Evening star., 1941-07-29
CHAPTER III.


In the mirror l saw Alice twisting
her hands nervously, her head bent
slightly over them. The light had
gone from her eyes and she looked
tired and helpless as though my
words had leaped out of my mind
and she had heard them. I was
instantly contrite.
You'd better start. Alice,
what's the matter?" She had
dropped her head onto the dressing
table.
Nothing. Just headache.
Nerves, I guess, and all this ex-
element"
would an aspirin help? Philip
Ashley will have one. I've played
with him before and he wouldn't
think of opening a show without
. his medicine kit properly stocked"
"Oh, Haila, don't bother"
"Shucks. I've been playing doctor
all day. I'll run up and get it now"
Philip Ashley's dressing room was
on the third floor and as l climbed
the stairs 1 could hear the quiet
whisperings and feel the excitement
and anticipation romplng through
the theater. At the light switch
Tommy Nelson was giving sharp,
soft orders, and from the second
floor. where Benjamin Kerry
dressed. came a gentle grumbllng.
And I could hear Steve Brown num-
ming nervously and the floating
sound of Eve Norths laugh, tlnkllng
and unconcerned.
If I hadn't known that Philip
Ashley was in New York I would
have still been sure that this dress
ing room was his. He had been
In it only a few nights now, the
dress rehearsal and two invitation
performances, but he had made 1t
as much his own as a bedroom
where he had slept every night of
his life.
A Sharp Command.
In a corner l located his flrSt-ald
department, a roll of bandages, ad-
hesive tape, number of partially
filled bottles and jars. I rummaged
through them and found a small
cellophane package housing two
white tablets, the kind that they
III aspirin in at drugstores. 1
picked it up, pleased that Philip
hadn't failed me.
Put that down."
Philip Ashley stood in the door
way. He was already in his first
act cutaway and looked handsome
and youthful in spite of the silver
wings at his temples that were pow
dered to a brilliant sheen.
II said, put that down." I hadn't
noticed that his face was white
with anger and that he glared at
me in kind of trembling fury. The
clipped British voice was shaking.
HelpleSsly, stared at him and then
at the tablets in my hand, so
say. Then Ashley strobe across the
room and snatched the tablets from
me.
II won't have people snooping
in my room. won't have 1t While
I'm engaged at this theater this is
my property. and it is personal and
private I shant have people DART
ing in and out, messing with my
things. infringing on my privacy.
I shall complain at once to the
management
'Nobodys darting in and out" I
said. Somewhere curing his TRADE
] had found my voice. Il just
wanted to borrow an aspirin for
Alice Mcdonald. I never thought
you'd mind"
Il shan't have people snooping
around" he repeated, sullenly.
"All right. All right. I'm sorry"
No Alice.
I went f1ouncing out of his room,
slamming the door hard behind me.
The whole thing was ridiculous.
Nice. good-natured Philip Ashley
putting on temperament act. The
way he had burst out at me you
might have thought was a second
story man about to make off with his
most priced possession. Either our
former matinee idol had a bad case
Of opening-night jitters or, m spite
of his alleged 43 years, he was grow
ing senlle.
Steven Brown was parked on the
top step at the end of the hall,
laughing at me.
Caught you that time, didn't
he?"
I've never been so insulted. not
In all my years as kleptomaniac."
Steve chuckled and then became
serious. Whats this about Carol?
She can't play tonight?"
"No. Laryngitis. 1t kills her to
even whisper"
THE first night of her first show!
Why do things like that have to
happen?" He thrust his hands
deep into his bathrobe pockets and