Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-10-23
PROTEGEE-
VICTORY AND
DEFEAT

By Fannie Hurst
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OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
"a, 1881. Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.l
(WNU Servicel
LIVERY one commented on the
- tragedy of Ula Lee hiding her
l. light under bushel basket.
That her genius was not only
comparable but superior to the pretty
singing talent of her niece Marcia was
generally conceded by all who knew
the rather unique situation Of the
young woman, Ula Lee, who at twenty
was already SO vallantly sacrificing
herself in behalf of fostering the much
slenderer talent Of the fair young
Marcia.
Una was a singing teacher. At the
death Of her sister when her niece
Marcia came to live with her, Ula's
interests in her own career suddenly
changed to interests focusing upon the
younger girl. It was not SO much
with a consciousness of what she was
sacrificing. It was probably a surge
Of something latent and maternal In
Ula manifesting itself at the appear
ance of this orphan girl in her house
hold.
Whatever secret ambitions and In
nate consciousness Of her own vocal
potentialities may have lurked within
Ula, the coming of Marcia sidetracked
them to such an extent that they sell
dom floated to the surface Of her con-
seriousness.
It is possible that this was made
easier by the fact that Ula's future,
for the past few years, had been ex-
citingly bound up with that of a young
architect who was just beginning to
lay the firm foundations of a career
that promised well. Felix Ermin and
Ula Lee were ideally compatible. He
loved her music and she in turn was
filled with the conviction that a great
career lay ahead for Felix in the full
fillment Of his splendid art.
Those were happy days for the
young pair, filled with struggle, 1t is
true, but the kind of struggle made
glamorous by the promise of tomor-
row.
Then Marcia came. A dark, Wig
orous girl only four years younger
than her aunt, but full Of immature
ties that made her charmingly the
child. 1t was then that Ula's per-
sonal ambitions began to fade behind
the dominant, effervescing personality
that was Marcia. The girl had a
voice. no doubt Of that. Thinner,
futier than Ula's, with not so strong
a middle register, but one Of those
pyrotechnical coloratura sopranos.
With this voice, Ula worked for four
years. AS her own light began to
recede. Marcia's came forward.
They were busy, formative years,
making veritable beehive of the
little home which Ula shared with her
niece.
But do not think that into any of
hese saclificial days and nights, when
there entered into the young aunt's
cal for the young niece self-denial
t.lat was unknown even to her init
rates. self-pity or even self-realiza-
:on dawned upon Ula.
She had long since begun to realize,
taking stock of herself as a person,
hat the kind of success she most de-
tired In life did not extend beyond
he four walls she was to share with
elk Ermin. It was, perhaps, an
embarrassing realization with which
= be confronted. The world which
Ula most desired was the homely one
Of Home.
There was dream Of a rambling
frame house set in the center of
lawn which was to be the center Of
the paradise Of earth, SO far as she
was concerned. It was not all sacri-
flee, then, to throw her heart and soul
into Marcla's destiny. BY instinct, by
temperament and by personality, Mar
ca was the sort Of person who be-
longed to the world. She was restless
of restraint, covetous of adulation and
glowing with the vitality of a poten-
tial parsonage. @@
1t took the coming Of Marcia to
make Ula realize all this. No longer
was she torn between her natural in
stinct for home-life with Felix, and
the career Of a voice. Marcia had
come to solve that most perplexing Of
problems. Marcia was Ula's proxy.
In way, 1t is understandable why
Ula threw herself with such whole
hearted zeal into preparing the
younger girl to tread the ways her
own feelings were so willingly, 80
gratefully foregoing.
When Marcia was twenty-one. she
was ready for an addition before an
opera committee. Her aunt's pride
in her product was nothing short Of
obsession. There was no doubt that
Ula had turned out an accomplished
singer-one with high prospects.
The crushing defeat came to Ula
with so little Of the dramatic In II that
she scarcely realized the blow until
after 1t had been struck. It must
have been In the way they did II. No
shame, no hysteria, no fear.
Quite simply, Marcia and Felix came
to Ula two weeks before Marcia was
to appear In her addition before the
opera committee al confessed their
love. It was slmpiD, -~' and I'M
demonstratlve. Ula in turn, nC... nd
undemonstrative, gave Felix his free
dom and set about reconstructing an
appalling world which had suddenly
ioppIed into bits around her.
The Incredible had happened. Hap
"'Hc'e had slid from under her feet
H. i"''i''fe. But life must be