The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-01-03
"BEAUTY' KERRIGAN-By Charles Belmont Davis


the men In the lODD1eS ana InOSe WIN
remained to visit their friends in the or
chestra stalls and the boxes agreed that
Mr.. John Ferguson. whoever he might be,
had apparently written a fine play, that
Miss Carew was at her best and that
Miss Ruth Emery was distinct find
for Bronson, the manager
When the curtain came down on the
big scene in the second act the play
had, beyond question, scored a success
and Miss Emery little less than tri-
umph, There were many curtain calls
and the proper acknowledgment from
the company, and mingled with the APP
plause there were distinct and evidently
sincere calls for the author. But to these
calls there was no acknowledgment. for
the author was at the time huddled in the
back of a closed carriage. driving along
a heavy, sandy road down by the Ma
tasqua river, and the man who had for
the past few weeks acted the part of the
author was sitting, very cold and very
nervous. in the last row of the balcony.
TIE telegraph station at Pleasant Har-
Dor closed at o'clock In the evening,
and so when it was all over there was
nothing for Fielding to do but wait for
the morning to tell Kerrigan that THE
Interpreter had achieved a real success.
When the play was done that first night
and the theatre was empty, Fielding went
down on the stage and visited the differ
ent members of the company in their
dressing rooms and thanked them for
all the hard work they had done and the
help they had been to the play. He had
arranged, long before that night that
Miss Emery and he were to take supper
together and talk it over but the ex-
citement of her success had told on the
girl and instead of going to supper, she
asked that he would take her for a drive
so that she could be In the open air
They got in a hanson and drove up Fifth
avenue out to the park, which at that
hour and at that season of the year was
quite deserted 1t was a fine clear night
fairly warm for so late in October, and
as they logged along over the smooth
roads the girl leaned out over the doors
and drank in long breaths of the clear
night air Fielding sat back In the ham
som and looked at the girls profile, at the
full rounded throat and at the soft brown
hair brushed back over the deicately
nodded ear. She was the one woman who
had ever meant everything-the woman
who had filed his mind and his heart
every hour of every day since he had
first known her. He put out his hand and
laid 1t on hers.
'I never knew what happiness really
meant before" he said.
That must mean a good deal-espe-
cially to you-to be really happy
"Why especially me?" he asked.
The girl was looking out ahead of her,
at the winding road and at the rows of
dark leafless trees that lined their path.
"Oh, / don't know exactly. except the
man who wrote The Interpreter could
not always have been very happy
There was silence for moment and
then Fielding spoke quite evenly and
almost without infection:
81 didn't write. The Interpreter he
said, mo. I did not write The 1nterpre-
ter"
The girl turned and looked at him and
his glance met hers fairly. Then she
turned back to her former position, her
arms resting on the doors of the han
som.
did you care for me-" he asked. "or
do you care for the author of the play?"
1t was the first time he had ever spoken
of either of them caring for any one.
The girl put up one hand and pressed
II gently across her eyes. 81 don't quite
know--who did write The Interpreter y
"A friend of mine named Kerrigan.
He's a cripple. When he was younger
only a year sgo--he was very strong and
very eood-looking. They called him
Beauty Kerrigan in those days He was
hurt trying to get a child out of burn
ing building and afterwards he chose to
live like hermit. He doesn't exist ex-
cept for me"
Couldn't l see him." she sslred. II
owe him good deal. Ia like to say
thank you TO him. y
IT don't know--r don't know that" he
said. you see l promised l would never
tell, and I've broken my promise. / never
would have except to you-tcnight.'
They drove back in silence, and Field
ing left her at her boarding house and
then went on to his own room AMI waited
until it was time to go to Pleasant Har-
Dor. The first train started while the
stars we're still shining and the sun was
not long up when he reached his desti-
nation Kerrigan had not expected him
until the first morning express train
which arrived some time after the slow
local Fielding had decided to take at the
last moment. There was no one at the
station to meet him and so he started to
walk to the farm, shortening his journey
by tramping through the fields. still wet