The Benson signal., 1918-02-16
CHAPTER XIX.
-13-
success-And a Recognition.

Success-And a Recognition.
There is a kaleidoscope character
about the events of the ten days or
30 preceding the opening performance
Of most musical comedies which would
make sober chronicle of them seem
fantastically incredible. This law of
nature made no exception in the case
Of 'eThe Girl Upstairs" There were
rehearsals which ran so smoothly and
swiftly that they'd have done for per-
formances; there were others so alb
ominably bad that the bare idea of
presenting the mess resulting from
six weeks toll, before the people who
had paid money to see it, was night
mare.
OF all the persons directly, or even
remotely, affected by this nerve-Shat-
tering confusion, Rose was perhaps
the least perturbed. The only thing
that really mattered to her was the
successful execution Of those twelve
costumes. The phantasmagoria at
North End hall was a regrettable,
but necessary, interruption Of her
She wakened automatically at half
past seven and was downtown by
half-past eight, to do whatever shop
ping the work Of the previous day re-
vealed the need of.
At nine-thirty-an unheard-of hour
In the theater-the watchman at the
Globe let her in at the stage door, and
Rose haG half an hour, before the ar
rival Of the wardrobe mistress and
her assistant, for looking over the
work done since she had left for re-
hearsal the day before.
She liked this quiet, cavernous old
barn of place down under the Globe
stage; liked it when she had it to her
self before the two sewing women
came and later, when, with a couple
of sheets spread out on the floor, she
cut and basted according to her cam
brio patterns, keeping ahead Of the
flying needles of the other two. After
her own little room, the mere spa
ciousness of it seemed almost noble
In keeping with the good luck which
had attended everything that hap
pened in connection with this first
venture of hers, she was able to tell
Galbraith that both sets Of cos
tunes were finished and ready to try
on on the very day he announced that
the next rehearsal would be held at
ten tomorrow at the Globe.
She persuaded the girls to wait un-
ka1 Ill -S~ fn hn a
noon frocks and until she herself had
had o chance to give each of them a
final inspection and to make q few
last touches and readjustments. Then
they all trOoped out on the stage and
stood in a row, turned about, walked
here and there, in obedience to Gal
braith's instructions shouted from the
back of the theater.
It was dark out there and discon-
certingly silent. The glow of two
cigars indicated the presence Of Gold,
smith and Block in the middle Of lit.
tie knot of other spectators.
The only response Rose got-the
only index to the effect her labors
had produced was the tone Of Gal;
braith's voice. Gall right" he shouted
"Go and put on the others"
There was another silence after
they had filed out on the stage again,
clad this time in the evening gowns
a hollow, heart-constricting silence
almost literally sickening. But it last
ed only a moment. Then:
"Will you come down here, Miss
Dane?" called Galbraith.
There was a slight, momentary, but
perfectly palpable shock accompany.
ing these wOrds-a shock felt by ev-
erybody within the sound Of his voice.
Because the director had not said
'T>ane, come down here;" he had said
"Win you come down here, Miss
Dane?" And the thing amounted, so
. rigid is the etiquette of musical COM
edy, to an accolade. The people on
the stage and in the wings didn't
know what she had done, nor in what
character she was about to appear
but they did know she was, from now
on something besides chorus girl.
Rose obediently crossed the runway
and walked up the aisle to where Gal
braith stood, with Goldsmith and
Block, waiting for her. She was feel
ing a little numb and empty.
Galbraith, as she came, helc out a
hand to her. 81 congratulate you
Miss Dane," he said. They're admir-
Ahsa. With all the money in the world,