Evening star., 1926-05-02
The Only Woman in the World
- BY ARTHUR souERs ROCHE =Ygg=
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Roderick Had Fallen in Love and Had Written Play.

| it," said Roderick. Then you'll talk
| different"
Jimmy, with an eye to the Dory We
randa - parents were leagued m
conspiracy OF espionage - lighted a
| cigarette. "Fine chance there Is or
her ever reading it," he scoffed. The
| burlesque Of Eloise had robbed him OF
all respect for his chum's literary
gifts.
, Roderick smiled "She was very
pleasant today" he said. casually.
who was?" demanded Jimmy.
Miss Darrell" replied Roderick.
new show next Monday night"
"Who you fooling? Not me-"
sneered Jimmy.
Roderick shrugged. can right.
was going to invite you to come with
me to The Scrub Lady, but If that's
the way you feel"
| "Roderick! On the level?"
| Roderick convinced him that It was
ION the level" Now. Roderick was
Is years of age, and the restraint i'm
| posed on his movements by maternal
and paternal solicitude had been large
| ly removed since his last birthday.
| The fiction was that inasmuch as he
was entering college in the Fall and
would be removed from parental
| guardianship, it was as we'll to recog-
nize his manhood now. Therefore. 1t
| was easy for him and Jimmy to take
a trolley into the city on the next
Monday night without having to run
| the gantlet OF family questions. For
Roderlck knew that among his fa-
| theirs oldfashioned ideas was a dis
approval OF the theater. SO. on Mon
| day night he sauntered from the
| house with great assumption OF
| carelcssness, met Jimmy. who, in view
| of Rodericks acquaintance with the
star OF THE Scrub Lady" was In
| cllned to believe that after oil there
| probably was merit in Roderick's play
and substance in his ambition. and
went into town. Miss Darrell had not
| forgotten. At the box office were two
tickets. The boys entered the theater.
| For two hours and a half they were
| thrilled. Critics might say that Miss
| DarreliS figure was not the girlish
| thing that once II had been. but there
was no denying her charm. the beauty
| of her voice and her histrionic ability.
AS matter OF fact, had Mildred Oar
rell not gained her first following in
musical comedy, she would have been
! a star in drama.
X u x
OUTSIDE in the street, after the
~ star had responded to the final
curtain call. Roderick had sudden
impulse. The mere fact that Miss
Darrell had given him seats was suf-
| ficient. in the inexplicable fashion in
which the mind of youth works, to re-
| store his prestige in the eyes of
Jimmy. But the thought that came to
him now reduced his companion TO
abject servility.
Il guess I'll go around to the stage
| door and congratulate her." announced
Roderick. His awe-stricken compan.
! ion made no protest. He watched
Roderick enter the stage door and
then went quietly off. He had walked
with Genius; he had trembled on the
outskirts of the sacred circle OF Art,
in the center Of which Rodericls I'm
dubitably belonged. His faith in Rod.
erick was restored
| Miss Darrells dressing room was on
| the ground floor Just inside the stage
door. group OF enthusiastic ad-
mirers swirled in and out of the room,
and one Of the inward currents bore
Roderick on it's crest. She recognized
him; she accepted his congratulations,
haltingly offered, with gracious friend
liness. He almost staggered from the
room. He rode home in a daze. He
went to sleep with her photograph on
the pillow beside him. He had never
known the pangs of love before. He
knew them now. He arose late for
breakfast. and his appetite was not
improved by his fathers stern COM
mand that Roderick was not to leave
the grounds until the yard had been
picked up" Ordinarily he could have
done the work in three hours. He was
still at work in the middle Of the after
noon when, to his great surprise, his
faf hnf " Nrratl Eal
into the house as though unconscious
Of Roderick's presence. Something
was wrong: he wondered what it could
be. He found out five minutes later,
when his mother called him in.
Frederick, where were you last
night" asked his father. Roderick
turned white. His mother turned to
her husband.
you promised that you'd not he
harsh with him, Frank" she pleaded.
What's wrong" demanded Rod.
erick
His father swelled with indignation.
The red veins on his cheeks had never
been so prominent. Whats wrong?"
he echoed. I'm tell you what's wrong.
Sam Herman met me at lunch today
and told me a tale about your goings
on. He said that his Jimmy told him
that you went to the theater last night
on tickets that had been given you
| by Mildred Darrell, and that after the
| play you went back to her dressing
room. Where did you meet this Dar-
rell Woman?"
Roderick's shoulders squared. Miss
Darrell, father" he corrected.
| Don't you be impertinent to me,
young man." storrned Mr.. Dory. Il
want to know where you met this
woman"
And I want you to speak respect
fully Of her." cried Roderick.
"Roderick! interposed his mother.
"You mustn't speak so to your
| father
"And he mustn't speak so about
Miss Darrell" answered Roderick.
And now Mr.. Dory's face was al
most apoplectic. You dare to quar-
rel with me about an actress. a wom-
an Of the stage. You talk as though
YOU were in love with her"
Suppose I am? I got a right to be,
amt I?'' Angela, Rodericll's 15-year-
old sister had been lowering on the
outskirts of the little group. Now she
pointed an accusing finger at her
shameless brother.
He's written a. play for her, too
about it. It's all about an actress
that wears tights in church. Eloise
says it's the silliest thing she ever
heard"
II guess Eloise's judgment isn't SO
very important" said Roderick with
dignity. And anyway, I'm not a
child. and I'm not going to listen to
any more of this sort of talk"
His father stared at him. ''As long
as you're in my house you'll listen to
me. young man. Unless, perhaps, you
think you're ready to leave homer
There was, according to Roderick's
ideas, unlimited contempt in his
fof 10 confonoo