The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-07-31

shed which serves as the workshop and
headquarters for small army of
American engineers who are lending
the p. r. r. touch to the astonished
landscape of France. Though retreat
had sounded an hour or so before, it
was packed to suffocation with Yanks,
for all that day rakish posters, turned
out in the company painters best
style, had intrigued the eye with the
modest announcement:
ELSIE JANIS-AMERIcA'S GREAT.
EST AcTRESS-FoR ONE
NIGHT ONLY.
And at last, with warning toots from
u distant whistle and great wave of
laughter as the order was passed along
to clear the track, locomotive trun-
died in out of the night, in its cab a
pair of proud and grinning engineers,
on Its cowcatcher Elsie Janis. A mo-
ment later and the engine was near
enough to the stage for her to clear the
space at a single jump and there she
was, with her black velvet tam pushed
back on her tossing hair, with her
eyes alight and her hands uplifted, her
whole voice thrown into the question
which is the beginning and the end Of
morale, which is the most important
question in the army:
.Are we downheartedr
The Thunderous Response.
You can only family imagine the
thunderous "No" with which the train
shed echoed. And it is the whole point
of Elsie Janis-as well as the whole
point of all the mummers now being
booked to play for the A. e. F.-that
whatever the spirit Of the boys before
her coming, they really meant that
No" with all there was in them, that
any who might have been just little
downhearted before, felt better about
1t after seeing and hearing her For,
like the rare officer who can inspire his
men to very prodigies of valor, so the
flashing Elsie is compact of that price
less thing which, for lack of a less
pedantic phrase. we must call positive
magnetism. More than one company
has marched off to its first night in the
trenches with brighter eyes, squarer
shoulders and more gallant swing be-
cause, at the very threshold Of safety.
this lanky and lovely lady from Co
lumbus, Ohio, waved and sang and
cheered them on their way.
That is why, when the history of
this great expedition comes to be writ
ten, there should be chapter devot-
ed to the play-girl of the western front,
the star of the A. E. F., the forerunner
of those players who are now being
booked in the greatest circuit of them
all, the Y. NJ. G. A. huts of France.
For her, and for her like, there is
always room. And work aplenty to
do. There are troops to be firea-as
by martial music-on the edge of the
advance.
Elsie Janis (and mother) are having
the time of their lives, and she meant
every word of it when she cabled
back to all her brothers and sisters of
the stage to come or they would never
know what they had missed.
transforming With Vengeance.
For Elsie it has been transforming
with vengeance, tour of tank towns
in more senses than one. 1t has meant
travelling without maid for once in
a way, playing whole season with
one-dress wardrobe, bivouacking in
strange and uninviting hotels.
1t has meant warbling as cabaret
singer among tables of some officers
mess or mounting bench to sing
through the windows of come conta-
gion barracks where the isolated
doughboys had been tearing their in
fected hair with disappointment be-
cause they had heard she was in the
post and knew they could not get out
to see her.
1t has meant lingering for an extra
performance at some hut because
whole new audience was coming
through the starlit heavens from the
aviation camp down the lines.
In all her years on the stage she
has known no such tumultuous, heart
WaiuiAS "eiconeS as are HeI HiSHtly
portions in the biggest time booking
Office can offer to player in the year
1918.
The boys swarm up on the stage
and slap her on the back and vow there
never was such a girl since the world
began. They cheer her until they are
hoarse, and she is dizzy with pride.