Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-07
N INSTALLMENT.

comedienne.
TENTH INsTALLMENT.
Love-and a Dagger!
Nancy went down and out into the street.
For a little while the street, with its tremen-
tdous# warrens and its scattering human
atoms, refused to be real. The primal cause
Of this unreality was not that she had failed
IN her ambitions or that they We're in "A
matters Judgment unattainable. 1t lay in
the fact that everybody considered her a
coInedienne, which. in her opinion, she es-
sentially was not. What would happen to
hersaEnow that the props had been knocked
fr~on1Hunder? What would become of her.
withtl,e spur gone that carried her through
her Sfoolery every night? A. comedienne,
when her background was tragic! This
gsaat maestro, telling her that she had made
him laugh! O., she was 1mad or the world s
vast -
she wanted Ling Foo; she wanted the dog
TO cuddle and cry over and hug to her empty
heart. A comedienne! All at once she re-
called the question she had asked herself
before the maestro's door: Was she a thor.
oughbred or a wilmer? Her chin went up
and,her eyes flashed.
The seller Of adventures, half a dozen
yards behind her, noticed the sudden tilt Of
her head and the clenched hands, and Won
dered what manner Of thought had assailed
her. The girl who had ordered the apple.
One or the other ,of these young women
might become necessary to his plans in the
hear future, and it behooved him to investi-
gate their habits against this possible need.
That night the god Of irony entered the.
theater with her as usual but in a new role:
Nancy was permitted to be conscious Of
everything she did; she was no longer an
automaton. ftg ~,
f.,.-ki A-~kl>.& g. i.-~
dressing room. y
"Was-was I all right?' eagerly. Dread
and butter, bread and butter9
f"".You were, little lady. That mechanical
doll stunt has knocked them over. You're
a<porn coincidence"
she knew that all the rest of her stage
career was going to be one constant siege Of
terror. ,sa-@ ~ s
On the elevated that night-she had in
sisted upon going home alone-she presently
became aware of an unusual interest ON the
part of her fellow travellers! They stared at
her, some icily, some with smiles. Curious
to learn the reason. as hitherto nobody had
ever paid any attention to her, she opened
her handbag and stole a glance into her
packet mirror. She was Mortified to see that
she had forgot to take off her makeup!
%Aweek passed, another. without any notable
event in the lives Of the three inseparables,
for Bancroft was always either with Nancy
or with Jenny or with both. The three Of
them went to Sunday. concerts, there was
generally tea at four in Nancy's room, and
frequently he went abroad with Jenny.
There were, times when he had tea with
Nancy alone, for Jenny could not always get
away from the model shop,
So far as Bancroft was concerned, Nancy
no longer troubled herself to observe conven.
ton. She had reached that point Of faith in
tAh when his Presence was comforting she
Tired to be with him, for he was never dull.
They learned that they had many likes in
common, the same romances, the same poets.
She sang for him in the twilight, old folk.
songs. old love ballads, and there was one
particularly haunting refrain:
ONLY come again In dreams,
And utth the morning light are fed.
When she sang that he would sit with his
chin in his palms and stare into the gather.
ing shadows. What happy hours. these were
to him who had never known companion
ship!
They were sometimes Joined by Crais,
aao was arranging for a tour in January.
For he had taken seriously Bancroft's sug.
gestion about playing to the broken soldiers.
Nancy praised him generously, but she did
notSknow that for this need of praise Craig
y would have gone to Dahon1ey and played
r. before the savage king But vaguely and re-
sentfully. Bancroft comprehended this fact.
one twilight Craig sat at the piano play
ing Chopin nocturnes. Nancy had Ling Foo
iEher lap. Jenny was leaning against the
piano. Bancroft sat in the Norris chair.
his head back, studying the patch Of NE.
nected light on the ceiling. Craig turned. e
II say, Xou people. Thanksgiving in
three days. Come up to my h6me and, have
dinner with me, Turkey cranberry sauce.
and mince pie. III set the hour at Ave.
thirty, so we can have about two hours be
fore theater. MY aun will come in, she
always does. What do you say?'
Jenny answered for everybody. Well,
believe me, that's tn best music, I ever
heard! Will we so? On'y a busted subway
AoGld hold us back!'"
TO ding in q real home, &thonght Nancy,
with rooms and rooms to rneander about In,
l1ne rugs on-the floors. paintings n tapes.
try on the walls, and cozy sbookshelvss!
Jenny is right abe said. 4 That is good
music to three lonesome folks, who were
duly planning dinner in a nearby restalt
rant. OF course we'll go" 9a 3&f
Bancroft did not care particularly for thu
change In the plans Of festivalsr He would
now have to share these two with Craig, ane
he shunted to one side. IIe managed. how.
evet, to voice hts acceptance heartily
\ craig departed, and Jenny sang hi.
h PRAISES. Nancy turned on the lights ! =
This Blue Ribbol