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Show sHE WAS READY. v, TVoman Save a Thoatrical ZSp Embarraunnt. JZis a little actress now playing ffnarts who is not well known and Vnevcr bo known to the public. bJlT; is an example of the plucky jt . ! rirl who haa to make her liv-frSeveres liv-frSeveres in her work. The g Lstold of her case by a theatri-ntfer theatri-ntfer who was tolling of tho fnaths company has often to "When on the road. It was in a nut west where the company was ?.conlv three nights that three of toJ fell ill- One of them played fading part, and while the troupe Tthe road there was only one un-dv-the one for the leading lady, pleading had been iUforsev- ur but she hoped to appear that usual. Toward evening, ver she sent a message that htr '!Lian had insisted on her going to : -n,; threw her part to her under- i The manager was thrown into a li s few minutes later by getting i that two more of his actresses were L)ill as this left the three princi-i princi-i tarts without those who regularly t1 them, and there was only one BaUtheatrical manager is accustomed facing hard tasks at short notice, and e at once set to work to reconstruct for . niiht his company. A woman who ok minor part was hastily rehearsed Tthe second role in point of impor-'no impor-'no she did not make a success of it, at tin manager breathed a sigh of re-,firlien re-,firlien he had satisfied himself that could stumble through her lines in fairly decent fashion. -"Sow," he said, having disposed of 'knotty problem, "I must make some mngement for tho third part." A little woman who was standing on he stage came forward and said firmly s j maid liko to play that part." She was one of those women who are j lie found in every play, one who is a to-waiting in one scene, a part of he mob in another, and perhaps one of garden party in another one who atoagreat deal, changes her gowns iany times, but never says anything, to she volunteered to try the part he manager was vexed. : "Why," said ho curtly , "you have never ad a line, have you?' "Sot many," she answered simply. "You haven't two hours to learn the "Oh, I know them very welL ,won t on rehearse me?' "Well," said the manager doubtfully, '1 suppose I must. We have got to do omething. Come, let's try it." As the quiet Ktole woman with the eriouseyes weiit over the lines a pleased mile spread over the manager's face. 3e nodded his head approvingly as she ontinued, aud she, encouraged by his nendliness, lost hor first shyness and ndedwith a fire and spirit which called orth from the worried manager a hearty iryof applause. .. . "Good!" he cried. "You do better han Miss . , who is going to take ;he second part. , Ah," he added, a shade if disappointment darkening his face, "if ron only knew those lines." ' "But I do," she said, delightedly. "You do? Then rattle them off just is fast as your tongue can wag.", So they went through those lines, the manager becoming more and more cheerful, cheer-ful, Miss M , glad to be relieved of lier responsibility, was rehearsed in the lines of the third part. Tho curtain was i few minutes late in rising that night, but it was a smiling and grateful man-ager man-ager who watched a little womanf whose name he had not thought to ask, save the company in so graceful a fashion. When the curtain came down on the last scene he asked her how she happened to know the lines. ' "I learned them," was the happy re-fly. re-fly. "I know all the lines in the play." "But you rehearsed so well?" "Oh, I used to rehearse myself in my room after the play. I thought I could do it," she said, with a proud smilo on her face. The actress whose place she had as-raraed as-raraed did not appear on the next night. She had been sent home seriously ill. hen the play opened in the next town there was a new name on the programme -a name which had never before been (o any programme, and the little woman "Wpluck and intelligence had saved the company played that part for the fat of the season. New York Tribune. |