Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-04-04
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.
All this while Daphne was kept in
readiness to take Miss Kemble's part
in case the illness Of her child should
result in death and in the further case
that she should be unable to finish her
performances. With the theatrical
season in such bad estate and most of
Reben's companies and theaters losing
money heavily, Sheila Kemble was his
one certain dependence. He called
her his breadwinner.
Miss Kemble's baby passed the cri-
sis and recovered. And then the
mother, worn out with the double
strain, caught little chill that became
a binding, choking cold. She went
through the Saturday matinee in a
whisper, but the night performance
was beyond her.
And now at last Daphne's chance ar
rived. The Saturday night house was
enormous in spite of the heat. There
were enough people there to make
fourteen hundred dollars-twenty- five
hundred for the day.
Daphne, trudging to the theater for
her usual stupid rebuff, walked into
this crisis of her life.
Reben himself knocked at her dress
ing room door where Miss Winsor was
helping her with her makeup. He
implored her to be calm, and he was so
tremulous that he suffered. He told
her that if she made good he would let
her play the part till Miss Kemble
got well. He would pay her hand
some bonus. He would put her out
at the head of number two company
next season.
Patterson came at last and ordered
him off the stage. Reben obeyed him.
Then Patterson talked to her. He told
her that there was no reason to fear
the house. A Saturday night audience
was always easy. 1t wanted its mon
ey's WORTH 1t would help to get it.
ST see," said Daphne. I'm not
afraid of the audience"
'Then what on earth are you afraid
off"
'T'm afraid of me!''
PATTERSON laughed scornfully. ooh,
you! You're going to score a knock
out. You're going to make big hit r
EYES," said Daphne. $50 you've al
ways told me"
The curtain rose. Miss Winsor and
the young man skipped onto their
job; the butler stalked; Eldon entered
and made his exit. Mrs. Vining spread
her skirts and sailed on, then EldOn
went back. Finally Daphne's cue
came.
She was startled a little as Batter
son nudged her forward. She went to
the door and opened it on her new
career to make her public debut with
the all-important "How d. you do7'
She saw before her the drawing room
in a weird light. Beyond it was a
fiercely radiant fog and beyond that
an agglomeration Of faces-the mass
of tomato cans that she was not going
to be afraid of.
And she was not afraid. She was
curious to study them. She was eager
to remember her lines. And she re-
membered them. Then cues came more
or less far apart and each evoked from
her mind the appropriate answer. She
made never slip, and yet she began
to realize that Mr.. Eldon seemed un-
happy.
At length she realized that the audi
ence was strangely quiet. A sense OF
vaulty emptiness oppressed her. She
went on with her lines. She under
stood at last that she was getting no
laughs. She was not provoking those
punctuating roars that Sheila Kemble
brought forth. The audience had evil
IDENTIFY had hard week.
She decided that she must be play
ing too quietly; she quickened her
tempo and threw more vivacity into
her manner. She moved briskly about
the scene, to Eldon's bewilderment.
He seemed unable to find her.
She went through to the bitter end
and spoke every line. But the audi
ence was not with her for a moment.
She used all her intellect to find the
secret of it's pleasure, but she could
not surprise it. She tried harder and
harder, acted with the intense devo-
ton of q wrestling bout, but she could
not score point.
The company looked worried and