The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-05-11
DOROTHEAS CAREER
lsv OLIVE ROBERTS BARTON.

looking envelope and ran her eye rap
idly over the contents of the letter
and 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 Dorothea's feelings may
be 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 laurels
far beyond her greatest dream of sue
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.
But no n In Parsonsburg had ever
heard her sing before. Not even Mrs.
Pressing, who lived in the other half
of the house, except perhaps a little
humming when she was hurrying
through with her dishes to go to the
movies with Charley.
Dorothea, therefore, was as sur
prised as anybody when on the day
before the library concert she had dis
covered something.
She had found the sopranos part of
the offertory 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 1t, and finally opening her
mouth and letting out the full round
notes.
Ecstacy took hold of her. She had
never known what a joy it was to sing.
She would surprise ~Parsonburg and
sing at the library instead of playing
the serenade from Chaminade that she
had intended.
And so Dorothea had stood upon the
platform in the auditorium of the new
library and had sung, and not the least
of her triumph was the look of per-
picked surprise on Charley Totten's
face.
Dorothea was silent on the way
home. Life, which before that day
was carrying her straight into matri-
mony, with Charley's heart and home
as a port, had suddenly turned In its
course and was heading for the har-
Dor of career. Already grand opera
was looming large, and she had visions
Of hnrcalf 90 pr1nnhfIdn ond NaruSn
as Siegfried 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
en- the way, there was no doubt In
Dorothea's mind that 1t was all heaven
sent. She 'phoned to Charley.
"I'm leaving in the morning for New
York." she said. 81 wish you'd come
around tonight. I've something to tell
you"
But when Charley saw his dreams of
happiness fading and the girl he adored
slipping away forever he voiced a pro-
test.
There isn't much in that game,
grille. You've got a mighty fine voice,
but it takes years of hard work, and
hen some, to get anywhere, and not
always then. Besides, Dolly, I was
just going to tell you. I've had some
good news myself, and / was going to
ask you If you could get ready to be
married next month. Uncle Ned's writ
ten for me come on and he's going to
give me a dandy position in his bank.
You can still live in New York and you
won't have to work so hard as you will
at your music. l can't give you up,
Dolly"
But the magical door had shown
Dorothea visions she could not forget.
I'm sorry, Charley, but l feel that
l cannot waste my life being merely
domestic. l think it's my duty to go
ahead and make the most of my talent.
Besides, 1t looks like fate when a thou
sand dollars drops from the skies like
this. No, it's all over, Charley. 1
hope you'll be very happy. Good-by,
now. l must pack"
A year sped along. Food, lodging
All i0SCOlio ct tNh ooiidl aIlCA0 hNil
played ducks and brakes with Doro-
thea's fortune. There were five years
of hard work ahead, years in which
more money would be needed. and
years, too, at the end of which moth
ing was certain. She had discovered
a thing or two also-that New York
had thousands of musical students with
as good or better voices than she had.
The money vent. There was moth
ing left but to go back to teaching
music in P~arsonburg or to find work
in New York. She would rather have
died thar to own up to defeat in her
WI town, so she took a course In
stenCgraphy and finally answered an
ad.
OF course 1t was Charley who turned
from the big mahogany desk when she
went in. She drew back as though to
fly when she saw who it was, but he
$500 -. ~. Sd 800 hnI IA. Ia-J 3;-ts