The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-05-14
HALF A COAT
A COMPLETE NOVELETTE, By Emily H. Galloway
By Emily H. Galloway

| shoe ShoWS!, asked Elaine, anXiouSiy
examining the shiny shoes.
mot a bit" but Betty was putting
some powder on the offending patch.
''Pll have my dancing, dress all on so
you won't have to get here till Just
before four. can dash up to the hall
in five minutes. But don't be any
lei ger or I'll lose my job"
Don't worry. I'll be here, and if
I haven't landed-well I'm down to
my last three dollars"
Then Elaine, her eyes bright with
hope, her lips smiling bravely, started
out on her Great Adventure.
| Luckily the Robertson theatre was
only few blocks away, for the rain
was still coming down in torrents.
Elaine clutched her umbrella and
holding the precious coat tightly
around her, proceeded to run. No
need to pinch her cheeks today to get
the color into them Her head felt
little dizzy for her lunch had been
painfully light, but she soon forgot it
in the excitement of trying to dodge
the downpour The wet soon soaked
through the thin soles of her shiny
shoes, but the tops still looked all
right, and the precious hat remained
stiffly erect. She silently thanked
Heaven that her hair curled in the
rain, so she didn't have that to think
about
The great managers Offices were up
above the theatre, four flights above
to be exact Elaine stopped in the
privacy of her first flight to adjust
her hat and put on the carefully
cleaned white gloves. Then, assum-
ing an air of great prosperity and
utter Indifference, she proceeded to
climb the remaining three flights. It
was just 10 minutes to two
At the head of the stairs was a
small waiting room, most efficiently
| guarded by small but mighty office
boy. AS Elaine entered the room she
paused GREATNESS. Her Indifferent
manner vanished. The room was
crowder with girls, packed with girls
beautiful, radiant girls, stunning
girls-all the prettiest ingenues in
| New York seemed to be collected in
that one small room. And Elaine had
thought she was the 'only one."
For moment she was dazed. Then
a great WEAKNESS came over her
What was the use? What chance had
she, with her 1898 hat, among all
these dreams? Even the fur coat
looked shabby And the assistant
manager had told her to look her best.
All the chairs were occupied, more
| than half the girls were standing.
Elaine found a foot OF wall to lean
against and waited. There wasn't
anything else to do. She recognized
several of the girls-well known
actresses-waiting patiently to be adj
nlitted to the great presence, and
Elaine had thought she had a chance.
They had told her to come to let her
down easy. They were always as
kind as business would permit.
At that moment a tall girl entered
the room. To be more exact, she
made an entrance, pausing just long
enough to register to the waiting
roomful the red gold of her hair
against the costly white furriness of
her costume. It was Constance Ray
mond, well-known leading woman.
Come right in, Miss Raymond
shouted the Office boy as he fastened
to open the inner door for her Mr.
Rotertson's expecting you"
And Miss Raymond sailed in.
Gloom descended on the packed
room. 1t meant wait, long and
lengthy wait. Elaine thought of her
lreathless race to the theatre, trem
bling lest she be a moment late.
81 hear Constance Raymond's going
to play the lead" remarked dark
haired girl to the friend with her "a
wonderful part, they say-one of
those poor, forlorn parts that walks
away with the play. They sent for
ne for the society girl, because iii
such a good contrast to Constance.
She'll make it hot if they try to pur
any light-haired girls in
Elaine's heart dropped. Uncon
sciously she raised her hand to her
own hair-even more red and more
gold than Constance Raymond's own
What chance had she-what chance
Then she remembered that the day
she had seen the director she'd worn
tam-o-shanter, and hardly any OF
the golden mass had shown. Well,
she was going to wait. Besides, what
else was there to do?
"You know / played with Constance
before, when she was with Bill Gray
son." the brunette was confiding te
her friend. "If she gets this part,
IL bet Robertson won't put up with
any of her airs"
ooh, heavens" murmured we'll
known ingenue, there's where us
poor working girls wait one good