Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-18
The Opeuing

Tn THE weeks that followed. Aline
l. threw herself with utter abandon into
/ III" part Of Lefty. Here her mnrveionS
I health proved Il good asset. tor she
thrivrd on tho hard work. and tihtrhihS
waH never quite 80 mcrcilcSs toward her
uS he had been that first day.
! Wien she graSrcd his meaning. ne
even encouraged her. and gradually shc
! began TO imagine the part. she began
| 10 sink herself more and more iht'
! Ictty's personality. until one day when
she had finished rchcarsing her DIE
scene. IIutchins said quietly.
| Good work.
! Alinc drew long breath. She telt
! cbildishly excited. 1t seemed to her
! that nothing had ever counted so nurh
us that praise from llutchins. and yet
whcr Lnvinin Carcw came to her Ut
| the end OF the rehearsal. ana congratn-
! lated her upon putting the part over
! .Aline felt more grateful than exu'tnh''
THANK you." she said shyly. you
! don't know what 1t means TO me TO nave
! you say that
Invinia Carcw looked ut the girl out
OF shrcwd blue eyes. She wondered II
! Alilc were as innocent as she looked.
! for Matthew Hutchins never worked
with any one as he had with Aline
unless he was practically sure of having
made n discovery.
Ten years ago Lavinia had been his
discovery, and she would so on playing
! with him for years to come, Tor she
was only thirty five. But Alinc was
made of different material. After she
had served her novitiate with Hutchins
she would be able to play parts that to
| Iavinin Carew would be Impossible
She had more fire. more passion. while
I.avinia's S charm lay in her whimsical
apveal and she was well aware Of that
fact.
Aline was unconscious Of the close
scrutiny of the older woman, and there
was something about her that made
I.aviniu certain she was not felgnins
innocence.
II won't say thing to her. La,
vinia thought, making up her mind
suddenly. Hutch had his own rcason'
for picking on the girl during the ilrs,
days of rehearsal. perhaps h" felt tina
she had too much ego. and If so, N
not going to spoil her by hattcry Jus'
now
And so she said nothing more. an,
the rchcarsnls went on. Each da!
.Alinc felt surcr of herself. more certain
of her ability to portray the part q
Lefty. She had grown to feel that sli'
was Lefty: sometimes she had an un'
ranny sensation of seeing the worlt
through Letty's eyes, and this was o.
course due to the fact that her imagina
ton had been stimulated. and she hat
learned to subordinate her own person
ality.
On the night of the opening Of "Th'
Probe Aline suffered no agony o
fear. Dressed in her shabby stag
costume, she stood in the wings watch
ing the play with eager eyes. Gu
front were her father and mother ant
Phyllis and George. No one else knew
anything about her stage debut, fo
this new Aline who had developed unde
Matthew IIutchins' careful trainin!
had no desire to be known. Her name
had gone down on the program II!
Alicia Fenway and she had decided
against the use Of her own name les
any of the old crowd seek her out.
Just before twas time for hel
entrance. she had Qualm of mis-
giving. Suppose her nerve should for
sake her. Suppose after all Matthew
IIutchins had done for her she were u
break down in the part!
But n moment later when she wake,
ont on the stage she had forgotten al
about herself. She was nos Alnt
Foster, nor even the shadowy AliciI
Frnway. She was Lefty, just Lefty
1.le part gripped her, ind sh' spoke he
lines confidently in that lovely con
tralto voice of hers that later was t
prove no small part Of her enormous
popularity.