The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-04-16

20
tatingly.
mot much. No one can In these
shows"
"Act?" continued Mr.. Curran. more
Not much. She doesn't have to.
Nobody does. But this girls got the
public always falls for that She just
reaches ont over the lights and grabs
'em with her SMILE"
What faltered Mr.. Curran. lis
her name?"
'Ain,t you heard? Aurelie Lindstrom.
| She came out Of you corn belt some
where. First season in the big bust
ness. Cohan & Snitz took her out of
a Broadway bunch green as grass, and
the first night here b saved the show
by making faces. The leading woman
blew up and quit right there"
Lets got" cried Mr.. Curran.
Cant. I'm ON the city hall. today.
! But take it in, she'll do to pass an
hour with"
Mr.. Curran hurried away. He walked
four o and gazed n another
store front, piled with If l Were the
Lindstrem In The Girl and the Burg
lar" and then another and another!
And finally he went to the lake front
n gazed on the massive pile wherein
she lived. He had lost his nerve; he
was afraid to go in. He forgot all about
congress and affairs of state. He went
to see a wholesale paper house on busi-
ness, and too in the art museum, re-
solved that he would cali on Aurelie
at 5. Then he reasoned hat was too
close to dinner and he'd probably both
er her n six or seven millfonaireS
who'd be hanging around In the por-
there's; SO he dined Ion at the Annex
and drank q pint of champagne as RI
otously Is a country editor can drink
champagne. After dinner 1t was too
be best to watch her act first and make
up his mind unparalleled by personal
contact. BY great uck he got a ticket
from a sp~eculator. for the house was
sold out His ticket was for the last
row. downstairs, but he didn't care; 1t
with Aureife; the orchestra squawktng
and the program boys hustling over
his feet; and all about him the dinner
filled and waddly Importance with
which people go to shows. Wiley had
been long enough away from cities to
take q pleasure in watching the mob
crowd In. and hearing the rustic of
their gowns and hats and smelling their
perfumes. The esthete's soul in him
drew away from their lustNof feed and
spectacle. their exploiting banality. yet
he knew this repugnance had no place
in a politician and he was trying to be
a politician.
Then the orchestra played that CHR
RUBY. zing-zing music, with which all
musical comedies begin. and the cur
tain shot up to discover that theatric
novelty which all good shows must
have-the dilemma Of the rich young
man. This time he was In Disguise
abroad, where he had followed the
daughter OF the Wall street operator.
Then the German tnnkeeper, the Eng
lish lord. the American aunt, the chauf-
feur. the waiter. the girls In the
cafe. the c~ablegram, the ticker, and all
those novel things for which the Amer
lean people pay 81. and at which h
laugh defightedly. There wasn't any
burglar. but he was necessary.
Mr.. Curran waited feverishly. That
kid, something surely would go wrong
and spoil his delight!
But-she came.
MI. Curran forgot to breathe. She
was beautiful. and yet not SO as he
had seen her in the woods, But 1t
wasn't that-out Of her Astounding and
fun loving health came alternately a
droll abandon and then occurrences
she was apart from all the professional
people about her because Of the de-
light with which she romped through
her part. She hadn't a ghost of a stage
voice, or, stage look, or a stage walk;
the people We're beginning to laugh
when h came on, and she was laugh
ing with them; and out Of the silly
dialogue OF the rich young man, who
delighted everybody by stealing the
chauffeur's coat, she drew more 81
mirth for Conan & Snitz.
She can't act!" gasped Mr.. Curran,
Mortified. Its Just only Aurelie!"
That was 1t. Just Aurelie enjoying
herself immensely, laughing In a won
Mr.. Curran even to think upo Then
she began to sing, still, ina great good
humor, that heart throb of the AM
erican people: IF l Were the Only
Girl in the World, Don't You Think
You Could Love Me?' and the boys in
the gallery raised a tremendous racket.
She had to sing it four times and each
time Mr. Curran rocked and moaned.
She can sing! oh, Aurelie,"
But presently. with the %uproarious
pleasure OF all these people, a great
rapture came to Wiley Curran's heart.
She was just Aurelie, yet magically
she won her way, all health and grace
and honest gaiety. That was all she
had to give.
He vent out after the act and had a
drink. the tears in his eyes. THE kid
the dear kid" he murmured, and had
another drink
When he got back the stage was a
great splash of color, girls, hats, gowns,
arms, legs, imitation champagne, con
v%ersatfon about sugar stock and motor
SNtN 49, >NA- III lpotlClllly
lfor the Coincidence He couldn't get to
his seat and stood by the rail. But
when h came, this time in a Dime,
gown and opera cloak and sang MY
Rosebud Girr'-really, this time, with
a native lyric sweetness-Wiley sighed
with more content, which may. after
all, have been the two drinks. 1t was
an amazing splendor and success, and
he looked about in complacence tina,
he knew her and the others did not
And one of those glances went TO the
figure OF a man standing near, which
he watched curiously for it was ia
miliar. Then he saw it was Harlan
Van Hart. Harlan, in the gloom of the
foyer, watching imperturbably. Be.
fore Wiley could move the young
mans gaze shifted. He came directly
and without surprise, to the other man
"Wiley?"
You here?"
You saw the Journal tonight"
NO" He shrugged toward the
stage. "Of herr"
Harlan motioned systematically
Come with me. I want to show you
Although, L don't know why 1 should
Curran followed to the cafe. They