The Washington herald., 1920-11-29
ANO. HENRY STORY
The Memento

This was but tit for tat. De-
cause Broadway had often done the
same thing to Miss D'Armande.
Still. the 'tats" seemed to have II.
for the ex-leading lady Of the
"Reaping the whiriwind" company
had everything to ask Of Broadway.
while there was no viceversa-
So Miss Lynnette D'Armande
turned the back of her chair to her
window that overlooked Broadway.
and sat down to stitch in time the
lisle-thread heel of q black silk
stocking. The tumult and glitter of
the roaring Broadway beneath her
window had no charm for hers what
she greatly desired was the stining
air of a dressing room on that fairy
land street and the roar of an au-
dience gathered in that capricious
quarter. In the meantime. those
stockings must not be neglected.
Silk does wear out so, but-after all.
isn't It just the only goods there Is?
The Hotel Thalia looks on Broad
way as Marathon looks on the sea.
It stands like a gloomy cliff above
the whirlpool where the tides of two
great thoroughfares clash: Here
the player-bands gather at the end
of their wanderings, to loosen the
buskin and dust the sock. Thick
in the streets around II are booking
offices. theaters, agents, schools,
and the lobster-palaces to which
those thorny paths lead.
Wandering through tho eccentric
halls of the dim and fusty Thalia,
you seem to have found yourself In
some great ark or caravan about to
sail. or fly. or roll away on wheels.
About the house fingers q sense of
unrest, OF expectation. of transient
ness, even of anxiety and apprehen-
sion. The halls are a labyrinth.
Without q guide, you wander like
lost soul in a Sam Lloyd puzzle.
Turning any corner. a dressing
sack or a cul-de-sac may bring you
up short. You meet alarming
tragedians stalking in bath-robes in
From hundreds of rooms come the
buzz of talk, scraps of new and old
songs. and the ready laughter of
the convened players.
Summer has come; their compa-
nies have disbanded, and they take
their rest in their favorite caravan
sary, while they besiege the mana
gers for engagements for the COM
ing season.
At this hour OF the afternoon the
days work of tramping the rounds
of the agents Offices is over. Past
you, as you rambie ,distractedly
through the messy halls, fit audible
visions OF houris, with veiled starry
eyes. flying tag-ends of things and
a swish of silk. bequeathing to the
dull Railways an odor OF gayety
and q memory of frangipanni. Sc
rious young comedians. with versa
tile Adams apples, gather in door
ways and talk of Booth. Far-reach-
ing from somewhere comes the smell
of ham and red cabbage, and the
crash OF dishes on the American
plan.
The indeterminate hum Of life in
the Thalia Is enlivened by the dis
Greet popping-at reasonable and
salubrious intervals-of beer bottle
corks. Thus punctuated. life in the
genial hostel scans eas.ly-the COM
ma being the favorite mark. semi
colons frowned upon. and periods
barred.
Miss DArmande's room was
small one. There was room for her
rocker between the dresser and the
wash-stand il II were placed longi-
tudinally. On the dresser were it's
usual accoutrements. plus the ex-
leading lady's collected souvenirs of
road engagements and photographs
of her dearest and best professional
friends.
At one Of these photographs she
looked twice or thrice as she darned,
ana smiled friendly.
I'D like to know where Lee Is
just this minute" she said, half
aloud.
II you had been privileged to view
the photograph thus flattered, you
would have thought at the first
glance that you saw the picture OF
a many-petalled white flower. blown
through the air by storm. But the
floral kingdom was not responsible
for that swirl of petalous whiteness.
You saw the filmy. brief skirt OF
Miss Rosalie Ray as she made a
complete heels-over-head turn in
her wistaria- -entwined swing, far
out from the stage. high above the
heads of the audience. You saw the
cameras inadequate representation
of the graceful, strong kick with
which she, at this exciting moment.
sent flying high and far. the yellow
silk garter that each evening spun
from her agile limb and descended
upon tne 0eIlRnIeQ du0lenCe below.
You saw. too. amid the black
clothed. mainly masculine patrons
of select vaudeville a hundred hands
raised with the hope of staying the
flight of the brilliant aerial token.
Forty weeks OF the best circuits
this act had brought Miss Rosalie
Ray, for each of two years. She did
other things during her twelve min
utes-a song and dance. limitations
of two or three actors who arc but
limitations of themselves. and a bal
ancing feat with step-ladder and
feather duster; but when .he bios
som-decked swing was let down
from the flies. and Miss Rosalis
sprang smiling into the seat, with
the golden circlet conspicuous in
the place whence II was soon to
slide and become a soaring and COW
eted guerdon-then it was that the
audience rose in its seat as n single
manor presumably so-and in
dorsed the speciality that made Miss
Rays name a favorite in the book
ing
At the end OF the two years Miss
Ray suddenly announced to her dear
friend, Miss D'Armande. that she
was going to spend the summer at