Evening star., 1922-06-25


spected figure on the American stage.
In spite of his colossal egotism. the
young Briton would have been atten-
: tive to her because of the man she
had married, but beyond that she had
about her an air if impregnable sin
. cerity, a sweetness of character, a
subtle hint of girlishness. which
caught his imagination.
AS the dinner advanced he noticed
that at intervals she kept glancing
across the table at her husband-not
in the manner of a sentry but as
though her own pleasure and COM
fort of mind depended on Kennard's.
He also noted that IL Kennard met
her eyes his whole face frightened.
Obviously, they were very much In
love with each other.
The Englishman said to her:
you were never in the profession
yourself. were you, Mrs. Kennard?"
She regarded him with some amuse-
ment.
How can you tell that"
Why" he said, II don't quite know.
but l can tell instinctively."
do you mean I'm not the typer'
"Oh. it isn't a question of type. I
can tell simply by looking at you
and talking to you that you" he
hesitated-"belong to the other class" :"
She laughed.
The other class of what? OF
women? And are there only two"
He nodded.
- only two-actresses and women
who believe they could have been.
oh, you needn't raise your eyebrows!
7 never met a woman who didn't be-
- lieve or hasn't believed that she
could have made a hit on tho stage.
Did you?''
- "Why-" she hesitated.
"Of course you haven't" he said
: firmly. Every woman has the same
idea at one time or another. The only
difference is how soon they get over
it or II they ever get over 1t at all.
Now, just between ourselves, Mrs.
4. Kennard, when did you get over it?
Or. In strict confidence, have you quite
got over 1t yet?"
a this juncture he was interrupted
"A by his hostess, and Mrs. Maurice
Kennard, glancing across the table,
had twenty seconds to think or an
answer.
For four successive generations the
, house of Kennard had produced only
doctors and gentlemen. and as soon
as Maurice could talk he was told
that he was to follow these traditions.
On the day that he graduated from
college. however, he electrified his
father by the announcement that
medicine was distasteful to him and
{ that he much preferred to go on the
stage.
At the outset his father had spoken
hotly of treason to the family ideals,
and after that he had made the COM
mon mistake Of fathers in such a
crisis and rested his case on per-
, sonal ridicule.
That may all be-" said Maurice
with high dignity, but you say I'll
be a rotten actor. and say I'd have
been a rotten DOCTOR. So you'll have
to grant,
But his father would grant moth
ing. The session closed with an ul-
timatum. Kennard listened to 1t re-
spectfully, shook hands, and on Sat-
urday week was richer by thirty dol
lars, his salary from Boston stock
company, and poorer by the loss OF
his inheritance.
Naturally, in his initial season he
wasn't even a bit actor. He played
tho unimportant butler, the unimpor-
tant policeman and the equally unim-
: portant person from next door. the
type of character known in stage
vernacular as George Friendwell."
who stands about and listens while
somebody else explains the plot to
/, him.
At the end Of the season he signed
q contrast for summer stock In Penn
u sylvania- By this time he had earned
IL. tho right to do occasional bits.
mainly in character comedy. He was
playing six evening performances and
three matinees a week and rehearsing
every morning except Thursday. Even
so, he found spare moments to read
Shakespeare, to analyze Clyde Fitch.
and presently, during his third year
on tho boards. to fall in love.
Her name was Violet Dunn, an in
senuous little girl. who also had
'rbits" and lofty ambitions. And from
the very first she believed implicitly
In Maurice Kennard. She told him,
with depths in her eyes, that he would
- live to be famous, and a fortnight
>. fater, when he watched her as Jessica
: IN Tho Merchant of Venice" he
promised her that. in less than ten
? years she would see her name. incan-
descent. on Broadway.
r IN mid-August Kennards father died.
= leaving half q million dollars to
charity and a gold eagle to his only
son. whereupon the son said to Nio-
let soberly:
"I have got to work twice ~ hard
now as I would II he'd lived You
= see, what hurt me most was the way
= he talked-not about mo, but about
the stage"
I know she said. while he was
alive you Just wanted to prove that
J.. he was wrong. but now you've got to
!. prove that you were right"
He told her that she had hit 1t
= accurately.
.1,u get there yet" he declared.
.And then you won't have to act un-
less you want to"
what makes you suppose won't
J., always want tot" she asked, per-
plexedly.
= ~simply because you're woman
first and an actress afterwaTo. LOOK
q at all the stage marriages you can
: think Of, and how long do they last