Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-15

M
W Theater to me. I'm telling
you this for your own good.
You're too inexperienced for the
big city-yet. You've got good looks-Plus
And maybe you have talent. A try-out with
this country stock company in Colchester will
tell the story. Up there you'll get whack
at some regular roles right away And then in
q few months"
ME leave the bright lghts9" says I. BE
HOur waist measured"
"Oh come now" he says, Colchester isn't
so bad. It's got a street car and town hall
and - Well, it's got this little stock company
and believe me- they put on some real plays"
sad blow. that. I'd dreamed of seeing my
name in big bulbs of Broadway-and here I
was sicced on to the buttermilk drama without
q word of warning. Me- Babbette Blondeau, of
to the tall sticks. Two days later found my
self hot little member of the Palace Stock
Co of Colchester, Mass.
1t was nice crowd to work with-all save
one Our leading lady, one Ermaline Buzzel,
had pronounced ideas as to who was the great
est actress in the whole wide world and further
more had terrible fear that somebody in the
younger generation was going to steal her fre.
The third week ! had a nifty of a part
handed me-by mistake-and proceeded to
make myself solid with the fans. From then on
I was poison to the Buzzell party. She saw to
1t that all the parlor maid parts were mine
and mine only.
WELL, one night Dicky Gilbert. our Juvenile,
came back from squirt through the hole
in the curtain with big news. Guess who's
out in front?"
Dave Belasco?"
Wrong" he says, full Of excitement. tits
Mrs. Jack Mortimer!"
THAT doesn't mean any more to me than
weather report to a coal miner. Why the great
INTEREST,""
shes one of the richest women in the State,
Goldie Locks. And the family goes back to
the guy who was on the dock to greet the May
flower. Very eccentric old party-you may
have read about some of her odd stunts-but
real aristocrat"
That night, for once, I had part with
nifty kick in it. Old Lady Nemesis-my name
for the Buzzen party-was busy with bad
cold and they handed me one of the sweetest
vamp roles ever. Now of stage am the lit
tie Eskimo maiden with garland of icicles,
but when the part calls for high wave-lengths
Of love, deliver in carload lots.
I'd completely forgotten the high-bred lady
Dicky had been so steamed up about. But at
the end of the second act messenger came
humping on my dressing room door. He had
card one Of Mrs Jack Mortimer's own, and
on 1t was scrawled in pencil, May see you in
youI ucSoluS IOO1u! Leu INC KNOW py uleS-
Senger."
Sure" told the messenger. Tell her to
come right around
few minutes later Mrs. Mortimer appeared.
"Ah, Miss Blondeau," she said. MY, you're
really quite young-and even better looking
than on the stage And like your work, too
Your portrayal of the-er..siren was very vivid
Hum"
She gazed at me with a half smile
i am not given to beating about any bush,
my dear young lady," she went on. "And my
main reason in seeking you out is business
one. Now-would you care to earn thousand
dollars-doing something perfectly legitimate
and honorable?"
"A thousand dollar bill would make a beau
tiful addition to my little art gallery" said
gulping But you'd better let me see the lines
and stage business Of this idea before sign ON
the dotted line"
"Of course, of course" she said. Butt
viii take quite bit Of explaining. Would you
be good enough to come out and see me tomor-
row afternoon? I know you are free because I
inquired"
I'D love to- got in, while she was get
ting her breath. where"
That's nice of you. Give me your adj
dress and I'll send the car for you at q"
THE next afternoon, met my first Rolls
Royce head on. And little later I met
my first castle! 1t was the kind of a house
you see in the movies, the country home Of