| Show 9 a CHAPTER Cow I d e fi Nell t I never I 1 he gasped And Andall t all this trip of your mothers mother's and ii- ii yours and all tl the expenses gone for nothing was hi hh first doleful thought He remembered L second mortgage Ie L he had placed on one of his properties to to- get et the money for the vitally to ta festival And now there df was to 0 o wedding The son-in-law son who was to have assumed the burden of Daphnes Daphne's bills bills was banished Daphne was again her fathers father's own r- r It child J He was glad to have her back but buthe buthe he could have wished that she had not gone away since he paid the freight in n both directions And now here was himself In New York and nothing to show for all the spilt milk of time money and emotions At the critical moment Daphne mentioned mentioned men men- that the star whose understudy she was would earn fifty thousand dole dollars dol dol- e lars mars that year In spite of the hard i. W l dollars dollars- had a O in 1 sound to Wesley's ears If It Daphne could earn a tenth of that he 4 would believe In miracles I Where were you planning to live hone honey while youre you're acting With Bayard I suppose d- d Oh no said Daphne weve ruIned ru- ru r Ined his honeymoon enough already r I I Who with then 1 i I Oh by m myself self I suppose Good Lord t you couldn't do that very well a well a young oung girl like you J r r Why not she said i n He turned pale This 1 was like being asked why babies were found under cabbage leaves He was an old old-fash- lamer anti and he ne ue nau had never been able to rise to the new school of discussing discussing dis dis- discussing dis- dis cussing vitally Important topics with I the children vitally Interested Why why he stammered why because nobody does It ft hone honey Nice girls dont don't live alone Daphne studied him with a tender amusement He was so innocent In his way any In spite of all he must know e She understood what he was thinking of She was sophisticated In th the manner manner man man- manner ner of the nice girl of her time and andt t she liked to treat submerged themes ZA I r with clean candor She thought that prudery was a. a form of slavery If youve you've just got to stay In New NewYork York and just got to work your mother could stay with you I suppose lint But what becomes of you and your horni homp ot Oi Ill I'll get along somehow I dont don't matter This broke her heart She cried out But But you ou do matter mattE daddy you matter mat mat- ter Iter ter terribly Cant Can't you understand eddy Gaddy that Im I'm trying to relieve you and make myself useful instead of a parasite Thousands of women live alone alon professional professional proCessIonal women art students students stu stu- stu- stu dents music students college girls school normal-school women omen besIdes the women In shops and factories Its It's comIn coming more and more But your youre not brought up to a trade I wish I had been Well that's a new complaint anyway anyway any any- way but well of course you wouldn't do anything wrong but If lf you lived alone you'd be misjudged and men would keep I u throwing u non m to your way I had hall pl f that when I was living at home horned Daphne I lie cried out In pain a at the tile very thought She went on educating him with a vengeance Plenty of and plenty of opportunity daddy It w wu W t your our fault You gave me all the I p that anybody could da daddy But you cant can't protect people all the time And it was when you trusted me most that you protected me IDe most People are just beginning to realize that even in penitentiaries the higher the walls and the stricter the guards the more mom prisoners try to escape The They're re f o-ii o IJ u ling convicts out to work on m roads i i- iw w IV with no guards nt all And th tbt y do flu their troth wol I nn ri V f rI Lac Don t you thin w women omen c can b be trusted as far as convicts I suppose so he sighed But he lie was convinced of the tho security of neIther neither nei neI- ther the convicts nor of the women under these new ne lie was convinced of only one thing and that was his helplessness Daphne took him home In a taxicab At the apartment they caught aught Bayard just rushing for his office lie He greeted his father with whirlwind affe affection on but he lIe knew that he would please Wesley better by hurrying on to his J H v. v uy uJ cung aria IllS a for the purpose of entertainment Wesley took Leila b by storm with hi his s lavish and whole-hearted whole praise H He e had not seen her before He gathered her to his breast then held her ou out t at arms arm's length to praise her and to praise Bayard for bringing her Into the fa family Ily Mrs 1 Kip did not delay long the assault assault assault as as- sault on Daphnes Daphne's position But Wesley Wes Wes- ley said Weve had a long talk and I guess she's pretty set in her way She's a good girl though mamma And she knows her own mind better than we we wedo do An ways Its It's her own mind Let her have her way and If anything goes wrong she can always come come back home His wife boiled over It made her feel as much at home as an nn old kettle on a stove to have her husband there thereto to boll over oyer on Wesley Kip are you going to set there and encourage that girl her life and her reputation reputation reputation tion without doing anything to protect her Oh I guess she's not goIng to ruin anything After all aU the best best- way to protect folks Is to trust em It was bald plagiarism but Daphne made no complaint Wesley Wesley- got into trouble at once however by making the suggestion that his wife remain as a companion for her child Mrs 1 Kip took it as a sign that he be wanted to get rid of her and Daphne refused to take tale it at all Wesley sat pondering In silence for fora a while then he rose and mumbling Be back In a little while took his hat bat and went out They wondered what mischief t he was up to and what folly he would commit He came back In half an hour with a smile of success I guess its it's all aU right I been thinking thinking think think- ing about all the different things been said We dont don't want Daphne living by herself and she dont don't feel like she ought to trespass on Leilas Leila's home honie soI so soI soI I got an Idea and went down and saw the janitor or superintendent or whatever whatever what what- ever he Is and I asked ed him mightn't It be there was somebody In this b building building build build- d. d ing wanted to rent a room to a nice girl And he said there was a young couple felt the rent was a little high and had an extra room So we ve e went up and took a look at It it Right nIght nice young oung woman name of or something like that said shed she'd be glad to take my daughter in I was thinkIng thinking think think- ing lag that if Daphne was up there she could see Bayard and Leila when she was lonesome or anything and shed she'd be handy where they could keep ane an e eye l f If t ot of t sick s1 k or o r anything The three women women oo 00 d d at fit him In amazement He lied hud solved the riddle that barred barned them all ull and had compromised compromised compromised compro compro- the Ill bet the place Is a sight and th the th woman a freak said Mrs Kip Lets Letsgo go have a look at her So all four tour went up In the elevator to the top floor They were about to ring the bell of one of the big front like Bayards Bayard's but Wesley Vesley d d them s in th the back The woman exchange and smiles behind the Im Important shoulder blades of Wesley Vesley the manager He rang a bell and a young woman opened the door As Leila Lena said afterward She had the whole map of New England In her face tace and her middle name was Boston Boscn cn Rut Hut she site was ding Ung In n a placid Pu- Pu I er won her herShe c Cu CuShe She felt a sense of relief from the J rather gaudy beauty of Leilas Leila's apart apart- ment meat She felt that Mrs Chivvis who showed such fine restraint in her furniture furniture furniture fur fur- would be equally discreet In minding her own affairs said that Is 1 If III Ill l take It ft she Is s you'll take me me Mrs Chivvis said she would She said it with a New parsimony parsimony parsimony mony of enthusiasm but her eyes were kindly and Daphne decided that she thought nice things but lacked the courage to say them Daphne moved at once into the Chiv vis apar apart c t what belongings she hadj had j h un jiT m Cleveland and her mother promised to dispatch the rest rest of them as soon as she reached home Wesley Vesley could not be persuaded to stay over an unnecessary night His business was in a perilous condition The mammoth Cowper firm had gone Into bankruptcy owing him a handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some sum of money which he was not likely to recover The failure closed an Important and profit profi ole iole market for his calculating machines It frightened frightened his k as well and he had wrestled 1 Another nother Jacobwith Jacobwith Jacob Jacobwith with an un almost Inv Invite e e cashier fo for r money enough to meet ay rop- rop Yet he sli slipped f per a f 1 re t when heb lai Jy- Jy bj nt Ulc t s station ti late lato IA In l an t t C t should have nave other otner re enforcement s whenever she called on him Daphne reached the theater at seven seve n o'clock and sat In the dark on a canvaS can can- v vaS rock watching the the stage hands hand s gather and listening to their repartee Batterson arrived at of length lie wain was wa s in one of his humane moods moods He asked Daphne If If she had memorized her lines and she said she had He lie told he helt her hert r lt t he would give her another rel re- re l the next day after breal breakfast fast After breakfast he explained wa was s one o'clock p. p m. m Next neat morning Daphne presented hersel her ner- sel self to Batterson and endured one of his rehearsals with his assistant readIng reading read read- ing nil all the cues in a lifeless voice Batterson Batterson Bat Bat- terson was more discouraged than she was He showed It for a n time by a n patience that was of the sort one shows to a shy imbecile He was so restrained that Daphne broke out for him Do you think I I Farr Farra am ama a n complete Idiot Mr Batterson Far Tar from It ft my dear said Batterson Batter Batter- Batter Batter- son You are a very Intelligent yo young i woman The trouble Is that you are too Intelligent for the childs child's play of the stage Its It's all a kind of big nursery nursery nurs nurs- ery and you cant can't forget that facts are not facts in this toy game If It you could let yourself go and be foolish and play doll house you might might- suc suc- Its It's hard even eyen when you know how But its it's impossible as long as you try to reason It out Its It's like music and fiction and all the arts Youve You've got to pretend or you OU cant can't feel teel and you cant can't make anybody else feel And that Indeed was Daphnes Daphne's ag ag- ony She could not release her Imal- Imal nation or command her clear vision to see what was not there Night after night she reported report d at atthe atthe atthe the theater and left It when the curtain curtain cur cur- tain tarn rose On one of these evenings Tom Duane met her outside the stage door His apology was that he lie f felt It his duty to look 1001 after his client He Invited Daphne to ride home In his car which was waiting at the curb She declined with thanks He ure urged d n p u ll l I She Reached the Theater at Seven o'clock and Sat in the Dark on a Canvas Rock Watching Ahe he e StageHands Stage StageHands StageHands Hands Gather and L L. L ening to Their Repartee that she take a little spin in the park She declined without thanks He sighed that It was a n pity to lose the moonlight She said she would get enough when she walked home He lIe asked if he might toddle along She could hard hardly ly 11 refuse without crassly Insulting him They loitered slowly up the q et reach of Seventh avenue He questioned ques ques ques- her about IH her r work with all the gr gru Jul flattery there Is in an un appe- appe T she fop fO r Ing ng grimly a gasp of yell rell Duane and his WImburn loved her for his own He his own and still sUll had the he engagement ring nor Daphne was more pleased t burns burn's misery than with Dur 4 Wont you come up up Clay asked He murmured Can we be alone alonea ia i 1 a little talk 7 Im afraid not The you know Will you take a n little walk with mein mEIn me mE- meIn In the park All AU right she said as she led the way out Into the street Im pretty tired though I walked home from the theater With Duane I 1 Clay snarled You weren't too tired for that Daphne thought of the motor ride and the supper she had declined She said Arc Are you dragging dragging- me out here for the sake of a a Q jl TS ri Therell There 11 b bs 1 If t Ill all cut out that m maiv- maiv ani s sG G e t C r tall all L JAB g S' S 1 to S w w tit lit e a lint Clay for your own Information Every time this tills Mr 11 Duane that youre you're so afraid of meets me he does his best to help me get my chance and he tells me only pleasant things Every time youve you've come to see me lately youve you've been either a sick cat or a roaring tiger She was planning to urge him to help her and make their meetings rosier But lover-like lover he lie took umbrage umbrage umbrage um um- brage and pain and despair from her advice and since they were again at atthe atthe the vestibule he sighed Good night I Mrs Duane and flung out Into th the e aar Daphne sighed and the poor elevator elevator eleva eleva- tor man who saw so much of this sort son of thing sighed with her and for her CHAPTER XII All AH this while Daphne was kept i In n readiness to take Miss Kemble's par parin part partIn t In case the Illness of her child should shout d result In death and In the further case cas e that she should be unable to to finish he her r performances With the theatrical season In such Buch bad estate and most o of f Reben's companies companies' companies and theaters losin losing g money heavily Sheila Kemble was his gs s one certain dependence He lIe called her his breadwinner Miss Kemble's baby passed the crisis crisis cri crl- sis ss and recovered And then the mother worn out with the double strain caught a little chill that became becam e a blinding choking cold She wen went t through the Saturday matinee In a whisper but the night performance e was beyond her And now at last ace ar nr I rived The Satu tt It house was enormous in spit P heat There were enough n ere to make fourteen hun hum Burs twenty ors twenty five hundred fo f B Daphne tr triM Fo o the theater for her usual buff walked into this crisis of her life Reben himself knocked at her dressIng dressing dressing dress dress- ing room door where whee Miss WInsor was helping her with her make He implored her to be calm and he was so tremulous that he stuttered He told her that if she made good he would lether lether let lether her play the part pact till Miss Mss Kemble got well He would pay her a handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some bonus H He would put her out at the head of a number two company n next neat season Batterson came at last and ordered him him- himoff off the stage Reben obeyed him Then Batterson talked to her He told her that there was no reason to fear the ho house se A Saturday night audience was always It wanted Its moneys money's moneys money's mon mon- moneys money's eys ey's worth I 1 It would help to get It ft I see said sald ald Daphne Im not afraid of ot the audience I Then what on earth are you afraid of Im Tm afraid of mel me Batterson laughed scornfully Oh you Youre You're going goin to score a knock knock- out Youre You're going to make a big hit Yes said Daphne so youve you've always always always al al- ways told me nie The curtain rose Miss Winsor and the young man skipped onto their Job the butler stalked Eldon entered and made his exit Mrs Vining |
