"Oh, but I can't ask you to do that," he exclaimed, and for almost the
first time since the day of his graduation he felt color rise up under
his own tanned cheeks. "I have to see the stage director and a lot more
people about some things connected with your play. Still, I can't bear
to have anybody else get that first night on Broadway away from me. I
think it is due me." Being herself entirely sincere, Patricia recognized
the utter sincerity of the distress in the voice of her producer where
any other woman would have been doubtful of the ready excuse coming
immediately after the invitation.
"Then I'll just go to bed early and rest up from the trip, so that I can
go with you whenever you get the time to take me. You are working for us
both about the play, and if you had rather I waited for you, that is
only fair," Miss Adair hastened to assure him with a sincerity equal to
his own.
"You are one good sport," was the reply that he made her straight from
the shoulder, for the thought of a perfectly beautiful girl going to bed
in the Y. W. C. A. and covering up her head and ears from the bright
lights of her first night in old Manhattan just to give a strange and
reverenced man the pleasure of introducing her to the old city made a
profound impression upon him. "To-morrow night we'll wake up things on
Broadway. I'll telephone you in the morning to let you know how the play
is going and to see if there is anything I can do for you. Now you must
all go and let me get busy."
"Yes, this is just about the hour that hats begin to bite well,"
assented Mr. Farraday, as he removed the girls down to his car with no
thought or question as to whether his services would be needed in the
enterprise in which he had embarked with Mr. Vandeford.
"Now for it, Pops!" said Mr. Vandeford as the door closed behind his
co-workers in the production of "The Purple Slipper," whose work at that
moment was to play at a distance from his labor. "I'm going to read that
play, and nothing short of something that will injure its prospects if
neglected by me must disturb me. When I'm done I'll make plans with you.
It will take me several hours, and you stand by every second of the
time. Get me?"
"Yes, Mr. Vandeford, sir," answered Mr. Adolph Meyers, and he shut his
door into the outer office just as Mr. Vandeford closed his own with a
bang.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account