New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1921-07-20

Telephone me at my place. di-
rected Vickery
Bret found Sheila sitting at the
window. Her eyes were dull as she
turned to greet him.
How are you, honey" he asked
I'm all right she sighed.
BY the way, I stumbled across
Eugene Vickery this afternoon"
"Oh, did YOU? How is he?"
Pretty sick. He's just finished a
new play"
why didn't you invite him up?"
Il did. He said he'd like to come
this afternoon, if you were wiling
by all means"
Bret went to the telephone, but
turned to say, trying to be casual:
HE asked If you'd be interested
IN hearing his play. I told him 1
was sure you'd be dying to hear it,
and he said he wondered if you would
mind If he brought a friend to read
It, Vlck's voice is weak, you know"
L m not in the mood for strangers,
but if Vickery wants it, why-of
course. Did he say who it was?"
Floyd Eldon."
Sheila was amazed. Bret saw the
sudden tensity in her hands where
they held the arms of her chair. He
felt miserable return of the old
nausea, the incurable regret of love
that 1T can never count on complete
possession of it's object, past, present,
and future. But he was committed
now to the conviction that he could
not keep Sheila behind bars and had
no right to try. He had given her back
to herself and the world.
He called Vickery's number and
told him to come over at once, and
added: Both of you"
When they arrived Bret whispered
to them: Il haven't told her that the
play is for her. Don't let her know
The reading began. To Bret it was
like a death warrant; to Vickery, and
Eldon it was a writ of habeas corpus;
to Sheila it was like the unique copy
of great romance that she could
never own. She sat silent.
Even when Eldon closed the manu-
script and the play with the quiet
word Curtain" Sheila did not speak
The three men watched her for a
| long, hushed moment, and then they
saw two great tears roll from her
| eyes. ....
She murmured feebly:
IT'S wonderful Who is the lucky
woman that is toto create it,"
"You!" said Bret.
CHAPTER XIV.
Vickery's Success.
| When they were alone Bret ex-
planned his decision and the heart
! breaking time he had arriving at it
i He would not debate it again. He
permitted Sheila the consolation OF
feeling herself an outcast, and she
reveled in misery. But the first re
hearsal was like a bugle call to {
cavalry horse hitched to a milk
wagon.
The first person she met was Mrs
Vining, looking as timeproof as ever
| What on earth are you doing
here?" Sheila cried, and Mrs. Vinins
sighed:
| "Oh, there's an old catty mother-in
law part in the piece, and Reber
dragged me out of the Old Ladies
Home to play it,
! Sheila's presence at the Odeon wa
due to the fact that when Eldo1
asked Reben to release him so tina
he might play in Clipped Wings,
with Sheila as star and Bret Win
| field as the angel, Reben declined
with violence.
| When Eldon told him of the play
he demanded the privilege of produc
| ing it. He ridiculed Bret as theatri
! cal manager and easily persuaded
| him to retire to his weighing ma
chimes. Reben dug out the yellowe6
contract with Sheila, had it freshl,
typed, and sent it to her, and she
| signed it with all a woman's terror
at putting her signature to g
mortgage. ....
| Sheila spared nothing and nobody
to make the part she played great
Least of all did she spare herself
her strength, her mind, her time.
] And all the while she grew strong
| err, ha1er, heartier. She grew beauti
full from needing to be beautiful.
/ At length the dreadful dress re