New Britain herald., 1921-09-01

tneater, respond with his customary eloquence-and decline, with thanks" Came the day of the rally, and simultaneously. Carl Hardy's arrival i'll "archester, on the 4:30 express. Carol Landis and Jimmy met him at
 the station. but it was not until they
 had reached the Courier office that
 the subject nf the new play. untidiIv projecting from the managers coat pocket, was introduced. He drew it out. smoothed it, not without signs or vast amusement, into a semblance
 or order. and laid it on the desk be- lore him, without a word Well?" Jimmy ventured tenta- lively.
 It's not finished" objected Hardy.
 Only three acts, Where's the fourth %
 Jimmy's smile became a grin as
 he looked into Carols face. Tonight TT hope to be supplied
 With a logical curtain he explained
 The act is finished, barring that I
 waited because I wanted it to be con- vincing, you know-and real-and very, very human.
 Hardy heard himself quoted with
 out suffering any great loss of com
 posture.
 T always wondered about that first act, he murmured. So it was yourself. eh?"
 It was Carols soft laughter that sent the blood into Jimmy's thin cheeks.
 All but the glorified parts,'' he de-
 tended himself. Scarcely an-auto-
 biography
 ''Splendid.' unused Hardy. "I wish
 I could be young again." And then,
 laughingly: "Oh, I knew what you
 were up to, after I'd read one page of that second act-the return of
 the prodigal-ten years later! But whats the curtain going to be Jimmy |-vindication, young virtue triumph ant-honor and reputation retrieved 9"
 But the tall and slightly stopped
 editor of the Courier had recovered his equanimity. H. laughed with them, even while he was ordering them from his premises. You can search mel he answered. humorously grave. But it's bound to be logical and convincing, and true to life. Because they're going to create it, not I. And now, here's an
 order for two seats, reserved for you in the balcony. You can watch it develop. yourself. Tivotson and I are very busy for an hour or so. We we are men of the moment, so to speak,"
 It was hot and oppressive in the
 pit of the old Palace theater, but
 men forgot the heat as the princi-
 pals whose entrance they had been awaiting, finally filed in from the wings: Dayton, chairman of the Civic Improvement society; Blake, United States senator from a neigh
 bor state; District Attorney Jame- son, the Rev. Watson Duncan, and TT. Elihu Banks.
 The representatives of the press,
 Wainwright with his rlbboned spec tacles; Tivotson, stone sober in spite of a mad gleam in his eye, and Jimmy Gordon. found places at a long
 t5 ble at the extreme left of the stage.
 Dayton rose and spoke with that fluent jocularity which had made him the towns official toastmaster. waxing grave only when it was time 70 introduce the first speaker Of the evening, the we'll known and we'll beloved MT. Blake, senator from Blake rose and wooed them with honeyed f1attery: boomed outworn |commonplaces at them concerning heir duty to state and nation; ac- |centuated the crying need at the cap | itol of such men as MT. Banks (and himself), and, a little perfunctorily, returned to his chair. A batter Of applause rewarded his effort. And now as Dayton came again to his feet, talking a little more rapidly this time, here and t. ere men began to notice that of
 the three men at the press table
 Jimmy Gordon alone was busy pre- haI Q and rigid, and trembling like snake ready to strike. was watching T. E.
 Banks. But the editor of the Cour- fer was busy. seemingly above his ra cing pencil.
 The effect of a certain sort of a smile-a quiet, amused, lazy smile upon the emotions of those who be- hold it, offers a nice problem in psy- chology. Having sought his bowed lfigure and glimpsed that smile, the eyes of men fingered upon it, until
 the whole house in sort of fascin- ated expectancy. was watching him. They watched him while Dayton introduced TT. Elihu Banks, War chester's first United States senator" While they cheered, in a fashion markedly unconvinccd. they watched IGordon-and during the first half of the profoundly dispirited speech of tered in a husky voice. Acceptance which MT. Banks deliv- cred in a husky voice. T. Elihu had finished now. and it was quiet-dreadfully quiet, for a meeting that was to have been rousing indorsement of their candi- date" T. Elihu had responded with his customary eloquence-but he had not declined with thanks. Yet he was a pitifully defeated figure. as he stuck to his guns.
 "Tivotson,"
 The little man, as if T. Elihu's de-
 fiance had just sunk home, lunged