, 1918-08-01
Against
Traditions
@o
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Sy~ndicate.)
By JANE OSBORNE

pcI oyHoiCdtc.J
When Justine Flanders consented to
open the Red Cross drive in Bishops
town, little did she realize that on the
Sunday afternoon set aside for that
purpose so many hindrances, both
trivial and important, should conspire
to make difficult her getting off. Her
chauffeur's wife was i'll and at the last
minute she had to send to the station
for a taxi her maid forgot to press the
dress she intended to wear; she mis-
laid her purse, and a lift came Off from
her favorite pair of shoes-just the
sort of things that sometimes come to
mar the serenity of great actresses as
well as the rest of us. So Justine
Flanders was in no cheerful mood
when she started out and she wonder
ed as she slammed her apartment door
lust why she had consented to go out
to a little town like Bishopstown and
make an appeal for Red Cross aid be-
fore a lot of narrow-minded college
professors and ministers and country
folk. Still she had been asked espe-
cially by DIR. Taylor Holmes, the pres
ident OF Bishopstown college, who told
her that the college men had voted her
the most popular actress on the stage,
and he felt she could make a better
appeal than anyone else.
The men at Bishopstown were just
at an age when the emotional, but
never sentimental, acting of the ia
nous r%ed-haired actress left nothing
to be desired. AS for DR.. Taylor
Holmes he had never seen the lady
either on the stage or off. He adj
mired her as he admired anyone who
had as definitely succeeded in the
achievement of a worthwhile ambition
as she had. He had set his heart
on becoming a college president, and
she on becoming a leading actress;
and at a little less than forty they
had both accomplished their ambition.
In so far, unused Taylor Holmes, they
we're kindred spirits. In spite of this
conviction, the schoolman felt some
misgivings. While he didn't disap-
prove of actresses, he still retained
enough of the old Puritanic traditions
of the family to make him feel that
members of the acting profession
moved in a different sphere. His
stern old father had thought ''play-
actors were emissaries of the devil;
for his own part he merely avoided
them. No wonder, then, that as the
time came for the Red Cross rally with
Justine Flanders as the chief speaker
and himself to introduce her, he had
some actual palpitations of the heart.
His maiden sister, who presided over
his household for him, had more than
Do1p;tattnnc Che FRANKLY didn't on
prove, though she made an especially
elaborate toilet preparatory to the
meeting and consented to sit with
other celebrities on one of the chairs
on the platform behind h speaker.
"Of course" said the sister decor
ously drawing on her black gloves as
she waited for her brother to crank
his cheap but entirely adequate mo-
torcar on their departure for the hall
where the meeting was to be held,
'of course, we won't have to have
anything to do with her socially. 1
hope she won't look indecent" this
with emphasis on the 'look" rs If
there was no doubt whatever as to
the actress actually being so.
The college president paid little at
thtlo " liz slSlCl iic "uo 1
between steering a straight course be-
tween the ruts in the bad road that led
from his house to the hall, and re-
hearsing to himself the words of his
introductory speech.
When the famous actress sat, smil-
ing and beautiful, on the platform, nc
one would have guessed that her de-
parture from the city had been fraught
with Interruptions and distractions.
She did not have to rehearse her
speech. for it was the identical speech
that had been given on all previous
occasions OF the sort and she knew 1t
by heart.
'rd know her anywhere by her hair"
whispered someone on the platform
seats.
dressed" conceded the president SIS
ter to the professors wife beside her,
and then there was q hush as the
president stepped forth to introduce
the great actress.
Fully three minutes cheering fol-
lowed before Justine began her talk.
There was not the slightest doubt Of
the fact of the students entire ap-
proval of their idol. With such ovation
II was perhaps no wonder that her
talk was inspiring n hat she used
such powers Of persuasion that within
ten or fifteen minutes $1,000 had been
subscribed to the drive fund. Presi-
lent Holmes could not have entered
more effectively into 1t had his
own effort been studied and not
the result of a burst of actual en-
thusiasm caused by the magnetism
of the Titian-haired actress. He pull
ed his check book from his pocket and
signed a check with a flourish, which
he ave to Justine.
How much was it for?" snapped his
sister, Juggling at his Goa tails. 81
wouldn't give her the satisfaction of
getting all my contribution" And that
pnnd sinister almnct Fainfad whan