Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-02-13
MINISTER'S CHUM +,
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BY VINCENT c. PERRY.
NN1
per Syndicate.l

per Syndicate.)
1t was just another of Effie's disap-
| pointments but it seemed harder than
| the rest. She had built so much on
the success of her first attempt at
| directing an amateur theatrical pro-
| duction and now she was faced with
failure. 1t was the night of the sec
ond rehearsal-so wretched an affair
that she was sure she would have to
| give up.
She was reused from her thoughts
! by the sound of the outer door OPEN
ing. A man stood in the doorway.
Am i late for the rehearsal, Miss
| McIntosh?" he asked as he stepped in
| side. 1t was Mr.. Sterling, the minis
ter's coll -, chum, who was spending
q few weeks at the rectory.
II am sorry, it is all over. You
promised to come and see that things
| got along all right, Mr.. Sterling"
"Did they?"
81 hoped it would be better" She
| said.
"That is too bad," he consoled. "How
would it be if helped you in earnest.
/ had a little experience in amateur
| theatricals when 1 went to college,"
"Why didn't / think of it before?"
she exclaimed. 'Will you play the
leading part?''
"I'll have to hear the play before
| consent-suppose you read it to me
now"
They found seat close to the stage
and Effie commenced reading. His
eyes never left her face for an instant
| but she was so engrossed in the lines
| that she did not notice him. After an
hour Of steady reading Fife closed
the book. Sterling watched her closely
for moment and then exclaimed ear
nestly, "Gad, young lady, you have tai
ent !"
"Thank you" Eflie laughed. "NVill
you play the part of Randolph
II don't like the play he announced.
81 have a copy of a much finer one
In my trunk. If you will change to
1t will be glad to take the leading
role and there is a splendid part in it
for you-a part to fit your talent more
than the one in this play"
The play was better than Effie had
imagined play could be. The part
just suited her but she feared she
could not do it justice. Sterling
brushed the fears aside and a week
later rehearsals were well on the way
for the new play.
AS the date set for the performance
drew near, Effie's confidence grew. 1t
was going to be a big success, there
was little doubt of that. Mr.. Sterling
had worked untiringly with her and
| the others to make life and energy
appear in the lines. She knew his
criticisms were given just where they
were needed and it helped her to make
her part what she knew it should be.
| He went through his own part like a
professional. If man with talent like
! he had couldn't find a place on the
stage what hope was there for her,
| Effie often wondered.
The all-important night arrived.
| Efie's preparations made her arrival
| late. When she entered at the rear
door and emerged on the stage she was
greeted with a big surprise. The
stage was set with bright new scenery
and two stage carpenters were put
| ting on the finishing touches. Mr..
| Sterling was responsible for it all, she
knew, and fastened to find him, but
| he seemed to be evading her and she
| had to give up to dress for the first
act.
The curtain went up on full house.
Effie had time to see that before she
was lost in her part. The man who
was acting beside her was not the Mr..
| Sterling with whom she had re-
| hearsed; he was the character of the
play. His acting was wonderful; she
realized that and it spurred her to
greater effort. The applause that re-
sounded through the hall at the con-
clusion of the act told her her efforts
were appreciated and the play was a
| success. Curtain call after curtain coll
Sterling and she had to respond to.
| After 1t was all over and Effie had
partly awakened from the spell it had
| cast over her, she sought out Sterling.
He did not evade her this time.
He did not give her chance to
speak. "You did wonderfully, little
| girl. That last scene was one of the
prettiest pieces of work have ever
seen. It made me wish I was max
ing love to you in real earnest" he
said.
'Tsn't that strange-your acting af-
fected me in the same way" she
blushed. "You We're so wonderful
| so like real actor"
"Then you wouldn't mind my max
ing love to you-asking you to marry
me in real earnest?" he asked, taking
her hand.
"Oh, but you wouldn't-you are not
In earnest" she stammered.
81 was never more in earnest in my
| life. I love you and want you to go
back to New York with me as my wife
| and open the season with me in the
| part you played tonight"
New York-open the season? Then
L