Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, September 28, 1914, Page 2

PAGE TWO CAY FROM AUDIERGE By BEATRICE YORK HOUGHTON. COTITITONTOTITOITOTIZOTOTOTOZODITOZOIC NN right. The womln(cgv‘fih‘the’ wistful eyes looked round the theater, then turned to her companion witn a sigh. He, however, was intently studying the program, and his frowning brow did not invite interruption, #o she turned once more to the stage. She felt distinctly aggrieved that on this, one of the rare nights when they afforded a trip to the vaudeville, there should be anything dull in any of the performances. The wistfulness of her eyes showed how she longed for any- thing that might break the monoton- ous routine of her life. The man, who was Willlam Trail and her husband, whispered impa- tiently: “Do stop fidgeting, Evelyn.” “It’s such a poor show,” she whis pered back. fa “The next stunt’s sure to be good,” he replied. “You can’t expect every- thing to be first-class, especially in & stock performance.” BEvelyn looked up at the singer im- patiently, wondering how much longer the song would be. Then she was caught and held by the actress’ ut- ter lack of verve, by her listlessness and evident distaste for her employ- ment. Evelyn watched the singer with & new interest. She was Mlle. de Bray on the program, danseuse and racon- teuse. She had walked deliberately omto the stage, had told a scarcely funny story in a lifeless voice, and had then ‘begun, withcut further preliminaries 'on the equally lifeless song. She seemed to be entirely without makeup. Her dress was carelessly | put on, her hair brushed anyhow, and lher hollow eyes and white cheeks whowed ghastly in the limelight. As she droned on, Evelyn found iherself wondering what place this | tragic face and figure could have on Rhe lively vaudeville stage. Why should a reputable house have emn- gaged her? - Mlle. de Bray began on the chorus of her song and on the half-hearted tions which evidently established er claims to a danseuse. Evelyn yawned behind her p-ogram mnd glanced at her husband. His frown made her feel like a very small, | wery naughty girl. The singer began on the second werse of her song. “Oh, goodness gracious!” thought ®velyn. “Will she never get.through?” A momentary bustle ocaused by audi- Accuracy - Taste, Style BEPEPPIFPEIIPIIAOIRIEIEIEIEB FIDIEFIIH PPHPPPSIIIPE I IR B S EBIEPVPEBOOPEED * 3 ence for & space, droned on. Then there happened somethi. g which stirred the entire house, brought Willtam Trail from his frown- ing displeasure with a start, and rouvsed Evelyn to the edgerest inter- est. For a little gtrl, one of the late com- ' ors, had jumped to her feet with a tense cry of joy. “My mamma!” she shrieked excit- edly. “Oh, it is—it'is my mamma!"’ The woman upon the stage stopped | singing as though shot She looked | like an automaton suddenly galvan- ized into life Her fate expressed rapidly the gamut of emotions from the dasze of | non-comprehension, to the dawning of ! a joy almost too great. She stood | quite still, straining toward the part | of the theater from whence the cry of the little child had come, listening ! with parted lips and panting breast | for a repetition of ft. In the @ead silence the elderly woman with the child could be heard | hushing her to silence, while the little I thing, half-abashed, began to cry. “Helen,” breathed Mlle. de Bray at last. “Oh, Helen, chn it be you? The lights blind me, but surely, surely that was ycur volce. Speak to me again, my darling—my darling—" The agonized tones rose to a scream of supplication. The audience sat breathless. The | elderly woman, embarrassed past en- durance, rose and began to push the | unwilling child down the aisle. The little girl made a desperate struggle and succeeded in wrenching herself free. Sobbing loudly, she ran toward the stage. Mlle. de Bray leaned far out over the footlights, and the child reached up her tiny arms. The first violinist lifted her high, and in another mo- ment she and the singer were clasped but the lifeless voice l | . in a close embrace. There was nothing left of droning lifelessness about the singer now. All woman and afl mother, in utter self- forgetfulness she sobbed and cooed over the little girl. The elderly woman in the aisle spoke in troubled tones. “I g'pose you must be her mother,” she said doubdbtfully. “Oh, I am—I am,” cried Mlle. de Bray, lifting a radiant face to the eager crowd. Then a realization of her position seemed to dawm upon her. “] ask your pardon,” she oried, springing to her feet, and still retain- ing her hold upon the child as though afrald to let her go. She laughed a delicious little laugh. “I owe you all the explanation,” she began, and her voice and her face were alive and glowing, and her charm was unmistakable. “I lost my little Helen six months ago. There was an accident, you remember? A street car collided with & taxi. You eurely remember.” :W She paused as though for answer, and then resumed. “I was hurt. They carried me up to the hospital and all that I know s, that when I woke ap from my long illness no one could tell me anything at all about my little girl. They thought that I had dreamed her.” Suddenly her manner changed from the joyous to the accusing. She ad- dressed herself to the elderly woman still standing uncertainly in the aisle. “And you kept my baby,” she cried. “You kept her from me when my heart was breaking. What right had you? What right?” ‘ The elderly woman stiffened, a-l in her turn lost conscioueness of thoI ! | | OB O IEHD DL L 2elndnd Tt el for hauling fruit L2etleb BubEud Bultu b u PRu HER R R 1 audience. She was the guilty before her judge, and she began her justifi- catlon. “I had every right,” she said indig- nantly. “I took the child home with me. I seen she was all alone, and they said you were dead. She was 8o pretty I wanted her real bad, and I done my best for her. You can see that. “Then when they printed all that about your coming to and wanting her, I just couldn't give her up. And I feel I d1d right. An actress isn’t no sort of a mother for a little girl to have. “I just couldn’t give her up,” re- peated the elderly woman. “And I'm awfully sorry I come in here tonight. Phone No. 340 BB She begged o, and I saw there were W@mwmnéwmfiamé’o@o9~.-vu s s S S trained animals on the program—" | Mlle. de Bray still stood silent, ( We can save you money on Wagons. Our stock of | and 2-horse Wagons is complete, this fall, see us. “COLUMBUS” make and the name is a guarantee of quality, MODEL HARDWARE o C. E. and if you need a Wagop . We sell 1he A 3 N N A AN AN AR AR AT A2 AT A2 B 2l B G B ol B TODD, Mgr. We Want YOUR Business & 1 OTOBRFAEO ST EFEEPIABLICIBASVE 00 caressing with one hand the child who nestled against her skirts. The audience still sat in its trance of in- terest. The elderly woman’s troubled eyes | roved over the faces about her, over the faces farther off, settling at Iutl on the happy mother and child Later, as they were walking down “I s'pose 1 did wrong,” she sald M' the street together, Evelyn dared to last in a stified sort of voice. “But I, speak out some of her thoughts about never did approve of actors. It'Nl just| it all, and her husband was appre- about break my heart to give Helen ciative, though he grambled a little as up. Will you let me see her lomoi was his wont. band’s eyes, and he forgot to frown. Perhaps they could enter more deep- ly into the sorrow and happiness of Mille. de Bray than people who were not childless. times?” “That’s just like & woman,” he com- “You kept her from me,” sald the | mented. “Wants to know how peopte actress simply, but in the one short l have suffered just for the sake of see- sentence lay all the agony she had en- | ing them happy at the end.” dured. Evelyn pouted. The elderly woman seemed to ao- “l hate commonplaceness,” she cept it as her answer, and she walked | sald, then, “Oh, Will, see—" she cried, slowly down the aisle and through the | and stood quite stifl. door into the lobby. The actress| For, strolling happily toward them stood quite still until the door hul| down the street, were Mlle. de Bray, shut. Then she breathed a long sigh ; little Helen, and the elderly lady. As of relief and spoke again with the; they came up Hvelyn oould not for winsome joyousness of a happy wom-; bear to speak. an in her voice. ' “T am 80 glad for you,” she oried to “With your permission we will go!| Mlle. de Bray, “and I am so very, very now,” she sald. “Tomorrow night| giad that you have forgiven her.” Helen and I will dance together for She indicated the elderly woman. you. But not now—" “That is the loveliest part of it all. The silence which followed her I wish all the audience could know withdrawal testified to the apprecia-| of it.” tion of the audience for her new- Mlle. de Bray stood looking at | found joy. Evelyn with a quizzical smile. But!: Evelyn smiled haooily into her hus- | whatever sha mav hava intended to PP BSPRPEPPEPPPPOFSFEEEEIEDODH GHRD B BSIPDBPIEE gay was never sald. Helen had taken the reins. ! “Don’t I do it fine? she asked proudly. “Mamma say I'm going to be a great aotress when I grow up.” | And strangest of all, when Helen said mamma she took the hand of the elder lady. “1 don’t understand,” sald Evelyn. Mlle. de Bray laughed shortly. “Why, that was our act,” she cx-‘ plained. “I'm not in the regulul stock, though I let on that I am. I‘ml on the road, and we give this each; first night. It's the greatest draw- ing card—" “And was there any accident?” asked Bvelyn. “There's always accidents,” laughed Mille. de Bray. “Sometimes they're a year back and sometimes a month. Just so 1 can strike on a big one, it's all the same for my aot.” “Oh,” breathed Evelyn. “I'm sorry you're disappointed,’ sald Mlle. de Bray kindly. “I wouldn'’t have let on if Helen hadn’t given it away. This here’s my mother, too, and Helen is my littlest sister. Come and see us dance tomorrow night.” But Evelyn could not answer. In the wistfulness again of her eyes, and in the tired droop of her mouth, could he read all of her disanyoint. 'HAT’S what you want in your Printing, no matter whether it be on your visiting card, your little advertising dodger, or y our big, expensive booklet. mix the above ingredients in just the right proportion. when we do it, looks just right. out errors in it, that will make you ashamed of it. For every kind of printing we Your printing, People won’t criticise it, and point The paper will be neatly and squarcly cut—and not look like it was hacked out with a handsaw. The type used will be the latest and most stylish faces; the presswork will be such that every letter will show up just right. Your printing won’t look pale and sickly, nor be daubed with too much ink. Workmen who know how, with thousands of dollars worth of the most modern machinery, enable us to “do it better.” We invite your next Order Telephone Number 37 Head of Things § At the “ment aad chagrin. ASd for om gy husband understood. He bade the actress and her Dey good-righi for his weary little yy! and when he had obened thej door, he stooped and kissed tha; lln'; mouth right where the droop wa, | And he sald not one worg abot Evelyn’s disillusicnment, not gny iy gle word I The Larger Hats. | Already large hats are seen, adona| often with huge white wings, so lug that they look as if they might ha been derived from an albatross, adjusted at eccentric angles. At moment, indeed, white is conspicuo in millinery. Many hats are entirey white, or with merely a touch of blad Others of black—or the bright dj blue hats which are seen with so otherwise black toilettes—show wig aigrettes, ribbon mounts, or perh roses or camelias all white. Less Darning Needed. To do away with some of the &in ing, rub the heels of new stocks with parafin. Put the stocking o the darning egg and warm the p enough to make it soft in the hu Then rub well. It will be found this protects the heel against rubb and that it will not wear out. 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