Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1909 — Retained In the Rote. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Retained In the Rote.

By CARL WILLIAMS

Copyrighted. 1909. by Associated Literary Press.

Melrose was agog with excitements The local billposter was banging the paper of the Denham Repertoire company for a three night run. And Maggie Denhaui bailed from Melrose. "Margaret Denham" she was billed, but Melrose recognized her. It was the tlrst time that what Melrose called "a real theater troupe” bad visited the little town. This in itself would have meant much, but Maggie In addition created an epoch in town history. Melrose could not know that she was to be a star only for this brief engagement In Melrose. Maggie had happened to mention that abe bad been born in Melrose, and the astute manager had changed the name of the company from the Metropolitan to Denham Repertoire company for the three night atay. He well knew the value of a local name in a small town. Occasionally Maggie bad let fail some scrap of Information as to her departure from the town that told the rest of the old story of the girl who had run away from home to go upon the stage. Maggie’s story differed from most, •for she had succeeded In achieving her ambition. She bad become a fairly

useful player of parts in the smaller companies. This was her second season with the Metropolitans, and she smiled confidently when Qulnlin, the manager, asked her if she felt strong enough to play the star part for three days. It Involved a little extra rehearsal, but Maggie was delighted. She would show Tom Chambers and the rest of Melrose that she bad made a success. Tom came ahead of the rest of Melrose, because there bad been a time when they two were almost engaged, and she still thought tenderly of those courtship days. Bhe looked about eagerly when the company arrived; but, though every one else in town appeared to have oome to the train to stare curiously at Maggie Denham’s troupe, Tom was not there. With a curious sense of blankness Maggie climbed into the ramshackle bus that was to convey the company to the hotel Her triumphant entrance into her home town bad gone for naught just because one man was not there.

She was angry and surprised to realise that she still cared more for Chambers than sbe had ever admitted when he bad tried to win her. Bhe bad not long to wait, however, for information about the recreant one. Presently a string of callers came to the hotel, and all of the friends of her school days crowded the hotel parlor, all talking at once. From the babel of voices Maggie gathered that Tom had left town the day before with the evident purpose of avoiding her. The blood throbbed in her temples. It was to give Tom a lesson that she. wanted to show to Melrose how well she bad succeeded. Now he would not witness her triumph, and she turned Strangely depressed until the manager, versed in the handling of the erratic omen of the stage, sensed the situation.

"Anyhow, you can do your best." Quinlln reminded her, “and leave behind a record that he will be proud of." “And who may ‘he' be?" demanded Maggie truculently. “I don’t know," confessed Quinlin promptly, “but there is usually a ‘he’ somewhere, and since he does not seem to be around I thought you might like my suggestion.” Maggie waved him off with a Jesting remark, but her heart was lighter. Hare was something that she could do. So it happened that even her fellow players wondered that evening at the brilliancy with which she played her fMrt. “You'll land on Broadway yet," they assured her. but even this promise of

teaching the goal of sU actora did not ! cheer the girl, and when the perform-; a lice was over she harried back to the hotel, only to creep Into bed and cry herself to sleep. On the third and last day of the engagement Tom appeared suddenly in town, and, though she could not see him In the badly lighted auditorium that night, Maggie felt that be wae there, and she acted with a touch of tenderness that lent new beauty to a naturally sympathetic role. John Benjamin, one. of the important ear tern theatrical men, bad stopped over to wait for a train and bad drifted into the opera house, wbere the manager overwhelmed him with attentions. As be watched the girl work be nodded his head. "I'd like to steal your leading woman,” Benjamin said to Quiolin. "1 can place her In a road company for a year under one of my good stage directors and then bring her into New York.” “Go ahead and steal,” Invited Quinlln. "She’a a nice little woman, and if you can place her the contract aba made with me won’t hold her backI’ll tell her to write to you.” • The big manager nodded bis thanks, looked at bis watch and hurried off to make his tralD.

Maggie only uodded carelessly, when Quinllu hurried back with word that the way to Broadway was open to her at last. She could not think of business when Tom was out there in the darkened auditorium watching her. She needed to give all of her attention to her performance, and she played the last act with a rich sincerity that won the audience completely. Not until the curtain had fallen and the other players crowded around to congratulate her upon the opportunity she had earned did she seem to realize what It all meant and then she accepted listlessly what the other worpen of her profession would have given years of their life to attain. She slipped from the stage door alone to go to the hotel, but as she emerged Tom stepped forward with outstretched hands. “1 had to come to see you,” he said brokenly. “At first I vowed that I would stay out of town while yon were here, but I had to come back, and I’m glad I did. “I thought that you would be tough and common. Maggie, like the rest, but you can’t be that and play as you did tonight. That wasn’t acting, and when I saw you as you really are, and not as I thought that you would be, I wanted to get up and shout to you to come right to me and we’d get married, as we used to plan when we were children. Will you come* and marry me, Maggie? I’ve got a fine farm now, and you’ll never regret it, dear.” “I don’t think I will regret it," agreed Maggie happily, “but I didn’t think you’d want me. Tom.” "You know what they think about actresses here,” he reminded her. “I guess 1 thought pretty much the same, but you—well, when I saw you come on the stage looking Just as you used to do I knew you were my Maggie still l"

He clasped her'bands, unable to say more, but Maggie understood. To the Melrose minds all player folk were followers of the devil. Perhaps the ingenuous role she had played had won Tom. He wanted for bis wife the woman she had played. And she knew it would be easy to continue in that role with Tom as opposite. She felt that she could continue her success in that part, and so she let him kiss her before she pushed him gently from her with a whispered command to come to the hotel In the morning. Together they would see QuinHn and secure the release from her contract As she entered the hotel the manager was waiting for her. He had taken from bis trunk her contract for the season, and this he handed to her. “This sets you free, my girl. You can go to Benjamin and Broaflway,” be said smilingly. ‘Tm glad that at last the Metropolitans have contributed a real star to Broadway.” ‘Tm not going to Benjamin.” replied Maggie. "I’ll play the season out for you if you want me to. but I made a real human hit in the part tonight, and I’m going to keep on playing it for Tom here in Melrose. Gee, Mr. Quinlin, I’m glad be didn’t see me last night as the adventuress.”

Ice Bport For Danish Children. In Denmark one of the favorite forma of exercise on the ice is a game wherein the skaters can have their fun and also the tots who prefer to ride upon sleds. A large pole is fixed upright in the middle of the frozen pond, and a crossbeam is attached, the whole affair being kept from toppling over by means of a large wagon wheel, through whose bub the upright pole is thrust and which lies flat upon the ice. To the end of the longer section of the transverse beam a string of sleds is attached, and then eight or ten of the lads and lassies begin to skate in a circle, pushing the beam around with them, while the little fellows i climb on the sleds. Around and around they go, faster and faster, amid shouts of delight, until the string of sleds is flung out across the Ice like the lash of a long whip. It often becomes necessary for those who are furnishing the motive, power to slacken speed in order to let the coasters get back into a better position. centrifugal force having stretched them out sometimes almost to tbs banks of the lake.-Pathflnder.

"I’M GLAD HE DIDN’T SEE ME LAST NIGHT AS THE ADVENTURESS.”