Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-14

ma ND YOU Peggy MacElroy wasting all
that talent suburban family life"
said Max Cato producer. 10 me after I'd
read part in new play and won New York
stage job al 500 a week. came home
dehghtedly 10 stephen my husband. and our
three small children and told him That's
wonderful" he said but he didn't mean IT,
1t was in 1880 and stephen. who sold bonds
was out OF a job We'd economical by cutting
our expenses TO the bone but there were taxes
and insurance still 10 meet
The year before when things were boom
ing, I'd gone down 10 meet college girl Ia
not seen for years. We called on Vicki Ingalls,
famous fashion artist There | met her ex-
husband, Ken Ingalls, who haunted her apart
ment and Duff Richardson portrait painter
who kept her living room gay with expensive
flowers ! met too a group of stimulating
people who were doing things and / felt the
urge TO lead a fuller a more interesting life
Before my marriage had played the lead in
Summer stock company managed by Cato
Nich urged me 10 him. He gave me
splendid part but when l got home l found
SUE our youngest delirious with scarlet fever
so l had TO give II up.
! saw Nlck at intervals after that Once
l spent the night at her flat She told me
how good Duff was TO her and that she might
marry him but now the crash had come it
TO get job, The next morning l called on
Cato but he had nothing just then When I
told Allegretta, our maid that I'd have TO let
her go, she said she'd stay for nothing She'd
saved up little and could give her money
for the movies now and then. Stephen told me
we were running out OF cash That's what
sent me TO Cato again and this time got an
engagement and he made his remark about
my wasting my time family life 1t was on
atttfr karifI
that stephen eXclaimed: It's wonderful"
without meaning it. He had been looking
vainly for work and his face showed lines
He came to rehearsal once Everyone was
nice to him. And no one spoke his language
And then Max called me Miss MacElroy. Ste
phen said, She's Mrs MacElroy"
Max patted his arm and said Not in the
theatre"
(And Now Go On With the Story.
~TEPHEN left right after that and had
queer feeling-t was the first time in our
- lives together that we Weren't together
Somehow, / felt l was having an experience
which we were not sharing
few evenings later when got home Sue
said Daddy used to go to the office and
Mommie stayed home"
Sometimes" said Steve.
But now Daddy stays home and Mommie
goes to the office"
stephen said quietly Not to the office.
TO the theatre"
What's the theatre"
Where people play act and pretend" Ste
phen said, before could answer
Then why can't Mommie stay home. Norm
and l. we know lots of pretend games"
The night Of the opening came. Some of
our Starvale friends organized group to be
nd in bp Nicly nd ms
had decided to come and had made up a
small party, too, including Prs Elder.
/ felt no sense of nervousness but l did
feel depressed. Somehow the strain of the
past four weeks of that feeling of Stephens
not being in the same world had gotten under
my skin.
The play proceeded smoothly enough and
at its finale there great deal of APP
plause. At the end of the first act the flow
ers began arriving. Stephen sent some, and
Vicki sent an enormous extravagant box.
Mother and Dad sent me a telegram. They
couldn't come, Mother wasn't feeling we'll
all in the cast stood for a few minutes
discussing how the audience had reacted-and
when got to my dressing room it was filled
with people-our friends and Vicki and her
crowd. And Stephen, of course
1t was impossible for u.s. Stephen and me
not to recall that other dressing room scene
1
looked at Stephen, over the flowers piled in
my arms. felt the sense of arrangement saw
the lines coming on his face, remembered the
things that stood before us, debts bills and a
kind Of resentment weed up in me, at his
almost sullen, tight expression
Everyone was being very congratulatory
DRIS said, There, Peggy MacFlroy, told
you SO All youneeded TO do was TO get the
right attitude, knew you could do it."
And Vicki said to Stephen. I've heard so
much about you, you're just as handsome as
Peggy said you were. Aren't you proud of
her."
stephen said quietly Yes I'm very proud
Of her"
Vicki went on, and really lucky, too. Few
men have such talented lovely wives"
And stephen said And lucky. too"
Then Vicld invited us all to her apartment
Stephen said We've arranged supper
party" and his glance took in our friends
oh" said quickly, lets go down 10
Vickl's-it will be much more fun" | wanted