Smyrna times., 1925-06-10
The Elusive
Age
By M. and R. M. TERRELL

L HILLS hAkNE StlLeu LliE lAlOl AAAAAE |
papers, folded back to the page
of theatrical criticism. She had de-
termined that her Juliet should be the
pinnacle of her achievement, as it had
been, according to the reviews. All
but one. And that, unfortunately, was
the one review about which Phillis
Raine cared. For years, how many
years she hardly dared to think, she
had set herself to winning praise from
Jacques JacksOn's acidulOus pen.
When she didn't win it she knew in
her heart she had failed.
So now one line from this man was
enough to make her lie back among
the costly lace of her pillows with
grief staring out Of her fine dark eyes
and terror crystalliZing in her mind.
The one line had wiped out the effect |
Of the flowers with which the room |
was heaped, the pile of cOngratulatory |
kilograms accommodating on the silver |
tray in the corner, the messages com |
ing in over the telephone. With his
! scalpel-like mind Jacques Jackson had
barred the one unconquerable defect IN
| her performance, the one fear hitherto
she had not dared to face even in the
secret places of her heart.
"Philis Raine's performance of Ju-
liet last night" wrote the critic, was
a wistful echo. Juliet Capulet is the
flame Of youth incarnate, preserved
like a gorgeous, golden fly in the am
Der Of the poets words. Miss Raine's
Juliet is beautiful, but not young 1t
reminds one regretfully Of the charm
that was Phillis Raine's."
Her enemy had conquered at last, the
arch enemy Of all wOmankind! She
was old, too old for Juliet, the test
for romantic youth. She might de-
ceive less Observant critics, but she
could not deceive Jacques Jackson;
and that meant she couldn't continue
to deceive anyone very much longer
The world Of the theater, and of
the theater-gOers, was astounded when
Phillis Raine announced that she was
leaving the stage. To the few friends
she permitted herself she made no
explanations what she said to her
almost frantic manager was never re-
vealed The engagement was con
cluded and in three days Phyllis Raine
sailed for Paris alone.
Rumors had always gone about
Broadway concerning the private life
, of Phillis Raine, the life from which
she so vigorously excluded every form
Of publicity. Hearsay had It that in
. the spring-tide of her life she had
married and that she had not been
: happy Professional gOssips said also
that there had been a daughter of
that marriage, a fragile child brought
r up by an aristocratic order of nuns
: in France, far from the glitter of
=. Broadway.
. 1t was inevitable that now the Ri
e alto chatterbOxes should Opine that
p this child was Ill or dying, that Phillis
5 Raine had rushed to her side, throwing
aside her career like an old gown to
: speed the haste of her departure.
] Then came a cable abruptly an
! nouncing that Phillis Raine had died
and been buried in some unprOnOunc-
able little town in southern France
Her world mourned her sincerely. A
year passed.
| Then New York was astounded tC
| hear that the daughter Of Phillis Raint
| had arrived. She was a beautiful
| slender girl, startlingly like the mother
| whose policy of avoiding publicity she
| adopted.
! Curiosity seekers saw her occasion
| ally as she arrived at or left the
! theater where she was rehearsing un
| der her mothers old manager, he
mothers last role, Juliet a slender
| figure discreetly muffied wide, star
] tied, dark eyes in the shadow of larg'
l hat.
| And so, over a year later, Philll
| Raine herself lay again among th'
| costly lace Of her pillows, awaiting tn
| papers and the reviews of her re
juvenated performance Of Juliet.
Her death in obscure France ha
been a clever, and costly hoax. Sh
had never had a daughter, but she ha
taken advantage of the establishe
| rumOr. Actually, she had passed tn
year in the hands of two Of the world
most famous specialists, the one O
plastic surgery, the other of nerves
u The magic of the modern beauty doc
tor, sane diet, rest, unlimited none
and a determined woman can put oil
Time himself out of the running-fo
a season.
Those who saw Phillis Raine's Julie
that night saw youth incarnate, reel
less, spendthrift. impatient, souther
youth, stalking honor and life againS
a golden hour, touching youths height
OF happiness, losing with tragic d.
spair, reckless abandon, touching tn
depths of sorrow as only tumultuOU
III youth can.
n Only to Phlllls Raine's seeking eye
Jacques Jackson remained cold; sh
II could easily see him out front; h
| applause seemed unwilling. And s
iii ~ ha a.