The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-04-22
TEST OF CHARACTER
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

state Of complete exhaustion from re-
hearsal. Since the losing of the en-
velope with her salary in 1t she had
been forced to go about her strenuous
days with scarcely enough food to
nourish a canary and to sing and give
forth her vitality as If the lack OF
food were a thing Of no consequence.
The pitifully small salary she drew
for singing every night and two
afternoons a week in a big musical
comedy chorus was all she possessed
In the way of financial support. 1t
took her every penny to spread out
over the week, so that at the end of
those sever days Sally would have
starved save for the fact that another
pay day arrived.
However. three days had been got
through. Had Sally not spent fifty
cents on an advertisement in the lost
n found column after she had
dropped her pay envelope In the sub
way she could have had some lunch
for five days. AS it was, she had to
fight the pangs of hunger and won
der IL anyone finding her money
would ever return it,
Philip Turner, who had read the
advertisement, pondered long and
speculatively yer it. He, surrounded
by every luxury and the manager of
a successful restaurant where people
dined and wined and listened 10 cab
aret music, felt strangely upset that
some poor working girl had lost a
trifing sum of So and that it was her
all.
Perhaps Philip Turner was half
philanthropic. Certainly he was curl
Gus to see II the girl who had lost her
salary In a white envelope was hon.
est. Turner's hobby, If hobby it could
be called, was to test human nature.
II will send s. v. c.. a white N
velope with IS in 1t and tell her I
found 1t in the subway" he decided
as a conclusion to his speculations
regarding Sally's advertisement.
1t was the fourth day of Sally's en-
forced fast when the letter from Philip
Turner arrived with the envelope In
closed. She had come home at 1870
from the theater so weary that the
stairs leading to her attic room had
haunted her all the way home as a
task quite beyond her power of ac-
complishment.
Upon seeing the letter addressed to
herself Sally opened 1t alphabetically.
She knew instantly that the money
was not that which she had lost. The
envelope and the bills were not her
own. She did not for the moment
doubt that the envelope had been
found and sent to her as supposedly
the one she had lost.
Across the street a midnight shop
Haunted its blaze of light into Sal
ly's half-starved face. Turkey sand
wich" was the Illuminated sign that
goaded her into using the money as
her own.
When she arrived in her room again
she was faint. but not so faint but
that the turkey sandwich set her on
her feet and made a sleepy and con-
tented gil of her.
III tuc iiSul VI udy anu Win Clearer
reasoning faculties Sally felt her po-
sition keenly. She had deliberately
used the money of some other person
and she would not be able to repay
that money until three days later.
1t was a very wan but strictly
straightforward Sally that found her
way to the home of Philip Turner.
Luckily he was in. His servant led
Sally through sumptuous halls until
she was shown into the library where
In Philip did his dreaming.
She smiled half wistfully as she
handed back the envelope.
Il took this-and used some of the
money" she told him. 1T is not the
envelope | lost, but / was starving
and had to rehearse today. want to
pay back what l have used when !
can" She spoke brokenly. for the pc
culiarly enveloping light in Philip
Turner's eyes played havoc with her
nerves. When she had told him in de-
tail all that he demanded of her he
took her to the big drawing room. and
himself sat down at the piano.
Nov sing" he said, laughingly.
II want to see what you can do. If
you please me, | a give you an en-
gagement TO sing in my restaurant
for $50 a week
Sally's slim hand sought support
even as 1t had when she had seen
the money in her letter. She smiled.
however. n Philip watched the
dawning happiness that he vas n
day to bring into his wi and Sally's
life. Neither of them knew for the
second that owe was weaving them
into its net. but Sally did know that
she was going to sing as she had
never sung for anyone else.
When she had finished Philip sat
silently looking at her
Il could easily make ii a hundred"
he said finally but you might only
sing a few weeks for me amigo off
to the continent or something like