Evening star., 1922-11-12

followed by a Jerky glare that shot
athwart the room, announced the
, lighting of the big arc lamp on the
being in the mood for undiluted
gloom. but she had not the energy to
pull down the shade and shut ii out.
She sat where she was, thinking
| thoughts that hurt.
The door of the apartment opposite
opened. There was a single ring at
her bell. She did not answer 1t.
There came another She sat where
she was. motionless. The door closed
again.
The days dragged by. Elizabeth
lost count of time. Each day had its
duties. which ended when you went
to bed. That was all she knew, ex-
cept that life had become very gray
and very lonely-far lonelier than In
the time when James Boyd was moth
ing to her but an occa asional sound of
| footsteps.
OF James she saw nothing. It is
not difficult to avoid any one in New
York. even when you live just across
the way.
1t was Elizabeth's first act each
morning Immediately on awakening
to open her front door and gather in
whatever lay outside it Sometimes
there would be mail. and always. un-
less Francis. as he sometimes did, got
mixed and absent minded. the morn
ing milk and the morning paper.
x \ X X
0NE morning. some two weeks
~ after that evening Of which she
tried not to think, Elizabeth. opening
! tho door. found Immediately outside
1t q folded scrap OF paper. She un-
folded It.
Il am Just OF to the theater. Won't
you wish me luck? I feel sure 1t is
going to be hit. Joseph is purring
like dynamo. J. R. B."
| In the early morning tho brain
works sluggishly. For an instant
Elizabeth stood looking at the words
uncomprehendingly. Then, with a
| leaping of the heart, their meaning
came home to her. He must have
left this note at her door on the pre-
vious night. The play had been pro-
duced. And somewhere in the folded
interior of that morning paper at her
feet must be the opinion Of one in
authority concerning it.
| Dramatic criticisms have this pecu-
liarity: If you are looking for them
they burrow and hide like rabbits
| They dodge behind murders; they
| duck behind base ball scores; they he w
! snugly behind the Wall street news. II
was q full minute before Elizabeth
found what she sought. The first
words she read smote her like a
blow.
| In that vein Of delightful facetious-
| ness which so endears him to all fol-
lowers and perpetrators Of the drama
the one in authority rent and tore
James Boyd's play. He knocked James
Boyd's play down and kicked 1t; he
jumped on it with large feet; he
poured cold water on it, and he
chopped it into little bits. He merrily
disembowled James Boyd's play.
Elizabeth quivered from head to
foot She caught at the door post to
steady herself. In flash all her re-
sentiment had gone, wiped away and
annihilated like mist before the sun.
She loved him and she knew now that
she had always loved him.
It took her two seconds to realize
that the one in authority was a mis-
cradle incompetent, incapable of rec
ognizing merit when it was displayed
before him. It took her five minutes
to dress. It took her a minute to run
downstairs and out to the newsstand
on the corner Of the street. Here,
with lavishness that charmed and
exhilarated the proprietor, she bought
all the other papers that he could
supply. Eagerly she sought the re-
views Of the play.
Moments of tragedy are best de-
! scribed briefly. Each Of the papers
noticed the play and each of them
damned it with uncompfomising
heartiness. The criticisms varied
| only in tone. One cursed with relish
and gusto, another with a certain
pity, a third with kind of wounded
superiority. as Of one compelled
against his will to speak Of some-
thing unspeakable. Still another
wrote as If he were spanking a
naughty child, but the meaning Of all
was the same-James Boyds play was
hideous failure.
4 + X =
Back to the house sped Elizabeth,
leaving the organs Of free people to
| be gathered up, smoothed and re-
placed on the stand by the now moro
than ever charmed proprietor. Up the