Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-04-16

tatingly.
Not much. No one can in these
shows"
"Act?" continued Mr.. Curran. more
Not much. She doesn't have to.
Nobody does. But his girls got the
nerve and personality. and the dear old
public always falls for hat. She just
reaches out over the lights and grabs
EN- with her smile"
What" faltered Mr.. Curran. lis
her name?"
She came out of your corn belt some
where. First season in the big bust
ness. Conan & Snitz took her out of
a Broadway bunch green as grass, and
the first night here she saved the show
by making faces. The leading woman
blew up and quit right there"
Let's go!" 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 blocks and gazed into another
store front. piled with IF l Were the
Only Girl" etc, featured by Aurelie
Lindstrom in THE Girl and the Burg
lar" and then another and another!
and 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 bust
ness. n took in the art museum. re-
solved that he would call on Aurelie
at 5. Then he reasoned that was too
close to dinner and he'd probably both
er her and six or seven millionaires
who'd be hanging around in the por-
there's: so he dined alone at the Annex
and drank a pint of champagne as ri
otously as a country editor can drink
champagne. After dinner it was too
late to see her, SO he concluded it would
be best to watch her act first and make
up his mind unprecedented by personal
contact. BY great luck he got a ticket
from a Spectator. for the house was
sold out. His ticket was for the last
row. downstairs, but he didn't care; 1t
was enough to be under the same roof
with Aurelie; the orchestra SquaWking
and the program boys hustling owe
his feet; and all about him the dinner
filled and waddly Importance with
Which people go to shows. Wiley had
been Ion enough away from cities to
take a pleasure in watching the mob
crowd In. and hearing the rustic Of
their gowns and hats n smelling their
perfumes. The esthete's soul in him
drew away from their lust of feed and
spectacle, their exploiting bana1ity. 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
rupy. ling -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 innkeeper. Il Eng
fish lord. the American aunt. the chauf-
feur, the waiter, the girls in the
cafe. the cablegram. the ticker. and all
those move things for which the Amer
lean people pay 50. and at which they
laugh delightedly. There wasn't any
burglar. but he was necessary.
Mir. Curran waited feverishly. That
kid. something surely would go wrong
and spoil his delight!
But-she came.
Mr.. Curran forgot to breathe. She
was beautiful, and yet not SO as he
had seen her in the woods. But it
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 a stage look, or a stage walk;
Fthe people were beginning to laugh
when she came on, and she was laugh
Ing with them; and u of the silly
dialogue Of the rich young man. who
delighted everybody by stealing the
chauffeur's coat, she drew more 81
mirth for Cohan & Snitz.
She can't act!" gasped Mr.. Curran,
Mortified. IT'S just only Aureliei"
That was it. Just Aurelie enjoying
herself immensely, laughing in a won
drous creation of a gown that wilted
Mr.. Curran even to think upon. Then
she began to sing, still In a great good
humor, that heart throb OF the Am
erican people: IT Were the Only
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 C%urran's heart.
She was just Aurelie, yet magicaly
she won her way, all health and grace
and homes gaiety. That was all she
had to give.
He went out after the act and had a
drink. the tears in his eyes. THE kid
the dear kid" he murnured. and had
another drink.
When he got back the stage was a
great splash of color, girls, hats, gowns
arms, legs, imitation champagne, con-
! %versation about sugar stock and motor
cars; but Mr.. Curran waited impatiently
for the Coincidence. He couldn't get to
his seat and stood by the rail. But
when n came, this time in a dinner
gown Inc opera cloak and sang my
Rosebud Girl"-really, this time, with
a native lyric notwithstanding 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 that
he knew her and the others did not.
And n Of those glances went to the
figure Of a nan 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 he other man.
"Wiley?"
You here?"
You saw the Journal tonight2"
mo" He shrugged toward the
stage. "Of her?"
Harlan motioned enigmatically.
Come with me. ! want to show you.
Although, J don't know why / should >
Curran followed to the cafe. They
took a table. Harlan waved the waiter
aside. Its this" He drew the paper
from his pocket. why 1 came here
By God. to save her, Wiley, if it's
true"
The news article announced the sup
posed engagement of Aurelie Lind