The New York herald., 1922-10-22

responds by sllencing Mrs. Fell with 6
gesture.)
Mrs. Ritter (coming TO Mrs. Fell,
| right )--Where'd you see her. Nelly?
Mrs. Fell---In Darlington's, at the
mourning counter.
| Mrs. p. without coming out Of hel
abstraction)- she go,~g in black?
Mrs. Fell-My dear, she's in Il
already.
Mrs. P.-she's very foolish. under tn,
| circumstances.
Mrs. Fell-Thats what I told her to-
day / said Don't be spectacular
| dear: itll only make 1t more difficult
| for you when you want to marry again
And" I said. you probably will marry
again"--
Mrs. P.--Of course she Will.
! Mrs. Fell---"For you're a compare
lively young woman. So," / said 'jus'
get through these next few months as
undramatically as possible. ! know he
was your first husband. and all that
but" said. after all. he was only your
husband; 1t isn't as though you'd lost
some ono who was very close to you
like one OF your own people, l mean
or something like that. And" said
another thing. darllng--always rernenn
ber---he'd have very soon put another
in your place IL 1t had been you"
Mrs P.--I should say he would.
Mrs. Fell--AKd / felt like saying
"And could giVo you the names and
addresses right now OF several that he
would have put in your place long ago,
only for the law
Mrs P.--She must have known II.
Mrs. Fell-Of course, she knew 1t. She
says no one will ever know how she
feels about losing that part. Because.
she says, she knows she could have done
so much with it. And she says she
simply cannot wait until tomorrow
night to see Paula's Interpretation OF
it-she's heard so much about It.
Mrs. P.-Is she coming to the perform
ance tomorrow night?
Mrs. Fell-She says she will. see that
performance II she has to disguise her
self.
Mrs. Ritter-Doesn't that sound just
like her?
Mrs. P.-Yes-she's SO full Of dramatic
instinct.
Mrs. Fell-He never appreciated it,
though.
Mrs. P.--My dear. has any artist ever
bcen adequately appreciated?
Mrs. Kitter--I understand he was very
heavily insured.
Mrs, Fcli-Oh, yes.
Mrs. P.-She seemed very optimistic
when / talked to her on the telephone.
Mrs. Fell--Why, Frederick was won
dering why we didn't postpone the per-
formance when Jimmy Sheppard died.
and I was telling him that you We're
super stitious about postponement.
Mrs. Pho. Nelly, I was not super
stitious now, so please don't say was
I shouldn't care 10 have such an i'm
preston gst abroad.
Mrs. Eell--Weh, you were something.
Betty.
Mrs P.-I admit that was some
thing; but 1t was not superstitious. (Ad-
dressing Ritter Directly was intuitive.
Mr.. Ritter (He turns to the fireplace
and appears to be an unusually long
time disposing of his cigar ashes)
have struggled so long to inaugurate a
Little Theater Movement In this COM
munity that I intuitively anticipated
the occurrence of some obstacle to
thwErt me. So that when the telephone
bell Tang the night of Mr. Sheppard's
death | said TO myself. before I even
took down the receiver: This Is my
event. Something has happened that Is
going 20 put my sincerity IN this move
nent TO the test. And must REMEMBER
that, as Mr.. Lincoln said. ii is better
that we should perish than that those
Ideals for which we struggle should
PSi lSH. tohc Stops anu LOOKS aI mrS.
Ritter, who is standing in the center
door chewing. with a small wafer In
enc hand and a little glass OF claret in
the other.)
The rehearsal, the ostensiblc business
OF the evening is about to start. Mrs.
Pampinelli has some final Instructions
for the players.
Mrs. P.--when you're getting on or
off the stage be very careful OF tho:e
wooden strips that .hey hav- across the
bottoms of>doors and don't trip. really
think that was what made some of yot,
SO nervous at the Civic Club the last
time. So watch II, all OF you. for they'll
probably have the samo thing down at
Hutchy Kutchy. There's perhaps moth
ing In the world quite so djsconcerting
as to trip as one comes on stage. II
isn't 80 bad going off. but coming on
/ have found that II requires a tremen-
dous artist to rise above il.
The rehearsal proceeds with numerous
Interruptions. with constant directions
by Mrs. Pampinelli. who hlandly passes
between two players as they act. begging
their pardon politely. and with incidc ntal
noises, as when Splndler. examining the
piano keyboard near sightediy. strikes "a
key accidentally at climacteric moments.
Finally Mrs. Ritter comes In for her big
scene. and she has hardly begun 10 utter
her siangy lines when Ritter. who has
been standing in the rear on the, steps,
groans and rolls downstairs. His wife
screams. and amid much excitement the
unconscious Ritter is carried TO a seat.
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