davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1922-08-06
CHAPTER TX.
n HR. ALASTAIR WIGMORE'S
IA nnmr lnnI ....-

N new lead was drinking her
tea when the door opened,
and, making a stage entrance,
there walked in upon her a woman,
her eyes wild with fear, despair
and rage,
"Tm Connie Collette," said the
woman.
They stood and faced each other
across the table.
You're the new lead who's
took my placer"
The girl nodded, her lips sud-
denly like parchment, and the new
color draining out of her face.
"Yes," said the actress, staring
at her and nodding slowly, you've
got a face and a figure, I don't
deny it. Wigmore told me Just
now you were a swanker. / don't
deny it. And so you've took my
eats. What am l to do?
Silence.
Course your said Connie Col
lette.
Then, standing up against the
table, she broke out into a kind Of
long, raging wall, in which inco-
herent sentences jumbled each
other.
"T'm thrown out after twenty
years-he's had the best o. me.
I'm not the woman l was-I'm
forty. Forty's nothing on the
London boards, but this life-it
eats out you. What am | to do.
The Washington times., 1922-08-06

w table in the hotel dining
..' room, gave her, in a stag,
whisper, what directions he could,
after asking: 'Have you coffee'd?
No? Another coffee, waiter"
She was really so hungry that
she wanted to cry: 'Nor dined,
either" but the pride that poverty
had been unable to touch was
strong within her. So she "cof-
feed" with Mr.. Alastair Wigmore,
on the principle that hall a loaf is
better than no bread, and, giving
all her earnest attention, she
drank in a very profitable lesson,
too. When they parted at ten
o'clock, he said:
g. you're going to do, l know it.
I've got the temperament-like
you have, you know-and Pm as
quick to feel another tempera-
ment. We artists-we're free
n1asons-a real, genuine, jolly
crew."
The "real, genuine, jolly crew"
that met at Paddington at 1890
the following morning was not liv-
ing up to its title. The women
were mostly tired looking, cheaply
dressed and rather slovenly. All
were older by some years than the
new leading lady. Messrs. Lyonel
bennington, Donald Dalton and
Co. were like different editions IF
Alastair Wigmore. They were all
hastily introduced by that shep-
herd as he rounded up his flock
with vociferous little glances, ges-
lures and CALCULATIONS.
"Boys and girls, this is our new
lead Miss Margaret Morton.
Miss Margaret Morton, the Cast.
Sort 'em out and get acquainted"
where's Connie, them"
Connie" replied Mr.. Wigmore,
lighting large cigar, preparatory
to entering a smoking compart-
ment, "has given US the chuck"
"You never say"
"Well, equivalent. Talks of
joining on in a week, family af-
fairs allowing. Alastair Wigmore
doesn't wait a week for nobody.
He refills, on the tick. Jump in,
my dears."
They exchanged hasty glances,
and all jumped in, filling two COM
partments. There was a comarad-
erie between them all, an under
current of understanding, a sys-
TEN of give and take, live and let
live, but it was all very devoid of
glamor, and there was little real
merriment below the jokes and
banter that flew indefatigably
from lip to lip.
At midday they reached the first
little market town at which they.
were to give Wonderful Week."
and alighting, all struggled off to
pick up lodgings. Wigmore ac-
companied Meg on her hunt, and
found her a comfortable. room and
board for the six days for the sum
he had named-fifteen shillings.
"We shall move on Sunday" he
told her.
After a meal in their various
quarters the company struggled to-
gether again, and in a field at the
back of the town Messrs. Wigmore,
bennington, Dalton and Co. as
sisted each other to hammer up
the wooden theatre, to the running
accompaniment Of much good
humored bad language. II sprang
up amazingly. BY five o'clock the
seats had been arranged, the stage
fixed, the piano moved in and put
in front of it, and Mr.. Alastair
Wigmore was calling a rehearsal
Of Confidential Clara" for the ex-
elusive benefit of the new "lead."
She flung herself into the work,
terribly nervous at first, but soon
inspired by the unvarying kindness
of these fifth-rate touring players.
The Washington times., 1922-08-06

And afterward, behind the
wooden partition that served as a
dressing-room at the back of the
stage, one of the women kissed
her. 1t was the first kiss she had
had for many months. The kind
ness on the painted lips was pure
and precious.
1t was half-past seven.
For the first time in her life Meg
Morton stood on the boards and
faced the quiet, dark "house" from
a stage-eighteen feet by twelve
feet-lit by overhead oil lamps
and smoky oil footlights. She was
made up a little-only a little.
"You don't want much-you
don't" Wigmore said in his eager,
impersonal, appraising way, land
then, you're quite close to 'em,
too"
And so she was; close to her
audience in the little packed the
atre. Confidential Clara" was
mostly farce, but it had other mo-
ments of crude melodrama and
sloppy pathos. What she did not
know of the professional tricks
necessary for the part, she atoned
for amply by her pure voice and
her young beauty.
When he was not "on," making
passionate love to her, with rolling
RS and display of white teeth,
Wigmore stood in the wings, nod
ding and approving and watching
her every movement. "Be nat
ural," he had said to her with a
wisdom worthy of emulation by his
betters)-"be natural. It's the
highest art. Live the piece-don't
act it."
And, ignorant of the rudiments,
she lived it. At her first exit and
subsequent re-entrance, The ap-
plause made her cheeks flame and
her eyes tighten. The end of the
first act found her thrilling at the
new little sensation of power. The
sensation grew until it went l;his-
pering to her head.
Then, throwing aside fears and
restraint, she went into the thing
whole-heartedly; the others took
turns to stand in the wings and
prompted to admiration. The
audience roared; they called her
name at the second fall of the cur
tain, and Wigmore fairly drove
her on in front of it, to bow and
smile, and hurry off again as
quickly as might be, with her
heart beating nineteen to the
dozen and every sense a-auiver.
"Congrats, dear" said the kind
people behind, bustling about and
moving scenery. Wigmore was
excited.
The Washington times., 1922-08-06

one life. And l got three! I
don't know where to turn
myself. Wigmore offered to
pay my fare, cause he's
afraid I'll come and rave
and break up the show to-
night"
The Washington times., 1922-08-06
Synopsis Of Preceding Chapters.

Synopsis OF Preceding ChaPters'
NORTON London.
ISl India live with Henry
of wiltshire fall in love with
= oth
a
searched and
T.
n
boards there
The Washington times., 1922-08-06

owed her was sent to watch her,
and that he Is to have the posi-
ton. The infuriated and disap-
pointed girl rushes at the jeweler
and boxes his ears. She then
leaves the office.
The leading lady of a fifth
rate stock company sends word
to the manager that she will not
be able to Join the company un-
til a week after II starts on tour.
Meg meets the manager and he
engages her as leading lady.
The Washington times., 1922-08-06

Meg nothing to Mr. Lukas. but taking the model
from his room In his absence she sells II for nifty
pounds She is tempted to send Mr Lukas only the ye
but decides to send him half of the nifty pounds.
=, meg hears OF vacancy as conndential clerk 10
jeweler says he will give her and her
America with diamond necklet. On the steamer she
sleepess. fear haunted nights she
poets fellow of planning rob her of the
Jewels The Jewels are at last safely deposited in New
York and Meg has pleasant and enjoyable return
But when she arrives at the jewelers. he tells her
The Washington times., 1922-08-06

"And now you've took the two pound, and I'm
left empty! Empty! Empty! Empty! You take it,
The Washington times., 1922-08-06
(Continued from Last tSunday)
CHAPTER VIII.

yvTIGMORE, sitting at single
w table in the hotel dining.
room, gave her. in a stag,
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22

and pair of glasses, would have repaired the
difficulty. Isn't that wasteful, both from the
point Of view Of the boy and the mother, and
also the taxpayers who pay the bills?
II believe our new Westchester Juvenile
court will do nothing of that sort. If the in
tent of the law is carried out the judge will
have q staff of probation officers who will find
out all about child, and his home and family,
before the judge attempts to.dea with the case.
You have no idea until you watch it how much
harm is done by not making these inquiries.
Many judges think, for instance, that when a
parent brings a complaint against his own
child for being an ungovernable child, it is
surely perfectly fair thing to commit the
child at once delinquent. This isn't neces-
sarily the case at ALL Parents have been
known even in this county to make complaints
against their children merely because they did
not want to support them. Yet out of the
seventeen such cases that we know Of in this
county last year, where the parents were the
coinplainants against their own children, we
believe that no inquiry outside Of the courtroom
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
Condemn Mental Detectives
To the Refornatories

"We have found by actual examination that
there were thirteen mental detectives out Of
sixty-three children committed to the reform
atories from Westchester County last year.
and out of the remainder of the group only
fourteen measured up to normal standards of
intelligence for their age. Our new chill
dren's court must pay some attention to the
mental ability Of the youngsters coming before
it, or no matter how much of court Of law it
is it will not be court Of justice
"How do I think the new court should han
die children. Well, that is hard thing to
answer in the abstract. Let me tell you,
though how some delinquent children are
actually handled. All delinquents do not get
to the courts, You know.
Eighteen months ago we had a hurry call
from hospital to take away Immediately
small boy who could now be moved from their
wards. The message said he was the worst
child they had ever had within their doors:
moral degenerate--so bad that no nace but
reformatory was fitted for him, and he should
be sent there at once.
eve hurried over to get that cnild, expect
ing, Of course, that he was very dangerous
person indeed. And we found scared, shriv-
eled-up little youngster of six, bit of baby
thing. too frightened to open his mouth We
brought him over to our doctor and asked her
to find out all she could about him for us.
while we hurried around to collect facts re-
garding his early life and the offenses he was
said to have committed
"Our doctor found him in fair physical
condition and of apparently normal intell-
gence-a little boy who wanted to sit cuddled
l.,,
one word about himself. 1t didn't seem that
a boy Of six, who liked to sit with his head on
woman's shoulder, was just ready fer a re-
formatory at that moment We put him in
one of our family boarding homes for a few
days while made further investigation
about him. We found that, in ordinary par
lance, he was pretty bad little boy: his Ian
guage was vile, his habits were thoroughly
bad he had a desperate temper, and his table
manners were unspeakabc.
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22

was made in eleven of the cases. That sounds
dangerous, doesn't it?
Take the question of mental examinations.
No one who has studied the question either
from the point Of view of child delnquents, or
of adult delinquents, doubts for moment the
fact that mental defect and, with adults, men,
tai disease, both play a large part in causing
delinquency. You remember, of course, DR..
Bernard Gueck's valuable work with the adult
population Of Sing Sing prison, and what his
carefully compiled figures show. 1t is espe-
cially true with children that lots of them get
into trouble because they are expected to meas
ure up to situations which they have not the
ability to meet.
amy number of small boys begin their
downward careers by playing truant, and be-
gin playing truant because they haven't the
ability to do the school work that rigorous
school system demands of them We ran
across forlorn chap last year who had begun
his career in reformatories as d little boy of
twelve. At that time he had been committed
for habitual truancy, and everybody knew that
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
HER HONOR" OF WESTCHESTER

he s only in the second grade and could not
do the work there, but nobody thought to con-
meet that with his behavior.
after some time in a reformatory the boy
was placed out where he was expected to take
care of horse. He could not remember what
he was expected to do, gave dissatisfaction
and finally was returned to the institution for
violation of parole. Later he was tried out
again, principally because he now big,
strong, good looking lad, in situation where
he was expected to take care of two horses,
and as two horses were harder than one Joes
poor head couldn't manage it and he failed
again.
This time, in encouragement, he ran away.
Through his stupidity he got into trouble in
nearby village and was arrested once more.
Then and then only, after he was again in
the reformatory, did we get hold of his case
and find out what should have been obvious to
the first court that handled him, had it really
studied his case---the fact that poor Joe, with
the best intentions in the world, had not the
mental ability to do work without constant
supervision. Now we have him working hap
PLY in shop with man who is good-natured
and patient and who does not expect the boy
to do independent work on his own initiative.
Joe need never have been sent up as delin-
quent had the court only understood that he
couldn't do second grade school work.
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
LaDs Regarding Minors
Are Not Well Knowr

Justices of the peace were, as a rule. ig-
norant of the law regarding minors. Many
didn't even know how to commit girl to the
state school of corrections 1t became my duty
to study law and find out for myself the
course to take, and then to advise the Off
cials. In this way necessarily acquired a
great deal of information that was Invaluable
to me in welfare work. 1t became fire.
quent occurrence for me to handle court cases.
Sometimes had to prosecute parents for neg
lect, and that meant getting all the evidence,
preferring the charge, taking the case to
court and prosecuting it." b,
I'm not lawyer. I've never been to law
school, and if some one asked me question
about contracts I'd be as much at sea. as any;
other layman. But, on the other hand.I have
had to study all the different kinds of law that
have anything to do with welfare work, and to
use it constantly. AS result Tn what you'd
probably call specialist in that field.
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
illustrations BY EDMOND DUFFY

ne bid for? He slipped out Of sight, as boot
ieggers have way of doing, when one intends
to DO no immediate and remuneratve business
with them.
1t was not the bootlegger who carried off the
cocktail tray. He may have been at the death
later or Of the maid-broken lots of thirteen
champagne glasses, eleven port wine. nine cock
tails and thirteen sherrys. On the other hand.
they may have been refinements unnecessary
Porcelain tea sets, canopied beds hanging
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
By FAIRFAX DOWNEY

the real reason for the desire to possess that
sweetmeat set, that rubber doormat, that pair
of slippers, that red wig with pin curls to
match, or that cocktail tray
What did the stout gentleman toward the
door want with the linen marked &c f. T."?
Did the stage and movie" stars scattered
through the rooms buy what they did for keep
sakes, for spite or for good luck? And what
We're the sinister designs of the bootlegger rec
ognized as among those present? What did
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22

and severally they will be adorned WIN
shawls and combs and castensss WINCH
Geraldine wore in GARNER; with red Wigs
from "Tosca"; with negligee from "Zaza, z wells
from "Thais,' yellow pigtails from Faust
and kimonos from Madame Butterfly
Thus, with such rites Of separation, sever
ance and a scattering to the four winds an'lo
due pomp and circumstance was . dead pas
Inferred. Perhaps it is dead and gone now; Du'
it yet may become much disembodied spirit
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22

goods and chattels was brought to the auction
block still very much with the semblance Of
life The auctioneer's hammer fell with the fin
ality Of an executioner's AK. It was case Of
OFF with its head So much for Tellegen and
Butterfly and Carmen and Miss Farrar. of the
Metropolitan, and all the rest Of the phases.
The trouble with an auction is the trouble
with good many other functions-mone does
the talking! If only there could have been sub
stituted for the nod of head or lifting of hand.
that meant raise of SIS in the bid. a little
speech full Of sentiment
MUM Ia speec h revealing
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22

lamps, chairs, rugs and trunks were escorted
on their cumbersome way to the auction block,
and away at the word of purchaser. Those
who bid and bought satisfied the auctioneer
with their solvency, but not the curiosity of
those about them No word was spoken of the
histories of the furnishings the paintings, the
keepsakes or the costumes
Az the tlrst available costume ball this win
ter one or more Gerry fiappers will be all set
to appear--so the guess may be ven
tured By their own admission they
will be thrilled. And individually
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
w r EsTCHEsTER COUNTY is IN the
" throes Of political campaign
such as il has never known before.
1t has come about because the Re-


such as 1t has never known before.
It has come about because the Re
publicans have nominated d woman as car,di-
date for first Judge Of the countyss Juvenile
Court.
The woman is Miss Ruth Taylor, q resident
bf White Plains, who has spent more than
decade in social service, particularly for chill
dren. Owing to Miss Taylor's widespread ex-
perience in handling hundreds upon hundreds
ef problems affecting delinquents and unfor-
tunates, her supporters believe she is better
suited than any one else to preside over the
new court; this notwithstanding that she is not
member of the bar
Her opponents have seized upon this phase
OF the situation and are playing it for all it is
worth in advocating the Democratic candidate,
George c. Appel, City Judge Of Mount Yer
non.
Men and women of all parties are giving
Miss Taylor ovation after ovation wherever
she appears in her campaign. Usually pub
JIG meeting is arranged by officers of all the
women's clubs in given community, who
look after their own publicity with thrift
and thoroughness to make professional politi-
cal press agents weep enyious tears. Every
voter who can be reached by personal word,
through mail or over the telephone is notified
OF the forthcoming meeting and is urged to
be present. AS child welfare is intertwined
with the social side Of church work, announce
nents are sent to the ministers of local con-
gregations and are read from the pulpit.
Sure of herself and her cause, striking in her
confidence, Miss Taylor tells an audience just
remedy them if elected. Her story, told sim
ply, now and then Is shot through with rip
pie Of humor; again with moving pathos, as
some pitiful incident is related of despairing
boy or girl, or home blasted and ruined.
AS she talked Miss Taylor was sitting in the
little library of her home in White Plains.
Speaking easily, and with sureness she out
lined some of the requirements Of the Office
for which she is candidate. She was In
tensey in earnest.
"My interest in child welfare work" she con-
tinued, "began in my second year in Vassar.
After specializing there in economics and So
ciology, graduated in June, 1909 and the
same month accepted the office of agent for de-
pendent children in Rockland County. There
was no other social worker there at the time.
Conditions were terrible. had to take hold of
every problem that came along, and included in
my work the job of probation officer and as
sistant to all sorts of public officials
New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
All This "Truant'' Needed
Was a Pair of Glasses

"Let me show you what think this really
means in terms Of the children themselves. A
big boy in one of our villages was sent up
some time ago for truancy. He was commit
ted on the complaint Of a truant officer and
there wasn't any question as to the legal facts
of the case. The boy had been staying out Of
school for some time, as often as he could
manage it, and when made to go to school had
taken no interest in his work. Finally ne
stayed out altogether for few days, the tru-'
ant officer picked him up for the last time and
he was sent up.
"No inquiry was made by any one outside
the courtroom as to WHY the boy was staying
out Of school, and he himself was sullen and
silent and made no defense. Now, the real
facts were these The boy was a bright boy
He was old enough and had gone far enough
in school to be eligible for working papers,
and he knew his mother needed his help and
tried to get working papers in order to land
job. The health officer told him that his eyes
were in bad shape and that he must have
glasses before they would give him, the neces-
sary certificate.
'The boy went home to his mother and tried
to explain the situation to her and get her to
didn't understand American ways and customs
The boys eyes looked all right to her and she
could not believe there was anything wrong
with them. Moreover, she had no money to
spend on glasses. The boy knew enough to
know that he could not go to work without
working papers, but he didn't know that if he
didn't go to work he would get into serious
trouble if he didn't attend school. Anyway,
he was discouraged and disheartened and saw
no way out Of his trouble
Nobody realized what the difficulty was and
nobody was particularly to blame, but that
court wasn't in the habit of making thorough
Investigations into its children's cases before
the judge handled the case, and perfectly
good boy, whose mother needed his earnings,
and who really wanted to work, was sent to an
institution for juvenile delinquency when little
understanding talk with the people concerned,