The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-01-27
Grease Paint and
Rouge Pot

By H. LOUIS


&c. 1929. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
Richard Heaton, his bow and vio-
lin temporarily at rest across his
knees. watched the string Of girls as
they trooped YEARLY in from the
wings and down the stage nee more.
This was the ninth time they had
been ordered 'for the luva Mike, try
it again, In the rasping voice of that
beetle-browed Cummings.
"Where's the glamour Of the stage,
Jim1" Dick asked the question Of the
second violin on his right.
Search me- returned the other.
At that moment the bit of 'busi-
ness" which had been going wrong
was called for. .
Letter perfect as to the score, Dick
let his thoughts run on. What attrac-
ton for girls did this "being on the
stage" possess? Only in such rare
cases as to be negligible did it offer
other than hard, grilling work and a
living wage.
The Empire Stock company was In
terspersing its repertoire Of unadul-
terated drama with an occasional mu-
steal comedy, which demanded an
augmented cast. That accounted for
Elsie Parker's being able, through the
friend of a friend, to get the chance
Of holding down an occasional minor
part.
Today Elsie let her eyes rest On
the face Of the first violin, dimly WIS.,
tble beyond the rim Of the stage. It
held no particular personality for her,
yet she sometimes fancied it's eyes
were tired.
And then one day she discovered the
face belonged to a very real and live
person.
On the very last night Of Take
Care, Tracy" the youth who was
Elsie's vis-a-vis in the goblet dance
didn't appear. And Cummings. tearing
his hair, sent for Heaton, said he'd
heard he'd done amateur stuff and
would he, for the luva Mike, this one
night take the regular guys place? It
was easier to get along without one
of the violins than the sixth member
of a sextet.
And. incidentally, Elsie Parker found
him much more interesting than her
former partner. r.",
During the "aside," supposed to on
vey to the audience desperate firta-
ton, Heaton asked curiously: "Where
do you come from?"
vermont said Elsie simply, but
not forgetting the smile demanded TN
the by-play.
"That so7' said Heaton: $50 do II
Anywhere near DoaneT"
"Why, I'm from Bemis, only ten
miles awayl"
And then came the cue for exit rear
left.
Three weeks later Dick sat in his
nine by twelve bedroom, his chair
with its one weak leg, tipped back
against the once white-enameled rail
of his bed. Near him. on the painted
wash stand" insuficiently covered
with a dingy scarf, lay an open let
ter. He picked 1t up and read it's
brief contents again.
"Dear Richard-We have got to sell
the farm. Your father is getting too
old to work II. And there's nobody
else unless you come home. It seems
too bad to let the old place 60. But it
can't be helped. The lilacs are all in
bloom today. Lovingly, MOTHER"
That night Cunning called for a re-
hearsal at 10:45, Immediately after
the evenings performance. And be-
cause he had had a row with the lead
ing lady, he took 1t out on the rest,
and eventually landed on the least Of
fensive of them all-Elsie.
"What the devil dye mean by chew
ing your words like they was SO much
sphagetti7"-and he went on with in
finitely more biting sarcasms. Elsie
alternately flushed and paled, and en-
deavored to keep back the foolish
tears. a~ ...
Suddenly, from somewhere behind
Cunning, came q tense, dangerously
quiet voice: LET up on Miss Parker,
you internal slave driver"
The man turned as If shot. "Who
the-You!" and certainly never before
had Dick appeared other than mildly
placid. But tonight 1t was a new
Dick, a Dick who had been patiently
waiting for the rehearsal's end to ask
a tender query Of the girl whom he
had discovered to be. under the grease
paint, not ashomely little thing, but a
quantity pretty girl with appealing
eyes under softly curling lashes.
Suddenly Cummings anger culmin-
ated in one last explosion. For the
luva Mike-the both Of yer-you're
fred I"
Dick looked him oyer-then turned
ION his heel.