Blue-grass and Broadway
new fire for a new undertaking beginning to burn in his little black
eyes.
"Fine," answered Mr. Vandeford, with all cordiality, and not even
thinking of his lost thousands. "It will go big, Rooney, and I'll be
glad--none gladder."
"Sure," answered Mr. Rooney. "It's all in the business. Everybody on
Broadway is out to stab everybody else--but mostly it's paper daggers if
you take it right."
"A tissue-paper world sewed together with tinsel thread," Mr. Vandeford
murmured, as he fell asleep with his cheek pillowed on the wrist that
Miss Adair had marked in the struggle for her own.
A week from that night "The Purple Slipper" had its first night on
Broadway, and opened the New Carnival Theater in a blaze of glory,
publicity, and electric lights. The talented young press-agent had done
his work well, and the audience assembled was the most brilliant
possible, made up of the usual blase critics, eager theatrical people
who were not on the boards themselves, and interested and distinguished
men and women from many outer worlds. In the box facing the one occupied
by Mrs. Justus Farraday, in a blaze of both the Farraday and Justus
jewels and prestige, and the beautiful young author of the play, with
her son Mr. Dennis Farraday, and the producer, Mr. Godfrey Vandeford,
sat Miss Violet Hawtry with Mr. Weiner, the owner of the beautiful new
theater which was opening its doors for the first time on Broadway. When
the curtain fell upon the new Lindsey star after its eighth elevation,
the Violet rushed behind the scenes and took that astonished young woman
in her arms, with the real tears of emotion, with which one genuine
artist greets another, in her great blue eyes.
"You were wonderful, my dear, perfectly wonderful," she exclaimed. "You
see, Van, I never could have done it like that. Good luck to both of
you, and the little author--oh, there you are, my dear! All of you shake
hands with Mr. Weiner. He's so pleased that he is speechless, but he's
going to give you a big banquet on your fiftieth performance. He's
promised me."
Which demonstration was perfectly in keeping with Miss Hawtry and
Maggie Murphy's character, and emanated from that quality within her
that a month later put "The Rosie Posie Girl" up as high and as
brilliant in electric lights as "The Purple Slipper," and kept it there
an entire year. Which goes to prove that the "tissue paper world" is yet
of heroic fibre.
When Mr. Vandeford went to insert his author into the international
safety that evening at about the hour of midnight, he saw that his
friend the secretary was shooing a chattering party of Christian ladies,
who, as his guests, had sat in a group, fifth row center, in the New
Carnival Theater that evening, off up-stairs. With his talisman key,
which had never left his pocket since it had been presented to him, in
his hand, he paused to speak in a friendly shadow to his successful and
now truly eminent playwright.
"You'll have to go South Thursday, and I'll follow Sunday to get that
little marriage business over in Adairville before we leave for the
Klondike. My commission has arrived from Washington, and the Secretary
of the Navy wants quick reports of the copper before the big freeze. Do
you suppose I can keep you warm in Eskimo furs and--and my heart?"
"Yes," answered Miss Adair, with the flutter which Mr. Vandeford now
answered, without any conscious volition. "There ought to be a great
play out of the Klondike. Jack London could have done it, but--but--"
the faithful gray eyes were raised to his with the flame in their
depths.
With a groan, but an answering flame, Mr. Vandeford replied:
"It's a fatal drag--. Yes. Some day we'll come back and try to put
across another one!"
THE END
* * * * *
Transcriber's note
The following changes have been made to the text:
Page 12: "marischino" changed to "maraschino".
Page 14: "plenty ruffles" changed to "plenty of ruffles".
Page 14: "nee" changed to "nee".
Page 29: "heatrical" changed to "theatrical".
Page 37: "mocking bird" changed to "mockingbird".
Page 40: "Highcliffe" changed to "Highcliff".
Page 42: "Vanderford" changed to "Vandeford".
Page 57: "Madamoiselle" changed to "Mademoiselle".
Page 58: "Madamoiselle" changed to "Mademoiselle".
Page 61: "atinkle" changed to "atwinkle".
Page 67: "Highcliffe" changed to "Highcliff".
Page 90: "coemployer's" changed to "co-employer's".
Page 114: "Fou get Gerald" changed to "You get Gerald".
Pages 118-119: "ear of his coproducer" changed to "ear of his
co-producer".
Page 125: "Lindenberger" changed to "Lindenberg".
Page 145: "I'd going to" changed to "I'm going to".
Page 193: "She's geting along" changed to "She's getting along".
Page 220: "the he Christian" changed to "the Christian".
Page 236: "touseled" changed to "tousled"
Page 237: "manila envelop" changed to "manila envelope".
Page 245: "Vanderford" changed to "Vandeford".
Page 307: "tryout" changed to "try-out".
Page 373: "Esquimo" changed to "Eskimo".