The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-06-29


In Easter week. for which she put in |
quite lot of work. She was to have
danced In 1t.
This Is an annual entertainment |
by which Chicago sets great store. All
the smartest and best-looking of the
younger set take part in 1t, In cos
tunes that would do credit to a chorus
dresser, and as much OF Chicago as
is willing and able to pay five dollars
a seat for the privilege is welcome
to come and look. Delirlous weeks
are spent In rehearsal, under first
class professional director; audience
and performers have an equally good
time, and Charity, as residuary lega-
tee, profits by thousands.
Rose dropped In at rehearsal one
day at the end of a solid two hours
Of committee work, found 1t unexpect-
eddy amusing and made point, there
after, of attending when she could.
Her interest was heightened, IL not |
wholly actuated. by some things jim
my Wallace had been telling her late
iy about how such things were done
on the real stage.
He had written a musical comedy |
once, lived through the production OF
1t, and had spent hard-earned two
weeks vacation trouping with 1t ON
the road. so he could speak with au-
thority. 1t was a wonderful Odyssey
WREN you could get him to tell 1t,
and as Rose made good audience,
she got the whole thing at her dinner
table.
The thing got sociological twist
eventually, of course, when Jane want
ed to know II it were true that the
chorus girls received inadequate pay.
Jimmy demolished this with more
wrath than he often showed. He didn't
know any other sort of Job that paid
a totally unframed girl as well. 1t
took really accomplished stenogra-
pher, for instance. to earn as much
week as was paid the average chorus
girl. The trouble was that the indis-
pensable assets In the business were
not character and intelligence and am
bition, but just personal charms.
"But a girl who's serious about 1t,
who doesn't have to be told the same
thing more than once, and catches on,
sometimes. without being told at all,
why, she can always have a job and
she can be as independent as any
body. She can get twenty-five dollars
a week or even as high as thirty"
The latter part Of this conversation
was what she was TO remember after
ward, but the thing that impressed
Rose at the time. and that held her
for hours looking on at the League
show rehearsals, was what Jimmy had
told her about the technical side of
the work of production, the labors of
the director, and so on.
AS the weeks and months wore away,
and as the season OF violent alter
nations between summer and winter,
which the Chicagoan calls spring,
gave place to summer itself, Rose
was driven to intrench herself more
! and more deeply behind this great
expectation. 1t was like dam hold
Ing back waters that otherwise would
! have rushed down upon her and swept
her away.
And then came Harriet. Rodney's
other sister, and the pressure behind
! the dam rose higher.
) Rose had tried. rather unsuccess-
fully. to realize that there was actu-
D ally In existence another woman who
: occupied, by blood anyway, the same
!, position toward Rodney and herself
: that Frederick did. She felt almost
e like real sister toward Frederick.
!, But without quite putting the notion
!, into words, she had always felt it
a was just as well that Harriet was an
+ Italian contessa, four thousand miles
a away. Rodney and Frederick spoke
e of her affectionately. to be sure, but
e their references made a picture of a
: rather formidahly correct, seriously
t, aristocratic sort of person.
Shed discovered. along in the win
It ter sometime, that Harriet's affairs
g were going rather badly. 1t was along
W in May that the cable came to Frede
E. RIGA announcing that Harriet was com
h ing back for long visit. 'sThat's al
r she said." Rodney explained to Rose
It. But 1 suppose 1t means the finish
ut She said she didn't want any fus'
in made. but she limited she'd like to hav,
~ Freddy meet her In New York, ant
Freddy's going. Poor old Harriet W.
e. must try to cheer her up"
d. She didn't seem much In need o
ch cheering up. Rose thought. when the
er, first met. All that showed on the con
he tessa's highly polished surface was