The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-02-20
CHAPTER x-continued.

/, CHAPTER x-continued.
Miss Kemble went forward to
-. Daphne and took her hand and petted
it and said: "I'm so glad to see you.
You must meet my aunt, Mrs. Vining.
I She won't object to your playing her
parts, I'm sure"
Mrs. Vining, who had played all
II Of roles for half q century,
and was now established as a famous
player of hateful old grandes danes,
spared Daphne her ready vinegar and
chose to mother her.
Mr.. Reben had come down from his
office to make up his own mind. He
~smiled with a kind of challenging cor
sliality and murmured: $50 our little
business woman is going to open the
shop. Well, all you've got to do is
to deliver the goods and I'll buy 'em
at your W price,"
Patterson raped on the kitchen
table that stood on the apron of the
stage Under a naked bunch of light
of glazing brilliance.
"l'laces, please, for the entrance.
Really? All right, Eldon!"
The noble matinee idol put his hat
on the table, walked or, sat down on
"A divan composed Of two broken
chairs and read an imaginary news
paper.
Patterson said: "Doorbell! Buzz-z."
A well-dressed young man, whom
Daphne recognized as the elderly but
Ter. walked across and opened an
Imaginary door between two chairs.
This was the cue for Miss Kemble's
famous allow do you do?"
Everybody waited and watched for
the newcomer to make her debut in
the new world. Then was a silence.
Daphne stood with heels screwed to
thu floor and tongue glued to the roof
>ot her mouth.
YAH right, Miss Kip" said Patterson
with Ominous patience. "Come on,
ON on, pleased"
Another silence, then Daphne
laughed and cholked. "I'm awfully stu
ph'. I've forgotten the line"
Patterson CRASHED his u%nlighted CT
gaa and growled: "Howjado! How
.jaao"
~Oh, yes! Thank you. I'm so
'sorry!" said Daphne, and walked on
at the wrong side Of the chairs.
Everybody shuddered to realize that
@fc had entered through a solid wall,
This miracle was ignored, but there
wis no ignoring the peculiarly inelo.
.4uGnt note she struck when she bowed
to the butler and stammered:
"How are you?"
a sigh went through the vast pro.
found and void of the empty theater
Instinct told even the echoes that
Daphne did not belong and never could
belong. Patterson %groaned, tragically
"Not to the butler, please! Don't
say How are you?' to the butler
Don't say How are you?' to anybody
please. Script says 'Howjado?' Say
Howjado?' to Mr.. Eldon there. Say
'Howjado' to Mr.. Eldon there"
"How do you do?" said Daphne
,bowing to Eldon and speaking with Q
:soullessness. of a squeezed doll.
Eldon rose, folded up his imaginary
paper, and came forward with a pity
ing desire to help her. He hoped thai
y the scared little Kip woman would wiz
through the same bitter trials to the
same perilous and always endangered
success. But he had a fear.
He delivered her his line with be
%rnevolent gentleness. He waited, ther
;gave her her line with exquisite tact
She did not repeat it after him. He
.said to her:
"Don't be afraid; you're all right
He gave her the line again and she
Ynrr0ted it after him. She leapet
then to a speech several minutes far
.ther on. He drew her back to the cue
"Pardon me, but l think I have q line
before that"
The rehearsal blundered on. 1t wa!
mot Daphne's fright that disturbed
the rest. 1t was her complete failure
10 suggest the character, or any char
acter.
But Patterson found nothing tt
amuse him, c:d Reben tasted tina
dust II ashes of disappointment
with which theatrical managers art
60 familiar when they bite on tn
lDead sea fruit of beauty without dra
anatic talent