The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1914-10-02
when she takes a stand on anythins


him with an impatient exclamation,
but the Englishman interrupted. "You
have had your say, now l am going
to have mine. You remember one day
during the early rehearsals l told you
all l knew of Zilla Pagets story.
was beginning, then. to have qualms
Of conscience about bringing her over
and setting her among decent people
She is worse than l imagined. In the
most degraded woman you find brute
feeiing-brute motherhood l mean.
She lacks that"
who gave you the version of this
story"
Merry told me last night"
"You have not seen Dorcas?"
II have not met Miss Wentworth
since yesterday morning"
1T was case of stirred-up emo
ton with the whole bunch of them
They will take things normally in a
day Or two. You had better have a
talk with Miss Paget. She is anxious
to see you
II think" Oswald spoke coldly. sit
would be better for Miss Paget if she
did not come to me. 1 might tell her
in plain English my opinion Iof her.
Hadn't we better let her go?"l
IF we didn't have to take into con-
sideration the question Of woman
fit to play her part, there's her con-
tract. 1t is iron-bound for the whole
season. There's nothing especially
heroic about Miss Paget Get her
mad" Enoch laughed grimly, "and
she'll give you trouble to burn
I'll look out for that myself. I'm
responsible for her being here. Clean
minded citizens should not have to
herd in with a moral leper."
That's scarcely a fit name for a
lady,"
Grant Oswald's voice was emphatic
II never did class Miss Page with
ladies'"
II might as we'll tell you before you
| go in for anything of the sort that
will fight you legally. It would be the
worst sort of business proposition to
drop Miss Paget in the middle Of a
successful run. 1t is not fair to her
If an actress does the work you ask
of her, she has the right to make any
sort of-domestic arrangement she
pleases."
| Wentworth's tone was conclusive
He lit his cigar again and stood 81
lently beside his desk, blowing the
smoke across the room in distinct
rings. you said you had severa
business matters to talk over. Is this
everything for today?" He lifted his
hat from the rack as if anxious to emf
the interview.
Oswald spoke stiff1y II hate to thinl
of quarrel with you, Wentworth. III
fighting blood in me. We don't seen
to get along as we'll as we did at first;
I don't know whether it is your faul
or mine" He paused as If waiting fol
| Enoch to speak. Then he continued
There was one other thing. l have
been meaning to speak Of it for some
time. Probably others have men
toned it to you. The newspaper meI
are asking me one question all thu
time-they want to know if you are a
work on another play?"
Enoch gave him a savage look. I
was a look which puzzled Oswald al
day long. 81 will think of that wheI
get good and ready. The House o
Esterbrook' is good for one season
more-probably for two" Then h
flung out of the Office and slammed
the door behind him.
Oswald sat in silence for few min
utes. His face was full of anxiou!
perplexity. He rose, put on his ha
and overcoat, and went out. In thu
lobby he met Zilla Paget. She turned
eagerly as if to speak to him. HI
lifted his hat with grave courtesy ant
walked past her. She followed to thu
door and watched him while HI
crossed the street.
1 Her face famed scarlet and she bi
ner lips, then she laughed contemptu
ously and hurried through the darl
theater to the stage. The place was
deserted. She went straight to the
letter-rack. In the shelf marked
she found several letters for herself
She was turning away when her eyes
fell upon an envelope in the lower cor
ner of the rack She picked 1t out ant
stood for moment staring at it blank
ly, then she gasped. The letter was
not for her. 1t was addressed II
coarse, shaky writing, MRS. Alice V
Bourne, Gotham Theater, New York.
It bore the Madison Square postmark
The woman's eyes were furtivel!
searching the gloomy theater in all di
rections. She did not hear sound
nobody was in sight. She slipped thu
letter into her muff and ran upstairs
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