Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 235, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1919 — Opportunity [ARTICLE]

Opportunity

By VINCENTG. PERRY

(Copyright. ISIS, by th* MeClur* Newspaper Syndicate.) Harry was just like thousands of other young men scattered about the world —he was full of ambiti<»n and Jonglrigs, ability that every one save himself failed to recognize, and even he had no idea of its extent. The ambition to be an actor had grown on Harry from the dav lie had seen his first 1 flay. St arT ' tag out with scliooiiioy recttationsJiuig ending up w ith co!lege dramalies he had cult 1 vatedt he l aste for st agc I; fe, Hut' there he -was in Hloomstend. a clerk ary going even week sor ■ the necessities of life. —There di<l-<mt see-m to be a chance in the world for him to get away from there, yet, somehow he did not give way to that thought. he told hi in sei f nn >re tha n once <1 day, "that’s where I bebm-'." Course, - Uk*** **eery- Other help lose young man with -ml' ttj>ib ti”t; h»* wrote to every play producer be ever beard of, and pourgtl b’s story. Some of them answered him, more of them did not, The answers about the same. “Forgot Tt.” was the underlying thought, though they went at it in a kindly fashion, enlarging on the discouragements the theatrical profession offered to the novice. None of them did as be hoped; that t>, write and say “t'otne -righT-along," We \\ ill give tVou a chance to make good and We will pay pni.i-iniMdi Io keep Voll from starving anil to bur your home again if lull limit suit.” They looked on him as just a •moon-eyed rube/’ 'They tj>e_<lnys ■rbwy wcrr tnmr:tm ■- for . t tmt •r 1: :tnee, ' nliofi o Irntp-tTyT-hmTrf-wn 111 d h .uvn-rnTt—-them on their’ feet. That's what Harry thought, anyway. ~ However. Harry was not going to be denied all the pleasure of footlights and applause. Amateur dramatics offered a little soothing to his longings. As leading num and director of the" Bloomstead Dramatic society he was filling in all his spare time. ThejjecJj! ond rehearsal of “The ‘Romance of Lilian" was scheduled for that night at the town hall, and Harry was losing no time in getting there. He had big hopes for Ms phi i. It can 1 him an OpDAMtiTiiTN- T«>P fell r-act Ing It! the last act,- and there was a- vague hope that "some one of influence In the dramatic world might hear of his success in itBitt at the town hall disappointment was lurking. Clorene Colbert, "the chosen leading lady, balked at the kissing scene. “Papa says if lamto be kissed in this play I can't be in it." Clorene told v Harry with rural tartness. “My mother thinks it would he awful to have kissing in it,” one of the other girls in the case agreed.. Right there an argument started that ended in Clorene's leaving in tears. The rehearsal was upset for the evening, and further rehearsals were -..postponed until a new heroine could be secured. Poor Harry I He had never been so : disgusted as_ he was that night., W hat did these rubes know about art, anyway, he asked himself. The idea of Clorene balking at the kissing scene! As if a stage kiss meant anything! : Where could he get another heroine? i

AU the girl.i with any ability nt- nil 4 were in the cirsr ~ a trendy; But iror f = d sSSre =3^^^^ff^: ?^tft s fi^T; = ffie’’yrnTfYg = f lady from the city who„was visitiifl: ' the minister's wife. Would she take the part? There was only’ one' way to find out. and Harry started but to put that one way into operation. Ruth Hedley listened to Harry's plea and smiled kindly. The ambition of the young man before her could not -j help making its impression. “Let me read your play,” she said j when Harry had finished. The young , leader of the dramatic society handed <wr the manuscript smilingly. As j Ruth sat and read Harry watched her face, He had not noticed before how j very beautiful she-" was.. When she smiled she was simply glorious.' Wliy, Clorene was not in it with her! Ruth finished the manuscript. “Read that last act to me." She handed the play over to Harry for compliance. Harry started to read, his voice and expression gathering strength as the act proceeded. —lt was "not a strong T play, but Harry certainly made the best of it. “Splendid!” Ruth applauded when he had finished. “Mr. Thomas, you are a bon/actor.” At last some one had recognized his : ability. Harry blushed radiantly and , blurted out Ms thanks. Somehow this charming young lady had left him be- : rest of words. **Whv not get a stronger play—one ; with more life in it and that will give you a chanceto act?” Miss Hedley suggested" “I have the manuscript of one In my trunk that will be the very thing. I would be pleased to play the leading partinit” .. ... :.?■ ?' ’ ." _ “But it takes so long to write out the parts for the others," Harry demurred. _ ' —— - - ~~ *T can have typed manuscripts here from the city in less than a week,” Ruth told him. “Are you on?” “> sure am!” he declared. We'll make the people sit up.” The people of Bloomstead certainly did sit up. Never had there been such a ruffle In their midst as the Dramatic society made that fall. The rehearsals for the new play went off with rec-

nrd success and~ rhe night for the per* forma nee arrived. Behind the footlight* in the town hall Harry was excited and his jierve*” were strung to the highest pitch. It was the first time he had been affected that way. The many...womJerXul surprises.were responsible for it, he thought. To begin with. Ruth s .presence and assistance with the directing had made the Dramatic “talent" come <>ut to an amazing degree. Why, the coaching she had given Harry made him'feel almost like a professional 1 There wa* <me thing that puzzled him: Sjhe was a remarkable couch. but her own acting could be improved upon in many places, he thought. Sometimes she had sh<ov,<l -ome of the tire '-he instilled In the others, but on the whole she kept her talent, if She did possess anv, in rcstrarntr Then-'there* hiid bCeH the SQehery ■■ renl I'lty M'eiiery; “Ttrnmrrived Tti time for the last rehearsal. a surprise arranged- by Ruth. - Whs suck a girl as slie ? Iltirry was quite convinced there never was. -7 .. ... ■ / _'iliey were into the first act almost before Harry realized it. After the first fine or two he forgot himself entirely, forgot everythitig but the part le> u.a.'- piayiio.' aml llie pcopU' tiua were acting around him. The roar of a ppi all -e, that f>dlowed the fall of the etirtain brought him to himself. WuufiL t li<? applause ireyiT-AtetßieX _— •"They nrp c'atmTgTTs- hufoTeTtTe curtain.” It was Ruth, flushed and excited. Then it all came over him. Ruth had been acting as he had nbver seen _jn 11 — h ct I ic.n he. —Tug ether ilie y 11 inF~ made a triiimpli. _ .. • . But the first act was nothin# to what followed. •Curtain call after curtain call heralded their efforts a great success, ■ , _—t-g Whftt It wn«» nil over. Harry fttuntl. himself in his dressing room, dazed by. Hie wonder of it all. A light laugh ut the do(p-, and Ruth's voice brought his 11<• rv« tM l >;I <• k 1 n 1> I .Rgr'nßd followed by a portly gentlenufn. “My manager. Mi. Cuthbertson," a—ilreain Suddenly il da.WJ ted Ula.t!l _ hitn. Ruth was a real actress —a Broadway favorite, he could read it in her eyes. Of course she was; Mr. Cuthbertson soon let that out. • “This play you botli handled so wonderQjily tonight is. thy one Miss Hedley is to open the season in next .month,” Cuthbertson said, “and we want you to play opposite her. I have a blank contract here for your signature.” It wn- Harry's opportunity. A great blaze of light struck him between the tampion, hn felt himrtdf .wnviiring, and there was a choking sensation in his throat. ' < hit into the air he rushed; he could not stand it tiny longer. Ruth found hiti) sitting in tlie open rear doorway, panting and deathly white. “Cnifryon-see vi lint a glorhnis thing it is for you?" she said —“the success you have dreamed of, everything you want in the world." "But It isn't.” Harry had risen and was facing her with a sort of wild stare. "It is you that have meant more to me than anything, and now I see that 1 cannot Hye without you. I have learned to love you as just Ruth Hedley, the minister’s wife's college ehum. 1 would not dare to love so grand a person as Ruth Hedlev, the Broadway star.” , “And why not? Can’t Broadway stars be Jew ink? Can't they love in return?” There was a light in Ruth’s eyes that brought back Harry's courage. His world-had--opened to him —most of it was in his arms.