Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-06-28

N
I before the opening night OF "Semi-
ramide:r yet she had waited for near
~ year for this opening wedge In her
chosen profession. Nobody knew ex-
cept herself Of the unceasing priva-
lions and eelf-sacrifice involved, yet
she had always written home cheerful
~, telling only the best that happened
TO her. Perhaps even she never real.
| lied that II was not for the sake of
the family she did this, but so they
would tell Clint Lovejoy how wonder.
fully she was succeeding. There had
only been a tacit engagement, at least
on DANES side. II Clint had assumed
more than she meant, she felt II was
not her. fault He had never approved
Of her longing for the stage any more
than he did Of her changing her name
from Mile Edwards to Diane Lester.
Nevertheless she had come to the
city with the two hundred dollars
Grandpa Powell had left her. Then
after weeks of haunting agencies and
finding her bearings electrically her
youth and fresh charm had caught the
attention Of old Timmins as he passed
through the waiting room Of Barber
. Brothers, on his way to his private of.
fee. Thus ii happened that Mile be-
came Diane, an Arabian dancer In the
great desert tent scene of "Semi-
ramide"
/, Her 'bit" was brief. A whirling bit
of phantasy while mimic sandstone
ragged outside the scenic tent and the
orchestra played "Anitra's Dance" but
she loved 1t with strange sort of shiv-
ering anticipation. Wrapped in her
cloak Of brilliant colors, with yards of
yelling swathed about her 1.-the figure,
she would stand eagerly at the first en-
trance trying to watch the rest OF the
performance. And IL was here that
Hardy noticed her first. He had stepped
to the little switchboard above her
head to regulate some of the lights.
Better get back a little, kid" he
said pleasantly.
Diane did not hear him even. She
was watching Semiramide steal the
signet ring from her sleeping spouse. )
out. Don't you know better than
thatT
She stumbled to her feet and fed
before the look in his eyes. She was
nervous and did not see cleat bolt
in the floor that had just been placed
there for a set piece in the next scene.
When she came to, she was in an am
bulance rumbling through the night te !
an emergency hospital.
Instead of dancing to "Anitra's
Dance" through endless nights of won
derment and oriental glamour, she
found herself on cot In a private
room at a big hospital.
She did not want to alarm her fam
lily at home, so she wrote nothing about
her accident. One of the girls In the
company visited her and told her that
Hardy asked after her every day. 4
''He picked you up, you know" she
said, when you tumbled, and carried
you into Tremaine's dressing room
near the door until they got the am
bulance. Did he blow you up about
standing in the entranceT
"Oh, guess l deserved II, all right"
replied Diane, diffidently.
Yet she was not surprised when the
next morning there arrived by mes
senger large pot Of white hyacinths.
On card in an envelope was written:
= BEST of luck to plucky little girl,
Alan Hardy" /
1t was that afternoon when the nurse
told her that she had visitor.
DANES heart beat faster. AS the door
opened, she glanced up, fully expect.
ing to see Hardy, but, instead, there
stood Clint, big and pugnacious, thor.
oughly reused over her plight.
swell, hope you've had enough OF
1t now, and are coming home with
me, Mile" he said. 81 came to town
to see what you were like on the real
stage, and they told me over at the
theater I'd find you here. l guess thisll
be a lesson to you. I'll go right down
stairs to the Office and make arrange
ments to get you out"
DANES blue eyes snapped with in.
,dignation at his manner of authority
over her.
"You'n do nothing of the sort, Clint"
She sat up in bed in spite of the
wrench Of pain 1t gave her. "Pm not
going home. I'll be out of here in a
couple of weeks. and I'm going back to
the theater." Clint left in anger to
take the two o'clock train for home.
For another week Diane Rugged her
queer little romance Of her own max.
ing in her heart. Every day, her
nurse told her, Mr.. Hardy had called
up to inquire for her. And the fourth
Sunday, when she was allowed to sit |
up in the solarium. he called to see
her.
II loved the hyacinths," she told
him.
did your" his eyes looked at her