The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-09-07
Metamorphosed
By DOROTHEA HALE
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.
By DOROTHEA HALE


about twenty years old, comely, with q
good figure and bright face, entered
"Dance?" asked the manager.
The girl replied by pirouetting about
in good style.
"Sing?'
She ran the scale. Her voice was Il
full, round soprano and very sweet
The range was remarkable.
"Act?"
She recited a passage in a well
known play. s.-
"You are engaged"
Miss Fredrica Harrow proved a sue
cess. She had in her a certain spirit
Of delivery that was especially appro-
pirate to the parts she took. One role
she played was that of female Meph-
istopheles. When the audience left
the theater after the performance they
felt that they had been under the in
fiuence of deliciously bad girl.
One Sunday morning the manager
went to church. 1t is possible for a
manager Of burlesque troop to go to
church and with religious motives.
But this manager did not go with such
motives. He went because he had
heard that in the choir was a remark
ably fine tenor. The services opened
with tenor solo. The manager was
astonished. There was Miss Harrow
in mans clothes. He not only recog-
nized her by her face, but through her
voice, which was Miss Harrow's lower
notes.
But there was one difference between
Miss Harrow soprano and Miss Har-
row tenor. The latter was as heavenly
as the former was develish. She sang
an ave Maria," and it seemed that
an angel rather than a mortal was
praying to the Virgin The manager
did not wonder that the tenor was ex-
citing attention. But he had no use
for him in burlesque opera. He ex-
pressed the good, and with that the
manager was not concerned.
"Where were you last night?' asked
the manager the next day when Miss
Harrow came to rehearsal.
"At home"
The manager said no more. He had
= slept over the tenor's identity and had
come to the conclusion that he could
not be Miss Harrow.
Not long after that a man in his
troupe fell sick, and there was no one
to take his part.
"How low are his lowest notes?v
asked Fredrica.
The manager told her, and she said
g that she thought she could take the
part. He also asked her to sing the
lower notes, but she said she couldn't
jump right into them; she must get it
by practice She left him, agreeing
to be ready for the part when required
Miss Harrow in mans clothes was
very different person from Miss Har-
row in woman's clothes. In the first
place, instead Of singing the part in a
low soprano voice, she sang it as a
tenor. In the second, she made fail
ure in her action. Instead Of being
adapted to burlesque, she sang as if
she were in oratorio.
"What the dickens is the matter
with you?" said the manager after the
first act. "Your singing is all right
indeed, it's a wonder for a woman
but you act as If you were preaching
sermon"
Miss Harrow hung her head and
looked hurt. However, she finished
the performance, and before the man.
ager could catch her to find any more
fault with her she had gone home.
But the next day when she went into
the theater he tackled her.
There was something funny about
your work last night. How did you
get down to real baritone, and what
made you act like Clergyman
II told you that with a little prac-
tice I could do the low notes, and, as
for my acting, the part is different
from those I've been playing. 1t is
not rollicking role"
"And 1t wasn't taken out of hymn
book, either"
'T'm sorry. 1 thought l could take
baritone parts sometimes"
$50 you can, but not where there's
any deviltry in them"
In few weeks the regular baritone
was down again.
II think" said Fredrica, II can take
that role. It's more serious"
who'll take your part?"
'T think / can take them both"
"Nonsense!"
'T'll show you how 1t can be done to-
morrow at rehearsal" And she trip
ped away.
When the rehearsal came and the
manager went on to the stage to con-
Huct 1t he was more bewildered than
ever. There were two Fredrica Har-
rows, fine and superfine.
FLOWS this?" asked the manager.
staring from one to the other.
''Permit me-" said Fredrica. ito in
troduce my twin brother, Frederick
Harrow. He has a tenor voice.
Then she admitted that she had sub
stituted him for herself in the mans
part; that while she was all frolic he