The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-03-16

In the Role
A Part Good to Play In
Real Life
R CARL WILLIAMS

ment. The Local billposter was
banging the paper of the Denham
Repertoire company for a three
night run. And Maggie Denham
hailed from Melroee. Margaret
Denham" she was billed, but Mel
rose recognized her.
It was the first time that what
Metroee called "a real theater
troupe" bad visited the little town.
This in itself would have meant
much, but Maggie in addition Great,
ed an epoch in town history.
Melroee could not know that she
was to be a star only for this brief
engagement in Melrose. Maggie
had happened to mention that she
had been born in Melroee, and the
astute manager had changed the
name of the company from the Met
ropolitan to Denham Repertoire
company for the three night stay.
he well knew the value of local
name in small town. Occasion
ally Maggie had let fall some scrap
of information as to her departure
from the town that told the rest Of
the old story of the girl who had
run away from home to go upon the
stage.
Maggies story differed from most,
for she had succeeded in achieving
her ambition. She had become a
fairly useful player of parts in the
smaller companies.
This was her second season with
the Metropolitan, and she smiled
confidently when Quinlin, the man
ager, asked her if she felt strong
enough to play the star part for
three days.
1t involved little extra re-
hearsal, but Maggie was delighted:
She would show Tom Chambers and
the rest of Melrose that she had
made a success,
Tom came ahead of the rest Of
Melrose, because there had been a
time when these two were almost en-
gagged, and she still thought tender
ly of those courtship days.
She looked about eagerly when
the company arrived; but, though
every one else in town appeared to
have come to the train to stare
curiously at Maggie Denham's
troupe, Tom was not there.
With a curious sense of blank
ness Maggie climbed into the ram
shackle bus that was to convey the
company to the hotel. Her tri-
umphal entrance into her home
town had gone for naught just be-
cause one man was not there.
She was angry and surprised to
realize that she still cared more for
Chambers than she had ever admit
ted when he had tried to win her.
She had not long to wait, how
ever, for information about the rec
reant one. Presently string OF
callers came to the hotel, and all of
the friends of her school days
crowded the hotel parlor, all talking
at once.
From the babel of voices Maggie
gathered that Tom had left town
the day before with the evident pur-
pose of avoiding her. The blood
throbbed in her temples.
1t was to give Tom a lesson that
she wanted to show to Melrose how
we'll she had succeeded. Now he
would not witness her triumph, and
she turned strangely depressed until
the manager, versed in the ham
ding of the erratic women of the
stage, sensed the situation.
"Anyhow, you can do your best,
Quinlin reminded her, "and leave
behind a record that he will be
proud of
"And who may 'he' be?" demand
ed Maggie truculently.
'1 don't know" confessed Quinlin
promptly, "but there is usually a
he somewhere, and since he does
not seem to be around I thought
you might like my suggestion"
Maggie waved him off with a jest
ing remark, but her heart was light
er. Here was something that she
could do. So it happened that even
her fellow players wondered that
evening at the brilliancy with which
she played her part.
you'll land on Broadway yet"
they assured her, but even this
promise of reaching the goal of all
actors did not cheer the girl, and
when the performance was over she
brrr;ed hack to the hotel ONLY to