| Show The Luck of Geraldine Laird By KATHLEEN NORRIS Author uthO of The Story of Julia Page Heart of Rachael Wife Sisters etc Copyright ht by Kathleen Norris Now Miss OBrien O'Brien this Is Mr Roos and he wants to talk talle to you about the music you need My Iy uncle aint here yet but we can dope It out without him all right right right-he he told Mr Roos about it It anyway Now you jou OU see Miss O OBrien O'Brien Brien you have a a. drop of at Blarney Castle and this what's Itt name ito name song you jou come out alone and sing It and then the I girls iris come out do flo you see Those are tho the girls over there eight of at them and the best girls we got too They cant can't dr dress ls this morning because th they've y e just been fitted But the costumes costumes costumes cos cos- are Immense Aint they harry Harry The headed gray-headed man nodded They wear weal green tights shamrock hats and white dresses trimmed with shamrocks Leo said hastily it was the best thing in the show that went Now first first it If I get you you you-you you sing the the what's what's the name name- Lesbia Geraldine with icy hands and constricted throat said nervously I Lesbia that's all Now have you got the music Leo asked I Oh you ou dont don't need the music she said Bald swallowing hard My Iy God we ve got to have havo It cried Leo Harry Well you'll find it in any book of old Irish songs Geraldine Interrupted eagerly The men glanced at each other slowly shook their heads It Jt aint a new song demanded Leo Oh no no- no she faltered disheartened by bv this consternation of the there Its It one oldest songs is III stated the headed gray-headed man se se- se Leo with the air of ot a a. man accustomed to meet catastrophe nodded in a I resigned sort of way Did my uncle know that he asked I 1 dont don't know Mr Leo Well Vell he looked about restless and undecided We cant can't waste a minute minute minute min min- ute if it were we're going to use use It It he muttered muttered muttered mut mut- I but 1 dont don't think we can get getaway getaway away with it If it you ask me me Can the tle U e boys play it Harry 1 Sure they can said Harry unhesitatingly un un- un- un hesitatingly I Well you might as well give It to tous us tic Leo said Bald discontentedly Get the girls over Wo Vio might as well run through the ch chorus once or 01 twice to give Miss Mlis OBrien O'Brien a a. little confidence she hasn't had much experience Who's got the words words' The girls can pick em up in five minutes Harry opined Then Miss hiss OBrien O'Brien comes cornu out for some imitations and then she has a monologue Leo consulting a a. scribbled scribbled scribbled scrib scrib- I bled paper continues You want a little Irish music for the oft off and on that's all all' Geraldine was by this time acutely wretched She was inwardly calling I herself an n utter fool for attempting this mad venture and she realized that In the dreadful hour before her I there was nothing but humiliation and disappointment She saw the chorus I girls saunter to the front and watched with a a. dry throat and palpitating heart while they laughed went through their paces and rapidly mastered the simple words of the chorus Then came her moment of ot hideous trial tria Tommy Wilder had disappeared but the hammering and shouting on the stage had not lessened and Geraldine Geraldine Geraldine Ger Ger- aldine had not been relieved In spirit by the addition Of the older Goldmann to their group The old man looked hot and wear weary and utterly dispirited and merely nodded disconsolately when his ne' ne nephew hew whispered to him as Geraldine knew w Instinctively the news that Miss O'Brien's song was Wall as old as aa th the the hills S Maybe laybe we could get get get- Geraldine did not hear the name but she caught the meaning of the murmur and il It it did not hearten her In the moment ol of silence when the orchestra suddenly subdued Itself for tor her opening note You fool you fool you fool you fool you foo fool sh she said aid to herself And then she added heartily I dont don't care care- they they cant can't eat eai me me I hate everything about this business business busi busl- ness nes and Ill I'll be out of ot It tomorrow tomorrow- and It'll all be over And with philosophic laughter sh she told Paula about It that night I I haven't much voice she said And this morning 1 I was Wa so frightened frightened frightened fright fright- ened it come out at all I 1 really felt sorry for tor the old man manIt man It must have been tierce Paula sympathized They let me off oft the Imitations for there Is no music for those Geraidine Geraldine Geraldine Ger Ger- aldine said sallI and I went up to the old man after arter this afternoons afternoon's rehearsal rehearsal- we were all nit absolutely down and out we were so tired tired and and I said to him that HuH If he could get hold of ot anyone else that he liked better why better why Id I'd tear teat u up that three weeks' weeks contract In a second More l fool you jou ou said sahl Paula Well Welt I had to And the look of ot pathetic pathetic pathetic pa pa- relief that came into his old face Geraldine laughed However he was very decent and I must sa say with all the costumes and everything that it did seem to go rather this afternoon afternoon aft aft- Think yOu yOi you'll 1 get away with It Paula asked HIt simple curiosity Im not thinking at all I cant can't think the other woman answered laughing again Its It's all too utterly unexpected and idiotic and unreal unreal unreal-my my going on the stage I shall dress dreS and have my face tace made up exactly as aB they tell ten me to and do everything e I can and then I shall somehow get through It but how I feel teel about it I haven't the least idea What I honestly think she added is this I think that in a few tew days old Goldmann will tell me that he can now get hold of ot Ethel Ethe Somebody or Edith Somebody- Somebody else and that therefore although 1 t have a I Inice nice little tittle act and they want me to try it again some time and eoon so eo soon soon on and so forth how do I feel teel about taking a a. weeks week's salary and calling it square Maybe l Paula admitted But maybe not How Slow do you like it Geraldine was wholly in earnest now and there was a look of real longing in her eyes Paula Taula she said eald I 1 simply love it it Its It's paradise to me I 1 love every bit bitof bitof of ot It the it-the the smells emens and the shabbiness and the words they use and the whole thing I 1 shall be pretty sick However however How How- ever lets let's keep our spirits up until to tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to- to morrow night Geraldine had moved a a. week or two before from her uncomfortable boardIng boardIng boarding board- board Ing hou house to a furnished apartment In East Sixtieth street that was being sublet at a a. sacrifice for the summer months It had seemed to her a great treat adventure to take possession of three bright white painted rooms curtained In gay and with a wide OutloOk outlook outlook out Out- look over Oer O er roofs root of various arious heights to the river But Dut hot upon the heels of ot this experience had come Paulas Paula's disquieting dis dis- quieting and Important Proposal and now a a. new trend of thought like a a. Hood flood was washing her along alone In its Us swift current and Geraldine had lost all sense cense of ot proportion and direction It If t I fail ail She mused And I 1 must fall then tall then what will they all think of me some day when I tell them What a city it I is Is' Is One lives here she pondered using up about per cent of ones one's energy all the time To io live li here at all one ought to rest exactly half halt the time And she had a panicky hour or two of ot fear I ought to consult someone I ou ought ht to ask mother mother or or Dean this Dean this may be a dangerous thing for me to do But nut dangerous how dangerous how she interrupted interrupted inter inter- herself scornfully Nothing is dangerous while I 1 have my senses and unless I deliberately lose control of ot them I am just as safe sate here as up at the farm Going on the stage stage and and I 1 used to tell the girls at Saint Agatha's Agathas that I was going on the stage when I 1 IWas Iwas was a girl And now Im I'm really doing doing- It She went into the shop and laughed at the awestruck girls Paula joined her and they went to the theatre fa for there was to be a hurried last rehearsal re re- re at 6 o'clock Paula stopped for tor a salad and iced tea but Geraldine was too nervous to eat It was all different from her old schoolgirl dreams of going on the stage I It was all oddly flat She had fancied adoring friends crowding about her circle of admiring family and of ot en envious envious envious en- en I girls and of young men I As It was she and Paula this saleswoman saleswoman sales sales- woman of ot clothes were alone and sales sales-I unnoticed unnoticed unnoticed un un- noticed as they entered the metal sheathed door found their dressing I room and murmured busily to themselves themselves them them- I selves so that the it in indifferent different others drifting about should hould not think them uncomfortable Later a a. businesslike middle aged woman asked Geraldine if It she would like any help with her makeup make make- up and Geraldine shyly accepted her offer otter but the makeup woman took no interest in her state of ot mind as she rapidly rouged and penciled I Too early Paula and Geraldine who had slipped a loose thin coat over her I gown went up into the wings The sluggish activities of the theatre dragging dragging drag drag- ging along for the last week were now rising rapidly to fever pitch The orchestra orchestra or or- chestra was wag in its box instruments were whining and chirping the pianist was looking away from his keyboard and talking as he tried brief briet runs and chords The electricians were perspirIng perspiring ing and panting and shouts of despair were mingling v with ith the noise of ot the moving scenery and the general hammering ham- ham merln mering and pounding At A 8 o'clock when the doors opened there was a warning for quiet on the stage state and half bait an hour later the music began It had commenced commenced-a a real theatrical review on Broadway in New York York and and she was in It It And this garrulous little woman next to her was her only friend in the place I She and Paula from a landing on the steep iron staircase that led up to the dressing rooms watched the tho first act and novices as they were realized it was not going well It had not the swing of ot the afternoon rehearsal somehow some some- how The people clapped and laughed duly but Geraldine saw no confidence and no pleasure in old Goldmann's face When the chorus swarmed off oft after atter the ensemble she went busily up Ill to her dressing room again and tJ her hot face fElce and ana touched h her hor r stiffly arranged hair The hairdresser Instructed in instructed instructed In- In carefully yesterday had arranged arranged ar ar- ar- ar ranged ran it In loo loose e old fashioned ring- ring lets and tied it with a green ribbon I and Geraldine f felt lt that tight things were pressing her s calp scalp unmercifully and that hat she would never entirely get rid of the tho pins and cords and nets and bands that had been skillfully introduced intro Intro- She thought to herself herselt that she shedid shedid shedid I did look almost unrecognizably young and surprisingly pre pretty ty but fretted to Paula Paull that the rouge was too obvious They were murmuring unnaturally at ather ather ather I her dressing table when a hurry call from below bi ought brought her heart Into her I mouth She hurried dazed and breathless breathless breath breath- less with her hc heart pumping breath I up to toi i the wings She Sho found Leo and his uncle uncle close CIOS behind h hr ir r Both men were perspiring freely I ell collars wilted their red faces shining Both looked worried and concerned almost to sick sick- ness Say Sa listen Leo whispered to her weve wove got an awful house here here here- Awful Its It's packed Geraldine whispered back in amazement It is the coldest house we wo we have ever played to his uncle ass assured red her bitIng biting bit bit- Ing his nails nervously Maybe I Tommy will do It It maybe he I. I i. i won wont t If It Ithe he don't dont well dont well then wt we lost los We Ve dont don't third thin we can r I with that Le Leo Dont he hC r still t j jNo No we cant can't t hey wont won't st s. s it he answered impatient something awful awful something something pas has m be done done done- Now you jou ou will t hS I out the out the boys will give yo It a music music and and start right off oft III v woman over the saloon thing thins like you were going to to Lad Ladi Gentlemen 3 d I But the girls girls I I cant can't cant can't- sh she shei utterly unnerved i You gotta Leo said br ti ir I Then we can work the an encore unless encore unless the set et Is la rei real rea hind here here here- You told Harry the uncle And I 1 told the boys to hustle They paid no further atten Geraldine She saw Leo engage of the the- shamrock clad girls in con coi the tion-the the lights tights dimmed the dimmed the were gone gone gone- 11 She recognized the Irish ai air were her cue ule For a second l I ll It C l continued on paged page 5 51 |
