he were at the moment a martyr to an unrequited episode of the soul.
 Just now he was poetlcally in thralI to Miss Nance Delaney, who played his leads; this kept him up to his acting standard; but it also kept him away from braving few sentimental skirmishss with Brenda-whieh appealed to the rest of us as a loss. The performance would have been great. --.=~
 Brenda's beauty extended to her voice, which was sweet and penetrating-the strain which comes from full-throated but simple reed instrument. It was pure melody, yet was without those harmonic undercurrents of human passions and
 
 voices terrible power to grip the heart of another who hears. Some day, doubt less, Brenda's voice would take hold then-well, the rest of us, like Studheim, put up with the blankly sweet present for the sake of 8 magnificent possibility and hoped we might be there to see and hear
 fn1fharapna nf i11ti fa iaf of his Studheim expended not only pains but money. He engaged special teachers for Brenda and had her taught fencing singing, eloeution, and, incidentally, En- glish; and in return she obediently fenced sang, elocuted and improved in English all with the joyous precision of an admir- able bit of mechanism. To pay for this, Studheim weekly parted with a roll of bills big enough to choke a horse.
 Shell make good yet" he would per- sst, "and the education will have to come first; it's always too late afterward. When they make hit they leave off studying"
 That poor bank account of his, Our summer season must have thinned it ter ribiy. Business was fair, but did not pay expenses, owing for one thing to Studheim's penchant for good scenery and costumes. Then, too, over in Troy there was rival theatre whose manager kept Stuqheim awfully hot ~ This man, Sim con Kelly by name, fiattened many a one of Studheim's productions by bringing it out at his own theatre week or so ahead of us. Just for jaunt lot of our tow1s- folk who otherwise would have been our ratrons used to go over to Troy on the trolley to Kelly's theatre for a change Come summer and a fine night, people think nothing of going for an ice cream soGa by way of the moon and back.
 Then, in fit of boredom, Kelly closed his theatre and dismissed his company Next he began to pine for settlements, and wished he had not Finally he be- came enamored of Brenda-at distance. of course-and made overtures to have us finish the season in Troy with him. This would have suited Studheim excel lnntly. He invited Kelly to a midnight supper on the stage, to talk things over
 "TH come" said Sim Kelly; then,casu- ally. you may seat me next to the girl with the hair
 With some men it is eyes; with some voice; and with others. hair. Well, Bren- da had cataract of it. Had she had tact to matoh--but she had not and no wonder Studheim tried to press a point or two upon her.
 He kept away from it until the curtain had rung down on the last act and the supper was imminent. In evening gown and her hair bagged out until the whole company could have gone on a straw ride in it. Brenda was certainly dream of a beauty. And she was quite ready for the supper. too, for she was always hun gry She had the ghastly good appetite, not of a glutton. but of healthy, grow fnS girl of unimpeded heart action.
 Morris Studheim took her tenderly and iinrloringly by her two hands.
 Brenda. my darling he said--the en- dearment was his usual style when he was made up for complimentary sup per and meaNt nothing more specific Brenda, you can help me great deal to- night, if you will"
 "So?" asked Brenda solemnly i'm pressed Let any one who considers her n,cnosyllable vulgar one, hear Brenda and change his mind The word slipped from her in really flute-lilSe sweetness
 "Yes, angel; this whole supper revolves around you. Sim is coming for the sole purpose of being seated beside you.' J .sMy Godt. what next?" she said. with rhlegmatic resignation.
 .sIIeaps next. star of my life" he said rat,eatly and if you were anything but a Scandinavian mooncalf with frost on s-you would not oblige me to go into de- tail Briefly. I want you to be nice to Shsm."