The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1912-12-20
''rJBE" AND THE GIRL
By l.. z. BURTON.

How much longer can I stand it?
| How much longer-how long-how
long-how Iong?"
| The words drummed in her ears at
every beat Of the music; every note
made The pain in her head more acute,
as Nellie Day (whose name on the
program was Nile. Eleanor Diem) pi-
| rouetted and coquetted III the maze
Of her dance.
Nile. Diem was the premiere dam
| seUse Of a small company playing
| 'Ihe Circus Lady" a melodrama OF
| the most mellow order, doing one
night stands in the middle west.
Although Nell was the pet of the
show, she had incurred the disapprov-
al Of Henry Sweeny, the big, rough
manager, because lately she had
| fallen off, in her high kicking and
whirling act.
Sweeney had glared at her and NUT
tered an oath al the end of the first
act, and now she knew a sharp scold-
| ing would greet her when she re-
| turned to the dingy dressing room.
Making her last bow, she smiled
right into the eyes of the "Rube"
| that had followed the show from place
| to place for over a week, who every
night had occupied a front seat, who
had paid scant attention to the other
players, but who always led the ap-
plauso when Mile. Diem appeared.
The other members of the company
leased Nell in a good-natured way
about the mash" she had made on
the "Ruba."
lii and KidsClay (the Clay sisters)
told her she was q fool not to go out
to supper with him after the show.
III you are so tired of this life,
why don't you lay of a while and
get him to put up for you? He's got
the coiu!"
You girls don't understand. He
| amt The kind we've been used to. He's
| good. lie never asked me to go to
supper after the show, but he took me
ridin' in the country once.
HE asked me to call him Theo. His
names Theophilus Sykes. Amt that
a name for you?"
As the curtain descended with the
last biGre Of a horn, Nell sank in a
| little heap on the stage-a heap of
| crunplcd pink tUlle, sPangles and
| cheap satin. Sweeny gTOwled out a
word OF two about "incompetents" and
sick folks but had her carried to
the building that bore the name of
| hotel.
Then she was put to bed and dosed
with bad whisky and water, which
failed to revive her.
Next day the company was forced
to continue its tour, leaving Nell be-
| hind in care Of the slatternly wife of
| the hotel manager. Theophilus, hear
| ing Of her Illness, also remained. He
it was Who saw that her room was
| made bright with flowers, wild flow
ers that he gathered in the country
lanes early in the morning, when the
dew was fresh upon them He it was
who fetched the doctor from a neigh,
boring town, and who paid for such
dcliCaciCs as could be obtained at the
| general store on Main street.
| l4C ~ ritC N-.S CDit " SIT up III
the big, oldfashiOned rocking chair
beside her bed the RUDE brought a
magnificent bunch of roses and a
large box Of bonboIs tied with wide
pink ribbon. These had been sent
from Chicago.
He laid them in her lap; then TAX
| Ing her frail, little hand in his big,
| brown one he stroked the back of it
with the tips of his fingers and in a
faltoring voice hesitated and stumbled
| through 2 proposal of marriage.
Maybe I'm a Rube, little girl; but
l kin take keer of you. Come home
with me, home to the farm, and rest
all you want to. I don't ask you to
love me, yet; but just come 'en let
me keer for you like l would my own
little sister, if I had one"
| Nell buried her face in the roses /;
their perfume filled the room. With
a rush Of feeling she knew she loved
| this man: this "Rusa" that all her as.
sociates had ridiculed and joked
about. But could she marry him?
Il can't marry you, Theo-I-oh,
I'm not good enough to be your wife
You are too gOOd-tOo honest for a
girl like me. /
But she got no further. He held
her face between his PALMS, looked
straight into her big, brown eyes
eyes that did not waver as they re
turned his gaze.
Little Nell" he said, Il amt mar
ryin' the girl you have been. 1 want
the girl you are; the gentle, honest
sweet girl that l know is your real
self. You must forgit everything that
happened to you before today. Don't
talk about it; don't think about it
Begin to live today, now, the life you
want to live; the pure, clean, sweet
life of the open country. Marry me
and we'll go back home. Will you
Nell?"
81 needn't tell you about my life;
that other life on the stage?"
Not a word. You begin to live to
day a new life as my wife, Mrs. The
ophilus Sykes"
Her body swayed forward and she
buried her face on his shoulder.
little ray of sunlight falling through
the window made her fair hair appear
like a halo above her pretty head.