The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-04-06
useful player Of parts in the smaller
companies.

useful player of parts in the smaller
companies.
This was her second season with the
Metropolitans. and she smiled conf
IDENTIFY when Quinlin, the manager,
asked her If she felt strong enough to
play the star part for three days.
1t involved little extra rehea rsal,
but Maggie was delighted She would
show Tom Chambers and the rest of
Melrose thai she had made success.
Tom came ahead of the rest of Mel
rose. because there had been a time
when they two were almost engaged,
and she still thought tenderly of those
courtship days.
She looked about eagerly when the
company arrived; but, though every
one else In town appeared to have
come to the train to stare curiously at
Maggie .Denham's troupe. Tom was
not there.
With a curious sense Of Darkness
Maggie climbed into the ramshackle
bus that was to convey the company to
the hotel Her triumphant entrance
into her bone town had gone for
naught just because one man was not
there.
She was angry and surprised to real
lie that she still cared more for Cham
bers than sire had ever admitted when
he had tried to win her
She had not long to wait, howevet,
for information about the recreant
one. Presently a string Of callers
came to the hotel, and all Of the
friends of her school days crowded the
hotel parlor, all talking at once.
From the babel of voices Maggie
gathered that Tom had left town the
day before with the evident purpose
Of avoiding her The blood throbbed
In her temples.
1t was to give Tom a lesson that she
wanted to show to Melrose how well
she had succeeded Now he would
not witness her triumph, and she turn
ed strangely depressed until the man.
ager, versed in the handling of the er-
ratio omen Of the stage, sensed the
situation.
Anyhow, you can do your best"
Quinlin reminded her. land leave be-
hind a record that he will be proud
Of"
"And who may he bef" demanded
Maggie truculently.
81 don't know" confessed Quinlin
promptly, "but there is usually he
somewhere. and since he does not seem
to be around | thought you might like
my suggestion"
Maggie waved him of with TESTING
remark, but her heart was lighter.
Here was something that she could
do. So it happened that even her fellow
players wondered that evening at the
brilliancy with which she played her
part
"You'll land on Broadway yet" they
assured her. but even this promise of
reaching the goal of all actors did not
cheer the girl, and when the perform
ance was over she hurried back to the
hotel, only to creep into bed and cry
herself to sleep.
On the third and last day Of the en-
gagement Tom appeared suddenly In
town, and, though she could not see
him in the badly lighted auditorium
that night, Maggie felt that he was
there, and she acted with touch OF
tenderness that lent new beauty to
naturally sympathetic role.
John BENJAMIN, one of the impor-
tant eastern theatrical men, had stop
ped over to wait for a train and had
drifted into the opera house, where the
manager overw helmed him with atten-
tons. AS be watched the girl work he
nodded his head.
ard like to steal your leading wo-
man." Benjamin said to Quinlin. Il
can place her in road company for
year under one Of my good stage direct
ors and then bring her into New York"
go ahead and steal" invited Quin-
| lin. "She's a nice little woman, and
If you can place her the contract she
made with me won't hold her back.
I'll tell her to write to you"
The big manager nodded his thanks,
looked at his watch and hurried of to
make his train.
Maggie only nodded carelessly. when
Quinlin hurried back with word that
the way to Broadway was open to her
at last
| She could not think of business when
Tom was out there IN the darkened
auditorium watching her. She needed
to give all of her attention to her per-
Torrance. and she played the last act
with rich sincerity that won the audi
ence completely.
Not until the curtain had fallen and