The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1917-07-26
WHITE RYACINTHS
BY SYLVIA TURNER.
Sec. Board

There had been seven weeks OF
steady rehearsing. Diane had grown
to hate the very sight OF stage dool
before the opening night of "Semi
| ramlde;" yet she had waited for near
ly Il year for this opening wedge in hel
chosen profession. Nobody knew ex
cept herself of the unceasing priva
tons and self-sacrifSe involved, ye
she had always written home cheerful
| ly, telling only the best that happened
to her. Perhaps even she never real
lied that 1t 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 tacit engagement, Mt leust
4 on DANES side. If Clint had assumed
| more than she meant, she felt 1t 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 wny to his private Of.
! Onn TINA ~ fbok Militia ho
came Diane an Arabian dancer In the
great desert tent scene OF "serui.
ramlde."
Her "bit" was brief. A whirling bit
Of phantasy while q mimic sandstorm
ragged outside the scenic tent and the
orchestra played "Anitra7s 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 II 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 Semlramide steal the
signet ring from her sleeping spouse.
Get out of this entrance and keep
out. Don't you know better than
that"
She stumbled TO her feet and fl6d
before the look in his eyes. She was
nervous and did not see a cleat bolt
in the floor that had Just been placed
there for set piece In the next scene.
When she came TO, she was In an am
bulance stumbling through the night to
an emergency hospital.
Instead of dancing to "Anitra's
Dance" through endless nights Of Won
derment and oriental glamour, she
found herself on a cot In q private
room ut big hospital.
She did not want to alarm her fam
lily ut 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.
"IIe 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 entruncei"
ooh, / guess l deserved 1t, all right.
replied Diane, ditlidently.
Yet she was not surprised when the
next morning there arrived by mes
senger Il largo 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.
"WelI, I hope you've had enough OF
1t now, and are coming homo Will
me, Mlllie," he said. II came to town
TO SEQ what you were like ON the real
stage, and they told mo- over ut the
theater I'd find you here. guess this'll
be lesson to you. I'll 20 right down.
stairs to the office and make arrange
ments TO get you out"
DANES blue eyes snapped with In
dignatlon at his manner of authority
over her.
"Ioull do nothing of the sort, Clint
She sat up in bed in spite OF tho
wrench OF pain Il gave her. "Tm not
going home. I'll be out of here IN Q
couple Of weeks, and I'm going back e
the theater." Clint left In anger &c
take the two o'clock trnin for home.
For another week Diane Rugged her
queer little romance OF her own max
Ing In her heart. Every day, heI
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.
'nid your his eyes looked at her
engerly. Il didn't know just what Il
send. Most girls like roses. | suppose
you're discouraged now, and are go.
Ing back home to your peopleY'
Dlane shook her hend. -