The Washington herald., 1913-08-17

"Sign her. and pus show out Nor
ris Feldman says he's found a mar
with a piece. and all they needs the
money. And they tell me around town
that this little girls having tough
time of it. All these High Street
zooks won't look at her-the Sh1kes-
peare Club gang and all them"
YES murmured Wiley, its true.
She's not very happy over it ALL"
is she pretty as the papers tout
her?'
"Yes. Isn't she, Rube?'
"All the way. II she coached along
the side lines with me pitchin I'd be
ratified clear out OF the box
.Its a shame,' said Ben, IF she
amt got a chance! Amt it, HEMP"
1T is. We read that paper and we
says: Little girl, the twinsll stake you
with their last COW track
you mean," retorted Wiley, staring
at them, ''that you're going to back
Aurelie Lindstrom to go on the stage? Z,
"You guessed it the first rattle Hen
looked at Wiley with the pity Of the
money-gctter for the dreamer; and
Wiley looked at Hen with the reserve
of the idealist for the vulga0an. He
had his old feeling of doubt when he
encountered men of action; the in
decision, at times made him revile him
self as weakling.
Aurelis! Aurelie. with her hurt
pride, her love that was tragedy, her
wild beating of life against her bars
Not yet had she more than dimly
grasped her fame-not more than that,
East and West, last Sunday, some
twenty million blowsy breakfast feed
ers had propped the supplement up
against the sugar urn, and over their
coffee and chops. had scrutinized her
full-sheet presentment-that careless
Egyptian face upturned, the leaves and
blossoms in her hair the simple gown
betraying her slender rounded throat
scrutinized, grunted: read the lead
of the story, grunted again; and turned
to another roll and the pink un' to
scan the football scores.
But off somewhere, the gilded world
had called her. The letters she got
by hundreds. the congratulations and
inquiries. curious and kindly, envious
and ingratiating. warned her. A New
York manufacturer wanted to use her
face on his tooth-powder boxes-that
was the worst she knew OF. Apd John
Lindstrom. in rage, had seized most
of her mail and burned il and forbid
den her intercourse with the town. She
had gone about in a dream, some in
effable heartsickness which Harlan had
left with her-she fought it rebellious-
ly with pride and anger and sullen ST.
lence. When she made one trip to
town she tossed her small head along
High Street, conscious that every
household hastened to the windows to
see her. There goes Aurelie Lind
strom-the first time she's been out
since it happened"
1T" was spoken of in the best fami-
lies as one would speak of a surgical
operation. But even her former school
mates didn't banter her-she went past
them with hardly more than a nod, and
they fell back to discuss her status,
her looks, her possibilities-she couldn't
be as handsome as Nawter's silly pic
ture made her!
Wiley lounged into Miss Vance's Of
fce in the courthouse the next morn
ings after the arrival of the twins.
They saw Aurelie go into Dickinson S
store, her red dress brave bit OF
fame. Mr.. Curran sighed, looking at
Janets firm pen scratching its away
across a district requisition paper.
Poor little grill" he said, I'm des-
perately sorryT
Miss Vance's cool gray eyes lifted /:
WHY"
"Oh, l don't know. Only I'm be-
ginning to think as Harlan did-the
whole thing is horribly vulgar. | never
knew Aurelie much before-but she's
been at the shop live met her
he looked away frowning at his own
tremor-"she hasn't an idea Of what
to do-and there were six proposals of
marriage in Saturdays MALL"
Miss Vance scratched on: Il should
think much good might come of it. As
for vulgarity, it couldn't be much
worse than her surroundings before. l
hope something comes OF it for her"
Pm afraid it'll spoil her.
Not necessarily. Wiley. it's like
you to. accept it impractically"
Why, the whole towns laughing at
her. And, here the McFetridge boys
with their ridiculous scheme
Why"
Wiley subsided. Janet was always
squelching him. Well" he ruminated,
for week she made the old town