The Twin City star., 1918-10-12
The Haters
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BY r. RAY BAKER

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<Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
Maybelle st. Glare sat in her dress
ing room, smeared grease paint on her
face, recited soto voce her great song
hit and hated men.
Here's some more gorgeous flowers
from a Mr.. Hendricks" announced
Geraldine Alberton, her maid, entering
the room and holding bouquet Of red
roses at arms length, so she could sur
vey it with the eye of critic.
And why shouldn't Geraldine Alber-
ton be considered a connOisseur on
matters of flowers? Hadn't she per-
sonallyreceived $40 bouquets addressed
to her mistress in the year and b half
since Maybelle had made her debut as
q singer and dancer on the vaudeville
stage?
And hadn't each and every one of
those offerings from admiring men
been crushed deliberately under the
same small foot or else dumped un-
tremendously into a convenient waste
basket?
"Well, don't bother me about them,"
grumbled Maybclle, as she penciled lit
tie black crosses at the corners Of her
eyes, adding luster to her already vi
vacious countenance. "Drop them out
the window. noticed there's an alley
there"
Not that Maybelle st. Glare, dainty,
diminutive, dancing damsel," had an
aversion for flowers. To the contrary,
she possessed q. normal girls fondness
for them. 1t was the fact that men
sent them to her that caused her. to
spurn these particular bouquets that
were delivered to her room on the av-
erage Of four night.
When she lived in Ludington, Mich,
Mabel Clare (the extra ''y'' and "le"
and the est" had been acquired since
the aforementioned debut) had not
been a man-hater. In fact-impos-
sible as it now seemed-she bad been
in love, tremendously in love, at one
time. That was before she decided
on a career instead of dishrag and
carpet sweeper.
1t was her only love affair. The
young man had wOOed her for three
years and won her, when along came
this question Of women's rights. The
wedding bells were about due to ring,
when study Of suffrage and sundry 9th
er subjects put that career idea into
Mabel's head. Her fiance objected seri-
ously to the stage, although she in
sisted that he should accompany her
and utilize his musical ability to help
make her famous. She had just about
won him over to her way of thinking
when the suffrage question came up
to have it's fate decided by the electors
of the state. Mabel took prominent
part in the campaign, and when the
amendment was defeated she was
heartbroken. In the midst of her tears
of disappointment, while her husband
to-be was attempting to comfort her,
she ceased sobbing sufficiently to re-
mark that she supposed, of course, he
had voted to enfranchise women. Be-
ing an honest but undiplomatic young
man, he confessed that he had marked
his cross in the "NO" square. And from
that moment he stopped being a pros
pective benedict. -.y
you're just a lowbrow, with back
woods ideas, and you'll never make
any progress" she had cried as she
showed him the door, 81 never want
to see you again-or any other man.
I'll never get married-never! I'll
carve career on the vaudeville stage,
as have planned; but I'll do it with
out your assistance or any other mans.
I'll show that men are not necessary,
and you can stay here and rust into a
grave"
She gave up her position In a dry
goods store and went to Chicago,
where she had an aunt whose husband
exercised some influence in the theatri-
cal world and who had taken cOnsid-
cradle sympathetic interest in Mabel's
footlight ambitions. The other aunt,
with whom Mabel lived in Ludington,
tried to dissuade her; but the objec-
tons were overruled; and as both the
young lady's parents were dead, there
was no one to interfere with her work
ing out future in her chosen course.
She sent no letters to her erstwhile
sweetheart-nOt even a post card pic
ture Of Lincoln park. Hes too mar
rOw-minded and we have nothing in
common" she repeatedly assured her.
self to assuage the pain that was
bound to be felt after such long and
serious affair Of the heart.
While Maybelle st. Clare "made up"
for her first appearance in the Detroit
vaudeville fheater Philin Warner sat