The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-04-04

ritanical way, and she looked exceed
ingly clean and correct. Her YER
smile was neat, exactly adjusted be
tween those of the gracious hostes
and of the landlady.
Mrs. Chivvis led the way to the room
that was for rent. 1t took Daphne a
once. Spotlessness is the first luxur,
In a rented room and Puritan beaut,
has grace all its own. The mahog
any bed with its twisted posts, the ex
cellent linen and the honesty Of ev
| erything won her completely.
She felt sense Of relief from the
rather gaudy beauty Of Leila's apart
| ment. She felt that Mrs. Chivvis, who
| showed such nne restraint In her fur.
niture, would be equally discreet in
minding her own affairs.
''Tll take it." she said; shat is. II
you'll take me-"
Mrs. Chivvis said she would. She
said it with a New Englandish parsi-
mony Of enthusiasm, but her eyes were
kindly and Daphne decided that she
thought nice things but lacked the
courage to say them.
Daphne moved at once into the Chiv-
Wis apartment what belongings she had
brought on from Cleveland, and her
mother promised to dispatch the rest
of them as soon as she reached home.
Wesley could not be persuaded to
stay over an unnecessary night. His
business was in perilous condition.
The mammoth Cowper firm had gone
into bankruptcy owing him hand
some sum of money which he was not
likely to recover. The failure also
closed an important and profitable
market for his calculating machines.
1t frightened his banks as well, and
he had wrestled like another Jacob
with an almost invisible cashier for
money enough to meet his pay roll.
Yet he slipped large bill into
Daphne's hand when he babe her good
by at the station late in the after
noon, and he whispered to her she
should have other re-enforcement5
whenever she called on him.
Daphne reached the theater at seven
o'clock and sat in the dark on can
vas rock, watching the stage hands
gather and listening to their repartee.
Patterson arrived at length. He was
in one of his humane moods He asked |
Daphne If she had memorized her lines |
and she said she had. He told her !
that he would give her another re-
1earsal the next day after breakfast. |
After breakfast" he explained, was |
,ne o'clock p. m.
Next morning Daphne presented her.
;elf to Patterson and endured one Of
lis rehearsals, with his assistant read
ng all the cues In lifeless voice. Bat
erson was more discouraged than she
vas. He showed it for time by q
'atience that was of the sort one
hows to shy imbecile.
He was so restrained that Daphne
roke out for him, ''Do you think am
complete idiot, Mr.. Batterson?"
"Far from it, my DEAR" said Batter
on. "You are very intelligent young
Ioman. The trouble is that you are .
DO intelligent for the child's play of ]
he stage. It's all a kind of big nurs- !
~ and you can't forget that facts are {
OF facts In this toy game. If you l
ould let yourself go and be foolish
nd play doll house you might sue $
ED. It's hard even when you know :
ow. But it's impossible as long as {
Du try to reason it out. It's like .
usic and fiction and all the arts. +
ou've got to pretend or you can't '
eel and you can't make anybody else '
ell"
And that, indeed, was Daphne's ag-
~. She could not release her imagi- a
ltion or command her clear vision to
e what was not there. .
Night after night she reported at b
e theater and left 1t when the cur
in rose. On one of these evenings h
,m Duane met her outside the stage n
'or. His apology was that he felt 1t
s duty to look after his client. :,
He invited Daphne to ride home In h
$ car, which was waiting at the curb. :,
lie declined with thanks. He urged =,