The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-05-20
Kathleen's
Great Chance
By MARGARET M. LUKES


{. :. :. :.
G. 1922. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
DR.. Robert Granville and Kathleen
Hicks, sitting before the open fire IL
the Hicks living room, kept perfect.
quiet for moment.
Then Kathleen spoke again.
"YOu see, Bob" she exclaimed i'm
pulsively, its the chance I've beel
waiting for, for years-well, for tw'
years anyway. That was before yol
came to Tentonville. 1t was that JUNE
having the lead In the class play tina
made me just know that some day II
have chance to 60 on the stage. Ant
now comes this great chance through
Sally Fosters uncle. It's only Il little
part of course; Bob, you don't under
stand how wonderful it Is to stand uI
there and"
kathleen's eager voice trailed into
dreams Her dark blue eyes shone like
stars. The freight shed a glow or
her soft golden hair. Finally Bob. big
and good looking In his awkward way
slowly rose to his feet.
you've made up your mind" he
said huskily; nothing that l can say
would make you change it?'
Kathleen shook her head. ooh
Bob" she burst forth again. you don't
know what 1t is to want life where
unusual things happen. Here l always
know just what is going to happen
next. l even always know what you're
going to do next"
From the day Bob had come as q
young doctor to the pretty little town
OF Tentonville-and he had met Kath-
leen the day he camNhe had fallen
hopelessly in love with her. It was
characteristic Of him now to 60 back
o his cosy white house, a stones throw
from the Tentonville hospital. without
pleading his cause. It was character
tstic Of him, too, to 60 down 70 the sta
ton the next morning and cheerfully
say good-by to slim. smartly dressed
Kathleen.
But when the New York express had
come and gone and Mrs. Hicks. the
fluttery little mother Of Kathleen, who
with her father had finally consented
to the stage venture, asked Doctor
Bob to come back to the house for
lunch. he only shook his head and said
be thought he'd go for q little walk in
the country.
To describe the first few days Of the
tour Of 1.-THE Truce Makers would be
to describe cloud OF rosy glory for
Kathleen. With the strain Of many
rehearsals all over, excitement flut-
tered about her mind like a gay-col-
ored little bird. At first there was no
thrill in the world like getting up each
night to say her little part. 1t wasn't
much fun getting out of little hard
bed in a small town in the early cold
hours Of the morning to make a train
for the next stand. Still, a person had
to make sacrifices for art, Kathleen
argued to herself.
1t was just at the beginning of the
quietly in small stuffy dressing room
in Castleton, Iowa, heard the play was
going to fail.
''Fail," she echoed family to the
character woman as she drew a gen.
erous line of grease paint under her
left eye.
why, yes, of course, you little angel
from the skies. Don't you ever use
them baby blue eyes to take a peek
through the curtain hole and see how
many peoples out front? There wasn't
any more than three handfuls last
night. Jake Sullivan got a wire from
New York last night calling the show
off the boards If it don't start to break
even in three nights"
The gossip of the other members Of
the company soon proved to Kathleen
that the character woman was not
fooling. They sat on the trunks in
each others dressing rooms and gath
cred in small indignant groups in the
dusty wings of the theater and their
one topic Of conversation was the
"bust-up' of the show. kathleen
learned that the whole trouble was
that they were simply passing through
a certain section of the country where
there was financial depression that
once tided over and out of this belt"
the show would be on its feet. How
ever, the manager in New York re-
f,rsod fO stand further losses aud xroi<
for larger audiences.
That night Kathleen sat for a long
time on the edge Of the little white
iron bed, her two long golden braids
hanging dejectedly over her shoulders.
It was the thought of wanting to tell
some one all about It that made her
finally reach for the little pad and
pencil in her suitcase and write her
mother long letter.
The next three days passed like all
the others with the exception that
every one was cross and gloomy. The
fateful third day itself landed them in
a town called "Heartsease" and they
laughed at the irony of 1t.
1t was at dinnertime that Jake Sui
livan, manager, suddenly appeared at
the long table where they were sitting,
NEW YORK'S UP
Writer Tells Of Difference in Shops