Blue-grass and Broadway

birds, pecking away for dollars that grow-or do not-on bushes. And it was in such a quest that Miss Patricia Adair of Adairville,

iness," said Mr. Vandeford, as he shuffled a faint, violet-tinted letter out of a pile of advertising posters emblazoned with dancing girls and men, several personal bills, two from a theatrical storage house and one from an electrical expert, leaned back in his chair, and pr

e in his big black eyes that were like gems in a round, very sedate, even sad, Hebrew face. "Bare le

a lot on. Costumes that cost a million will be the next drag, mark me, Pop," Mr. Godfrey Vand

Rosie Posie Girl,'" agreed Pop dolefully, from above

y Corbett's clothes ideas," growled the pessimistic, prospective

t," answered Pop,

on a Connecticut farm; but the show bug has bit Denny hard and I'll have to be the one to shear him and not leave it to any of the others. I'll be more merciful to his millions; but asking

roducer, and his optimistic soul suffered when he discovered a gem and found himself unable to get Mr. Vandeford to read so much as the first act unless he caught him in just suc

and that is all the business I can attend to for this morning?" answered Mr. Van

deford, it is

Meyers's immediate supplication. The parcel that he deposited up

ress intrusion was incased. "Exact match! This looks like some sort of a hunch. Open it, Pops, and run through the layout while I tackle th

ained the following, delive

hcl

ear

suit myself, and I had to be costumer and producer and the whole show. In justice to myself I feel that I ought to pass under the management of a more forceful person than yourself. And anyway I don't think you would be able to get a theater to open on Broadway in September. Remember that over a hundred good shows died on the road waiting to get into Broadway last winter, and I won't play anywhere else. Now Weiner wants to buy "The Rosie Posie Girl" from you and open his New Carnival Theatre with

rie

ol

y f

st as usual. I couldn't do without that. How

a Persian glow in a belt space up from the seething sidewalks to the sky line, and above it all the roar and din rose to high heaven. But Godfrey Vandeford was blind to it all and deaf, as he sat and brooded above the furious landscape. His blue eyes, set deep back under their black, gray-splashed brows, failed to take in the lurid spectacle, and his narrow, lean face was flushed under the bronze it had acquired for keeps from the suns

ive years ago, Pop," Mr. Vandeford finally interrupted the flip of the man

rk," growled Mr. Meyers from behind his violet b

e wants to sell me out to Weiner after I've spent five nice, good years in building her into a little twinkle star, but I don't think it will be good for her to let her do it. I'll have to use the slipper on her, I

as he bent once more to the pages which he had been

urple Slipper.' About wh

at five hundred as per contract with him. But, M

of fun mussing around with it to cut his eye teeth, and then we'll clap Violet into 'The Rosie Posie Girl,' weeping with gratitude to have her face saved after being slapped first. Get the parts out to-morrow and you and Chambers begi

d the contracts?" questioned Mr. Meyers,

e box office receipts under five thousand, and seven and a half on all over that. Also go into the moving picture rights and second companies with your usual honesty, but offer her only a two hundred and fifty

ut you in the 'Times Magazine' made her know that you were the one producer to whom she coul

hing to the scene of action when we butcher her child. Pay the two thousand to Hilliard for the option on 'The Rosie Posie Girl' until January fir

luck," said Mr.

he author's name? I might have to produce a little concrete information in the

it has in plenty of ruffles and romance that is in a past time of a

hunches, and that accord in color was meant to mean something. Better send me a copy special in the morning. If

Meyers, with just the tra

e door closed on Mr. Vandeford's grac

to muffle the telephone unless in cases of emergency. Then he seated himself in Mr. Vandeford's deep chair, put his feet on the desk, lit a fat, black cigar and plunged into "The Purple Slipper," née "The Renunciation of Rosalind." For two hours he read with the deepest absorption, only pausing to ma

atrici

lle, Ke

ntents

ear

supplementary road companies to extend over a period of two years from the date of signing the contract, and will agree to pay you in addition five per cent. of all box receipts up to five thousand per week and seven and a half on all exceeding that sum. If y

me, my d

y t

y Vand

to her by her brother, Mr. Roger Adair, from the hip pocket of his khaki trousers, upon which were large smudges of the agricultural profession. His blue gingham shir

the first person coming your way," he said as he threw the reins of the filly, whose chestnut coat matched his hair exactly, over the gate post, and proceeded to take from the pommel of the saddle the

e letter he had handed her. "My play, my play, it's sold!" And as she sparkled at him over the letter of Mr. Adolph Meyers held cl

ded Roger, stolid

knew it would kill Grandfather to move him away from the house he was born in, and I couldn't think of anything that would get

In his arms he still held the meal and the sugar, and his interest was an insp

ngton consulting the President about the first constitutional convention, the ones about the Indian raid and the b

twinkle turned inward at the memory of his seventeen-yea

y to see exactly how to make one. It ends when he comes back expecting to find her killed and she is dancing at a dinner she has given her lover as a bet that

, with a decided return of his seventee

as she handed him Mr. Godfrey Vandeford's let

Roger exclaimed, as his manner dissolved quickl

Times Magazine' article that I read about Godfrey Vandeford and his plays, it said he had paid the author

hat had a row of spring onions growing odoriferously defiant under the very shower of its pe

ep the house for Grandfather. You know we couldn't get any mo

fter I-that is, right away?" demanded Roger fiercel

irst, but after that we would have to-to tell-Grandfather and move," a quiver came into Patricia's soft voice that had in it the patrician, slurring softness that can only come from the throat of a grand dame sprun

said Roger, with a choke in his voice that wa

t time, and I can pay most of it off. A hundred t

don't succeed,

dn't you read that he wants to star Violet Hawtry in it? She was 'Dear Geraldine.

h the garden I am going to raise. I'm no Godfrey Vandeford, but I'm a first-class producer-of potatoes and oni

two hundred and fifty to use this summe

here?" dema

duce a play without the author there to help him?" Patricia's scorn of Roger's

"You can take the whole two hundred and fif

st his strong, warm shoulder under the gingham shirt. "I'm afraid of New York. I know you'll take care of G

g assurance. "Go to the Young Women's Christian Association, an

cial letter to the secretary about me," exclaimed Patricia with the joy lights back in the great, gray eyes

ger. "You know you have to spend money to make money and you mustn't

tle machinery to prove it." Again the young playwright rose to her knees and with letter and sugar in her embrace she entreated to be allowed to

dragged Patricia to hers beside him. "Come on and let's break it to the Major. You may need me to stand by if it hits him on the bias," and they both laughed with a

hen he could leave the negro hands to their work out on Rosemeade, their ancestral five hundred acres of blue-grass meadows and loamy fields. Roger had for the summer quit his slowly growing law practice in Adairville, enlisted as a doughty Captain in the Army of the Furrows and was as proud of his khaki and gingham unif

e Major seated in his arm chair on the porch which was guarded and supported by round, white pillars around which a rose vine festooned itself. A faded, plaid wool rug was across the Major's knees in spite of the fact that the evening was so warm, and abo

we were seventeen, and now they fight behind guns located six miles away

ajor's words. "We whipped them Yankees in no time but they jest didn't find it out in time to stop k

to talk to them for a few minutes, Jeff," answered t

nto the house and back to his kitchen to complete his preparation of the simple evening meal for his lit

ry day-help him Lord, an

r's deep voice which was huge even in weakness, then he shook his head and began to hustle the food together to be able to use t

h no lady should ever set foot. No! Do not argue, Patricia! Roger and I understand, and it is not needful that y

m going to show them how I want it acted and then come right home

e perfectly safe. I am going to write to Dennis Farraday, who graduated with

e has the interest and protection of a gentleman who is a friend of her brother's, and a safe retreat in a woman's organization I will have to permit her to superintend the placing of her great work before an appreciative public. Of course, she will not be thrown with any of the theatrical world socially, and in a fe

en's Christian Association I think it would have sure gone the other way." And Roger laughed with the twink

weakly, from the top step upon which she

everything and he'll look after you for me. I'd trust Denny to do his best for me if I hadn't seen him for fifty years. I lived

out loud to you. It has just struck me that I will have to have some clot

arget for your thoughts than I can be. I'll stop and tell her th

I can to you," said Patricia, a

meadow, but I'll come back to be in the finish of the dimity confab," an

de, philosopher and friend, in the matter of costuming as well as in all other matters, of the feminine population of Hillcrest, had hurried down the street to the Rosemeade gate as soon as she had consumed he

tailor suit will be suitable for you to wear to sustain yourself in such a po

aid that Broadway only woke up at night. And you know it said he was the best known man on Broadway. Of course, h

evere glance at the frivolous Mamie Lou. "I shall, of course, make her an evening dress or two, one especially to wear when the multitude calls her before the curtain to exp

behind Mamie Lou as if expecting a volley from Miss Elvira. But Miss Elvira was too much

f a suit that I can see on you, Patricia," she m

hington that is that curious new blue color, Pat, and a lot more of-" Mamie Lou was saying with great ex

Madam Adair's dresses for

acred and-" Patricia began to remon

for them to emerge," Miss Elvira further decreed. "Get a lamp and

f Rosemeade, Adairville, Kentucky, later Broadway, even

re in Washington to dance with Lafayette," Patricia confided to Roger as they stood under the rose vine in the moo

party dimity, Pat," he said as he smiled down into the eager, gray

swered the warmth in his voice as she clung to the

verybody always loved you?" he asked tenderly as

head suddenly held high. "If anyb

r upon the moonlit and mockingbird trilled air of the Bluegrass State Mr. Godfrey Vandeford was engaged in about the twenty-fift

s willing to give you a fifth interest in it and that's all you deserve. I'll show you whether or not you can sacrifice my career, you --! --! --! you!" And with which tirade the beautiful Violet stormed up and down the veranda of Highcliff in front of the supine figure of h

the same salary and I get all the profits instead of the one-fifth our friend Weiner is offering me

in your pockets. Why should I?" demanded the star virago, in a fury that made her snapping Irish blue eyes, tal

ke I'll meet you there and fight it out instead of by these sounding sea waves in this delicious moonlight. Come here and kiss me and do let

d stage door drab don't think I am that same kind or that sort of thing goes with me now."

ghcliff or any other trifles you wanted? There are other ladies to love in the world besides you, aren't there? There are other gentl

were the words of the conciliating purr that he got a

out over the old ocean so that its hungry waves seemed to be leaping up to engulf him. The gray peaks and gable of the Ha

nst a bosom that still tossed with the storm of anger that she had put out of voice and face. "You know how last year nobody could get a theatre for love or money, and the producers who owned theatres put on all the plays and coined money.

him out to Weiner too," answered Mr. Vandeford, as he very gently but determinedly t

estion at her as he felt the tautening of the muscles in the white arms that

er,' answered Mr. Vandeford, as he gave her ano

read t

selecting and producing," was the slap administered with

t out this morning?" was what he got with an entire change of pur

he rose, stretched, yawned and in other ways indicated his desire for s

the frown of anger which had so lately rested on her fair face. Mr. Vandeford laughed inward

ether they climbed the steps, and with a kiss executed by the Violet he lef

ody, and in an instant every muscle stiffened to action. The

he murmured and looked about him at his belongings strewn around his room. "I'll send D

rain. Just as the headlight cast a red ray down the long track he stepped on the platform and in ten seconds more he was being whirled away from the moonligh

ng road prestige appealed strongly to her cupidity, which had been well trained in getting dimes from tight pockets in cheap cafes and ten, twenty and thirty theatres, but she had seen a grouping of Dennis Farraday's name in the paper a few days ago with the names of some young New York multimillionaires in a National Commission, and she knew that he and his "pile" were worthy of the effort of her charms. Also she had seen big, broad, breezy, gallant Dennis himself at luncheon with Mr. Vandeford in the Astor not ten days before, and her designs had been decidedly set in his direction. To her thinking, big, broad, breezy, gall

ich Mr. Adolph Meyers had sent her instead of the beribboned, purple "Renunciation of Rosalind," and began to read the first page

es

.

arraday! H

.

s is Viol

.

ly well, t

.

he gay young thing has

.

g for me, but I

.

ut for you. Of course we'll go with you. I had forgo

.

ressed at all. I was going

.

will take even your Surreness that time to get here. Take

.

usette. The summons was answered by Mrs. Aline Hawtry, née Maggie Murphy the first,

king out the back door of the morning." Mrs. Hawtry, once Murphy, was a big bonny editio

r. Dennis Farraday is coming down to take us over to see Simone dan

's door and knocked. Then she paused and knocked again. From neither knock did she receive an answer as the moment was just ab

r a moment her eyes were stormy, then her face cleared with a smile of delight, a

can beat