The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-07-06


when, with friendly pat on the soft
beside her, for an invitation to 81
down, the girl began answering he
question. She was real beauty. Onl!
you had to look twice at her to per
ceive that this was so; and what she
lacked was just the unanalyzable quail
ity that makes one look twice.
II don't know what you should wor
ry about any OF that stuff for" she
said. "How you sing or what you sing
don't make much difference"
Rose admitted that 1t didn't seem
to. "But you see" she said (shC
hadn't had a human soul to talk to
for more than a week, and she had to
make friend of somebody, you see
I've just got to keep this job. And
IL every little helps, as they say, per-
haps that would"
The girl looked at her oddly, almost
susplciously, as If for moment she
doubted whether Rose had spoken In
good faith. you've got as good q
chance of losing your job" she said
"as Galbraith has Of losing his. Dave
tells me Galbraiths going to put you
with us In the SeXtette."
Dave was the thick pianist, whom
Rose had found in the highest degree
obnoxious, His announcement was en-
titled to consideration, even though 1t
couldn't be banked upon. There were
three mediums and three big girls in
the sextette (Edna Larson was one of
the mediums, and so needn't fear re-
placement by Rose, who was big
girD. Besides appearing in two num-
bers as background to one of the
principals, they had one all to them
selves, a fact which constituted them
sort of super-chOrus.
But the intimatiOn that Rose was to
| be promoted to this select inner cir
Gle, didn't, as 1t first came to her,
give her any pleasure. Somehow, as
Larson told her about it, she could
fairly see the knowing, greasy grin
that would have been Dawes comment
on this prophecy. And, in the same
flash, she interpreted the Larson girls.
look, half incredul0us, half satirical.
Il haven't heard anything about be-
ing put in the sextette," she said quick
ly, 'and l don't believe 1 will be-"
"Well, don't know why not" There
was a new warmth in the mediums
voice. Rose had won a victory here,
and she knew it. you've got the
looks and the shape; you can dance
better than any of the big girls, or us
mediums, either. And If he doesn't
put that big Benedict lemon into the
back line where she belongs, and give
you her place in the sextette, it will be
because he's afraid of her drag"
Rose fOrebore to inquire into the
nature of the Benedict girls drag.
Whatever it may have been, John
Galbraith was evidently not afraid of
1t, because as he dismissed that very
rehearsal, calling the rest of the
chorus for twelve the following morn
ing, and the sextette for eleven, he
told Rose to report at the earlier hour.
The chorus was probably unanimous,
in it's view of this promotion. When
Grant came back and ate her humble
pie in vain, and later, when Benedict
was relegated to place in the back
line, the natural explanation was that
Galbraith was crazy about the new
girl. The only way she had of refut-
ing the assumption would be by max
ing good so intensely that they'd
be compelled to see that her promo
tion had been inevitable.
1t was in this spirit, with blazing
cheeks and eyes, that she attacked
the next mornings rehearsal. At its
end Galbraith said to her: you're do
ing very well indeed, Dane. If could |
have caught you ten years ago could |
have made a dancer of you"
1t was very real, unqualified COM
pliment, and as such Rose understood
it. Because, by a dancer, he meant
very different from q pranc-
ing chorus girl The others giggled
and exchanged glances with Dave at
the piano. They didn't understand.
To them, the compliment seemed to
have been delivered with the left
hand. And somehow, an amused rec
ognition of the fact that they didn't
as we'll as of the fact that
she did, flashed across from John
eyes to hers.
The impetus and direction of Roses
career derived from two incidents
which might just as well not have
of the flukiest Of small
chances.
The first of these chances concerned
tself with Edna Larson and her bad
voice. 1t was a bad voice only when
,he talked. When she sang it had a
gorgeous, thrilling ring, and volume
enough for four. Besides, she had an
nfalllble ear and sang squarely in
une. But when she spoke it sounded 1
ike someone who didn't know how
rying to play the slide trombone. She !
vas simply deaf, it seemed, to the
of infection. I
Daily, she reduced Galbraith to help
ess wrath. Evidently he didn't mean
O be brute about it. He began ev-
ry one of his tussles to improve her {
eading Of a line with a gentleness {
hat would have done credit to kim /
But after three attempts,
ach more ominOusly gentle than the /
asst, his temper would suddenly fly all
0 pieces. S
The girl, queerly, didn't seem to q
are. But in the dressing room one
light, after one of these rehearsals, I