The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-05-29
D0ROTHEk s CAREER
lBv OLIVE ROBERTS BARTON.

looking envelope and ran her eye rap
idly over the contents of the letter
ana then at the place on the inclosed
check filed in to the amount of a
thousand dollars. Somebody had died,
no matter who, and her share of the
deceased relations estate now lay in
her hand to do with as she would
The state of Dorotheas feelings may
he more readily understood perhaps if
the reader be informed of the things
that had been uppermost in her mind
all day. She had been living over again
her triumph Of the night before, when
as star performer at the dedication of
the new library, she had won laurcls
far beyond her greatest dream of sac
cess. OF course everyone knew she
could play; and she played the organ
Sundays and figured conspicuously on
the programs in all the local concerts. T
But no one in Parsonsburg had ever .
heard her sing before. Not even Mrs I
Pressing. who lived in the other half /
of the house, except perhaps a little T
cumming when she was hurrying
through with her dishes to go to the
movies with Charley.
Dorothca, therefore, was as sur
priScd as anybody when on the day
before the library concert she had dis
covered something.
She had found the sopranos part Of
the oftertory for Sunday lying on top
of her piano after the choir had gone
home from practice She glanced over
The notes, first humming the tune then
grooming it, and finally opening her
mouth and letting out the full round
notes.
Ecstacy took hold of her She had
| never known what JOY it was to sing.
/ she would surprise ParSonburg and
| sing at the library instead Of playing
! the serenade from Chamnadc that she
! had intended.
And So Dorothca had stood upon the
/ platform in the auditorium of the new
library and bad sung, and not the least
/ of her triumph was the look of per
picked surprise on Charley Totten's
face.
home. Life, which before that day
was carrying her straight into matri-
/ mony, with Charley's heart and home
ms a port, had suddenly turned in its
/ course and was heading for the har-
hor of career. Already grand opera
was looming large, and she had visions
of herself as Brunnhilde and Caruso
as Sicgfriod wooing her with the soft
notes of his wonderful tenor.
And SO. when the check for the thou
sand dropped out of the clouds to light
on the way, there was no doubt in
Uoro,hea's mind that it was all heaven.
. sent. She 'phoned to Charley.
I'm leaving in the morning for New
York" she said. Il wish you'd come
around tonight. I've something to tel
I you,"
But when Charley saw his dreams Of
q happiness fading and the girl he adore,
slipping away forever he voiced pro
test
There isn't much in that game
Giriic. You've got a mighty fine voice
7 but it takes years of hard work, an,
10 then some, to get anywhere, and no
p always then. Besides, Dolly, | wa
just going 10 tell You. I've had SOM
good news myself, and l was going t,
ask You if you could get ready to b,
married next month. Uncle Ned's writ
ten fer me come on and he's going Il
give me n dandy position in his bank
You can Still live in New York and yor
won't have TO work So hard as YOU vii
C mt your music. l can't give you W
Dolly"
But the magical door had show
Dorothea visions she could not forge
I'm sorry, Charley, but l feel tina
>, ! cannot waste my life being mercl
IS domestic. l think it's my duty to z
Y ahead and make the most of my talen
T. BESIDES, it looks like fate when a thou
q sand dollars drops from the skies lik
h This. No, it's all over, Charley.
Z. hope you'll be very happy. Good-b,
~ now. l must pack"
# a year sped along. Food, lodgin
and lessons at ten dollars apiece la
Pr played ducks and brakes with DorC
~ thea's fortune. There were five year
$ of hard work ahead, years in whic
more money would be needed an
~. years, too at the end of which notl
ing was certain. She had discovere
y "A thing or two alSo-that New Yor
to had thousands of musical students wit
m as good or better voices than she ha
ct The money went. There was not
* ing left but to 90 back to teachir
TX music in parsonburg or to find wor
jn New York. She would rather ha,
died than to own up to defeat in ht
own town, 50 she took course
=. Stenography and finally answered q
al.
OF course it was Charley who turne
Ian from the big mahogany desk when 81
Ok went III. She drew back as though