Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-07-31

IN any way; standing. on the contrary,
rather tensely still. That was the
quality about him, indeed, that riveted
Roses attention and held her, as still
as he was, in the doorway-an ex-
hilarating sort of intensity that had
communicated itself to the swaying
groups on the stage.
You could tell from the way he
counted that something was gathering
itself up, getting ready to happen.
Three Four Five
Six Seven-Now y
he shouted on the eighth bar, and with
the word one of the groups trans
formed itself. One of the men bowed
to one of the girls and began Waiting
with her; another couple formed, then
another
Rose watched breathlessly, hoping
the maneuver wouldn't go wrong-for
no reason in the world but that the
man there at the footlights was SO
faulty determined that it shouldn't.
Determination triumphed. The num-
Der was concluded to John Galbraith's
evident satisfaction. "Yery good" he
said. IF you'll all dc exactly what
you did that time from now on, I'll
not complain" Without pause he went
on: Everybody on the stage-big
girls-all the big girls" And to the
young man at the piano, "We1I do AT
ternoon Tea
There was momentary pause then,
filled with subdued chatter, while the
girls and men realigned themselves for
the new number.
Rose looked them over. The girls
weren't, on an average, extravagantly
beautiful, though, with the added
charm of makeup allowed for, there
were, no doubt, many the audiences
would consider so. They were dressed
in pretty much anything that would
allow perfect freedom to their bodies,
especially their arms and legs; bath
ing suits mostly, or MILDLY blouses and
boomers. Rose noted this with salts
faction. Her old university gymna-
SUM costume would do perfectly Any
thing apparently, would do, because,
as her eye adjusted itself to details,
she discovered romper suits, pima
fores, chemises, overalls-all equally
taken for granted.
Galbraith struck his hands together
for silence, and scrutinized- the now
motionless group on the stage.
"We're one shy" he said. "Who's
missing?" And then answered his own
question: Grant" He wheeled
around and his eyes searched the hall.
Rose became aware, for the first
time, that mutter of conversation had
been going on necessarily since she
had come in, In one of the recessed
window seats behind her. Now when
Galbraith's gaze plunged In that di-
rection, she turned and looked too.
A big blonde chorus girl was in there
with a man, girl who, with twenty
pounds trained off her, and that sulky
look out of her face, would have been
beauty. She had reused herself with
sort of defiant elaboration at the
sound of the directors voice, but she
still had her back to him and went on
talking to the man.
"Grant! !" said John Galbraith again
and this time his voice had a cutting
edge. "Will you take your place On
the stage, or shall suspend rehearsal
until you're ready?"
For answer she turned and began
walking slowly across the room. She
started walking slowly, but under Gal
braith's eye she quickened her pace,
involuntarily, it seemed until it was a
ludicrous sort of run. Presently she
emerged upon the stage, looking rath-
er artificially unconcerned, and the re-
hearsal went on again..
But just before he gave the signal
to the pianist to go ahead, Galbraith
with a nod summoned a young man
from the wings and said something to