Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1911-01-13

erS I'D in New YORK. anu W. >
wear or two The young American pay
wright's name had been Wen KNOW
even in London This piece l.oveIanu
believed had been produced for the
very first time on his first night III
New York Yet these barnStorWerS
had got hold OF II.
There are only three wolnen-'""
girls and an old lady IN the pay
That would suit all right" said Eddy
eagerly. las for the men. ii lsn
quite so easy-never is. But there are
only five. Ones IL servant, another
policeman. And there's no scenery to
speak OF. | guess we could fake.
Loveland. whose idea ii had been TO
put up the entertainment. went out al
once, luckily catching the local man
a2er of the grandiloquently named
OPERA house Just us he WAS virtuous-
~ setting forth to church.
Jacobus. it seemed. had SETTLED up
all right with him the night before.
and he was surprised 10 hear Of the
flight He stipulated for two-thirds OF
the profits, if any. above expenses and
would not unbend
All the rest of the day Loveland was
busy he finished copying the parts.
which must be learned and rehearsed.
so that the play might be produced
tomorrow night.
There was Il newspaper In Ashville
which came ont once week. aud the
company decided after stormy de.
bate 10 spend one of the six dollars
in buying from the Office large sheets
or rolls of the coarse white paper on
which this weekly publication was
printed Having secured good sup
ply and Obtained black paint and n
big brush from a sympathetic sign
painter who was Il customer OF the
hotel, Loveland set to work. with Bin
ney's aid and direction, to manufac
ture some crude posters.
He announced in black letters so 81
gantic as 70 be almost convincing that
the principal members OF the little
human flowers" all star company had
been persuaded TO remain for special
three nights engagement in order to
produce the sparkling comedy Lord
Bob" New York's latest and biggest
success. by the popular playwright.
Sidney Crerner.
He toiled like slave through n
whole day and half a night to save
Ed Binney fatigue.
After midnight. when the impromptu
posters were ready. Loveland and PA
Winter went out together with big
rolls of paper under their arms and a
huge pot of -four paste stirred up flor
the sake Of Gordon's beaux yeuxl by
the hand of the landlords niece over
the kitchen fire.
What remained Of the night he spent
in committing TO memory the part of
Lord Bob, for which. without dis
senting voice. the five other members
of the company had cast him.
They went out to rehearsal early
next morning and were thankful that
there had been neither rain nor snow
to destroy the fragile posters. In front
of one which Loveland had put mp on
the face of the opera house stood girl
and an old man. talking In low voices
81 shall certainly write and tell them
what's going on" remarked the girl to
her companion. who was probably her
father. ITS shame. Something
ought to be done"
I'VE might telegraph If you think ii
would be worth WHILE" replied the old
man
Loveland heard the words, spoken as
the pair turned away to walk down the
street toward The residence part Of the
town. but he attached no Importance
to the disjointed sentences.
Every body was in deadly earnest.
and the rehearsal went off very we'll.
considering all its disadvantages.
Ed Binney's cough had not i'm
proved. but he was kept up on strong
hot coffee. and they got through the
performance that night, two men short.
almost without hitch.
A few we'll though plainly dressed
ladies and gentlemen were in the front
seats. and all seemed to know each
other, laughing and talking together
between the acts, and among them.
through a peephole in the curtain,
Loveland recognized the nice looking
girl and old man he had seen staring
at his homemade poster In the morn
ing.
The profits of the first performance
and the next were not what Val had
expected. though the acting OF the
company improved. but on the last
night Loveland tried to hope that Ash :
vile would turn out in full force.
Having set the first scene himself
in default Of stage manager or COM
petent stage bands. he applied an
anxious eye to a small spy hole" in
the curtain and peeped out.
His heart sank. The house was half
empty. But it was early still. There
was hope yet People were coming
in. There were the old gentleman and
the girl he had seen BEFORE finding
their way once more to the front seats.
With them were Lesley Dearmer and
her aunt, Mrs. Loveland.
CHAPTER XXI.