Show His is Little Re ReBy By MARION HILL Author 61 of The rhe h etc It presupposes a deckled amount of l a nickname does people eople p who never achieve the indignity I ara ar a r generally general so So of good points that hat t they never have bave room for tor the one necessary n point more charm nn She was a dear little thing that small mall s Henrie about the nicest child that hat t a traveling theatrical company cn could c ever carry around with it and an annot not n ot grow annoyed with because youngsters y In a troupe are generally no nond end e nd of oC a nuisance being neither man mannor mann manor nor n or r woman neither ghost nor human humans as a s Poe puts it of the bells but ghouls Henrie Hennie was far indeed from rom being eing b a ghoul though to tell the truth she s he was as uncanny a baby as ever eyer kept k ept grown people guessing and it was easy e enough from the Jook look of her to tell ell t why hy her father always called her his h is little red hen for she was copper color e d as a cranberry Tiffs This Tl compre comprehensive comprehensive h description has a l ugly sound and it fits to a T nevertheless n Henrie Hennie was as pretty as al a abronze abronze bronze b ronze elf with hair exactly the color of o f a new piece and eyes and androws brows b rows and lashes to match Her lath fath father er e r Jack Germaine was pleased as a pea peacocks peacocks cocks c about this coloring and used to drees d ress her in bronze velvet with fixings in i n keeping shoes gloves and ribbons all a ll of the same annie hue hueso so that she was as a r shine from top to toe like a sprout of young oak in springtime She never said smart things We Vwe have stood that th t But she said sale awfully shrewd ones or at least a 8 shrewd thought showed back of the simple words as once when she asked her father Jack why you ou name me Ge Geneva Genea Genova nova neva after my mother mot er The tragedy of the business all though it was cast a shadow over the brilliance of her glinting esth those se eyes throw lights like sparks Now naturally it was in Jack Ger Gen Germaines maines mind mi mii a l that he would rather see e his baby daughter dead than named after his untamable tamable un waif of a wife but of cours cou he could not voice volee such sucha a sentiment so eo cheerfully bats the matter with beng being named after an Aunt Henrietta As a good many of us were around within earshot Jack G i put extra heartiness into his bluff and the child shrank sensitively Sh brooded to herself for quite a whIle hl and then dropped asleep In a fright frightening j ening fashion that she had ing In for the reason reacon that she alwa always alws s looked as If It she had died great brown br wn circles underneath her bet red lashes tabes and an odd pallor on her tiny tin face We all kner JneT that there was WM a quirk wrong with her ber heart action it was too fast fact or too slow or too something at I any rate it its t Abnormal behavior was the the reason reea why hy Henrie flennie traveled around aroun with her father Instead of remaining with the Aunt Henrietta In question The doctor said the child worried too I much when w n separated from both father and mother and had better be with one ont of them It would be a clever doctor who could Induce Geneva Germaine to ti saddle her ber artistic career with the care of a baby so the charge fell to Jack Of course Jack and Geneva were In Indifferent Indifferent indifferent different companies Theatrical agencies and managers always care carefully carefully fully full lee see to It that thet husbands and wives do not travel together Even Then if f they the had not in n this case Geneva would Geneva Germaine needed plenty of room and got it All that Juck Jack need needed needed needed ed was a home and get it That such people should hould marry each other is il quite Quit Inevitable U It T is a aider Jack Germaine did nUL 1101 go ge All to tv pieces during a season leason for or in addition to an arduous part ami ani the duties which fell to him as acting S I I manager the care that he put upon his I delicate d baby bab was exhausting in Itself It I t is a popular r witticism that a man m manant n cant ant c take care of a n child whereat whereas the tact fact f act is that a man a worn vom woman an in tenderness and intelligent skill when the fates ordain that he shall play pIa mother as well as father H have lasted five minutes if left eft l to the gentle mothering of Geneva Geneva looked look d the part all right rl ht though t had eyes as velvety elvet as purple pansies and a soft beauty of face that would have knocked spots out of Niobe Klobe for devotional affection Though Jack held out during a sea seR season seaon son s on Henrie Hennie never did drooping rom day da to day till tm It Jt was always a race raca for Cor or life ife l to get her Into the country In the summer What hat she wanted was a companionship p We Ve had two to lovely ovely lovel l ginis with us Essie Airly and Helen Keith K and Henrie H loved Emit but wo tolerate Helen which wa waa a pity pit for Helen was the mothering kind while Essie though sweet am an and winsome was vas as an ali a chicken you know how ho a hen can stand on a chick which squawks its ItA life fife away underfoot while the hen h n looks s kind of and miser miserable miserable miserable able but the sense to step oft the victim Well that was Essie Essle She could play with a child work for it It know that too And If the writer is I i another mans wife or another anether wom worn womans womans ans husband why were apt to hop onto a combination of or that sort quick as streaks And the things we hear We Weare eare are all idiots together in the matter of or talking too much We shut a door of a room fancy Cancy ourselves hermetically entombed and proceed to exchange anguish or googoo utterly regardless of or open tran transoms some soma We have bave the courtesy C ur esy to pre pretend pretend pretend tend however that what Is not dressed to us direct has not been over overheard overheard overheard heard We none of us confided to another that Bssie Airly was patiently In love with Fenton Leasing Lessing that Lessing was vas in love Jove with Helen and that Helen was In love with Jack Germaine and he with her both breaking their hearts trying to keep faith with themselves and with fth Geneva who never by any chance kept faith with anybody The procession of events was exactly in line with the ancient fairy tale Wa Water Water Water ter wont quench fire fire fine wont burn stick stick wont hit dog dog d u wont bite pig pig wont go over the stile and well never get home tonight The nursery tale version of it was Chapman He was sas the low corn com com comedian edian He lie had h d to be He wanted want to be 11 E I p w iA IJ I I I kM 7 I 7 v t J Ive I ve read rea d it said Jack gamely game I y feed it metaphorically scratch for it and present tt it with Juicy bits but she mother coo 00 and cud cuddle cuddie ud die dle and Croon troon roon and cure aches with a kiss in mystic mother fashion fashJon As for Helen well Helen and Jack loved loed each other and Henrie HearSe divined it and resented it for sake and theres the thing in a nutshell Really we any any private life Ufe When we ew t before f rethe the footlights performing to an audience we are in a Pullman car or ur a hotel lobby perform performing performIng ing though unwillingly and often un unwittingly wittingly fOr tor the delight and divers m of a public which have to ply pay for hr the privilege Our letters are handed banded out to us by the hotel clerk or the stage doorkeeper dr or rather rath r those worthies allow us to root riot among them and we all aU know the tb others ethers business If It a man loves his wife wu and she write to him we know It if he I about correspondence and he she is ne ire re reI I a tragedian and spiritually was capable of oC It having a scholars mind arid and the silver voice of an orator or tor but the breath of his life happened to be con confined confined confined fined in a very comic body He had a paunch which belled belied him for he rarely ate ofle ne f tell ll meal a week having a screw loose with his digestion also he had haji ha legs a trifle bowed and his face was fat and heavy his eyebrows too had hd a grotesque tilt His general make makeup makeup I up was low comedy cOIned and that at settled it If he tried to be manly and serious the public let him starve starre Under such cir circumstances one ordinarily makes up ones mind to be funny tunny Usually too more more brains go to a fool than to toa a dozen leading men inca J If Jack J k Germaine played mother to Henrie why wh Chapman Chi Childs Ids was grandmother ther and a good one too tOi t To Toward Ware ward the end of the thc season he had worked himself himsel and the rest of ot us as into nervous Jimjams concerning the evident loss of health By B the time we had reached what was ws theorn now Cant remember the name ain but know it was out west fer we 0 had to play Sunday night wherever it was Hen all Led d brown nasturtium Dont drag her around to the theater tonight Jack ordered Chapman mad as hops because his feelings were strained Tuck her In bed and leave leae her to sleep Well e II all aU come and have supper with you Henrie Hennie All right said Henrie Hennie weekly weakly All right said Jack just as weakly weak It sounded like a sensible arrange arrangement arran arrangement e ement ment but we had grown so used to see seeing seeIng seeing ing the tiny lady at the wings that that nights performance went like Uke a funeral though the audience screamed as usual and Ve were all mighty might glad to get I through and hurry hUrr back to the hotel Hows Hos my Little LUtie Red Hen H n called Jack ack while yet away aaY down the corridor He did not stop to think it was the middle of oC the night and that certain weirdly constructed folk might be wanting to sleep To him and to us the middle of the night was ever the like likeliest likeliest likeliest liest part of the day da she piped up invisible The sound was wag good to hear One is apt to fancy fanc always that a child chI left alone will go and swallow something or will fall fail off or fall out or will croak some somehow s somehow me how A child is awfully like strong drink used to it and you ou cant be comfortable with It or without It We all burst cheerfully in Except for Fenton Leasing Le He was never cheer cheerful cheerful cheerful ful he was too young and happy to be cheerful And besides I he be was carry ing tog an armful of bottles Essie had bad a atra tray tra of sandwiches Henrie was completely snowed under with pictures the bed bell was Vas I covered with them themI I think this Is the prettiest of oC all she said cramming one Into lAtO her fathers hand Dont you Jack Very pretty he assented It was wa tough on Jack His face smiled L Lup up at him as impudent impatient as life ICe Is her season a long king one pursued I Henrie Hennie HenrieI I dont know kno said Jack Will she the sign for a summer engage engagement engagement engagement ment do you think I cannot possibly tell teH Henrie Hennie she write to you ever everNo everNo No Xo Henrie Why do you OU suppose Jose She never was vas as an hand band at writing letters he said aid Then under his breath to me If she sign for the summer J 1 4 J 5 will she come to see us If ever a a man looked l ked aa as if it would be bea a relief r to He Jre n 11 was His Hia little daughter stared at hopefully But between these two whose brief home happiness had OR on He l land ea and wrecked by them there was 5 solemn pact of truth truth to be tal by the handle if possible if not then by b the blade as now Xo Why Wh whispered Henrie Hennie Were too slow for Geneva said Hid Jack Jacl forcing a rollicking tone and re to see that he lie was able to keep back the deathly pallor which had be begun begun begun gun creeping Into Henries face She Sh likes good times and good company compau Shell probably go abroad as she site al always always ways was does popular she crowed I Henrie her pride returning She is faid aid Jack dryly dryl I Get your our toes out of the way Hen I i want to put down the tray ordered Essie glad of a pretense which en enabled enabled enabled her to bundle the photographs away aay to a side table How did the play pia go tonight Jack Jilek asked Henrie Hennie Great What hat sort of oC A house Stuffed Did they laugh at your I scene ace se e in the last act net Fell off the benches Oooo Henrie rubbed r her Iter soft oft hands in a shuddering delight She Site felt Celt a proprietary Interest In that scene soene aee e Jack always used u ed to play it 1 la to her nights Dont leave looe me again she begged suddenly I wont promised Jack for foe I see ee you do not sleep Xo No o murmured Henrie I think What about challenged Childs taking the evening paper from his pocket Henrie Hennie made no answer her hr eyes were fixed darkly on Helen Keith to whose side Jack had gone Any An time tonight Germaine sug tossing Leasing Les glowering over the tops tope of or the bottles Jack relieved him none too genially There was vas as open hostility between the two to toBy By Jove Joe snorted Childs throwing a startled look from the newspaper to Jack Then he nervously rolled up u the sheet and stuffed it in his pocket Ive Ie read it It said Jack Jaek gamely He Hp i cast a protective glance at Henrie Hennie be careful you dont God bless blos my soul never threw In Child let the little shaver into the joke finished Jack stoically I Geneva played the Ute same me town the I following week It was no unusual coincidence this matrimonial game of hare and hounds couples e can dodge each other in and out of cities the sea season season son through without once meeting even een at a depot ju bu ut to stir advance interest and In a way wY best heat calculated to catch the publics winking eye pe the I papers were stocked with anecdotes of such of amusement as were ere printable To Geneva herself it added the final pleasure to her that she committed them thorn under her hus hue bands name This last of ot hers her was certainly certainly tinly very ver funny to any anyone one eJ s husband that is Were we long coming asked aked Helen bending lovingly Joving over Henrie Henri Henr Xo No 0 said the child curtly turning away aw Monday night In a new town tow ex explained e Essie Esle Airly You know kw what that means mens Henrie Hennie Well Wel be through half hal an hour earlier tomorrow Get cork out a Jack Im Im chewing feathers mourned Childs Supper was soon sn in progress It I was wasa wa f a failure as far as a Henrie Hennie was w wa con concerned concerned concerned she eating nothing and soon an dropping to sleep It was a I fashion she i had to sleep when we were all aU around arund her and to stay awake aake when she e was as left to sleepS sleep Instituted for Henrie Hennie the meal was wa I Continued on Page 10 I 11 r I His Little Red Hen 1 Continued from Page 1 over ver wh when n she tte refused r u ed to partake But who vho wants want to ru rush h to bed at 1 I We separated into groups and ami a ld chatted quietly i Im I m going coins down town own stairs aloha to hunt for forI I mall malt 8 OWel Le glooming terri terrt terribly bly at Jack Tack and Helen who were sitting l by b H cot Come with me Helen HeieR wont you OU and we can take a stroll stroUT Xo No thank you answered Helen with sweet indifference Bring my mail if it there tb re is any an Fenton Leasing played a little scene 1 aliby all by himself l He lIe threw a look of ot re reproach reproach reI I at the heartless s fair tall one east a am m meaning glance at the Ute bell as If it to hint that th t if It she wanted a mental she could ring for tor one then appealed to heaven tg t f elp p comprehension and the girt gift of or I patience tf and departed sulkily upon his I errand Helen said saW Jack Tack He Ha |