rts of the stars.

In the second act, the crowd, wearied by a dull conversation, roved with
its eyes about the stage and sighted her. There she was, grey-suited,
sweet-faced, demure, but scowling. At first the general idea was that
she was temporarily irritated, that the look was genuine and not fun at
all. As she went on frowning, looking now at one principal and now at
the other, the audience began to smile. The portly gentlemen in the
front rows began to feel that she was a delicious little morsel. It was
the kind of frown they would have loved to force away with kisses. All
the gentlemen yearned toward her. She was capital.

At last, the chief comedian, singing in the centre of the stage, noticed
a giggle where it was not expected. Then another and another. When the
place came for loud applause it was only moderate. What could be the
trouble? He realised that something was up.

All at once, after an exit, he caught sight of Carrie. She was frowning
alone on the stage and the audience was giggling and laughing.

"By George, I won't stand that!" thought the thespian. "I'm not going to
have my work cut up by some one else. Either she quits that when I do my
turn or I quit."

"Why, that's all right," said the manager, when the kick came. "That's
what she's supposed to do. You needn't pay any attention to that."

"But she ruins my work."

"No, she don't," returned the former, soothingly. "It's only a little
fun on the side."

"It is, eh?" exclaimed the big comedian. "She killed my hand all right.
I'm not going to stand that."

"Well, wait until after the show. Wait until to-morrow. We'll see what
we can do."

The next act, however, settled what was to be done. Carrie was the chief
feature of the play. The audience, the more it studied her, the more
it indicated its delight. Every other feature paled beside the quaint,
teasing, delightful atmosphere which Carrie contributed while on the
stage. Manager and company realised she had made a hit.

The critics of the daily papers completed her triumph. There were
long notices in praise of the quality of the burlesque, touched with
recurrent references to Carrie. The contagious mirth of the thing was
repeatedly emphasised.

"Miss Madenda presents one of the most delightful bits of character work
ever seen on the Casino stage," observed the stage critic of the "Sun."
"It is a bit of quiet, unassuming drollery which warms like good wine.
Evidently the part was not