ay, with now and then a spark from Mr. Rooney that took fire in
the very core of her heart or brain or solar plexus--wherever "The
Renunciation of Rosalind" had been conceived. Miss Adair did not know
what it was that thus affected her, but she had got hold of her end of
the psychic cord along which the author feeds the hostile stage-manager
in such a manner that on the first night of a successful play they can
say to each other with clasped hands and wet eyes, "Well done!"

And while Miss Adair sat under the spell of Mr. Rooney, Mr. Vandeford
sat in his big chair in his office and fought a battle for "The Purple
Slipper" that resulted in a draw that filled him with anxiety.

"I can find only one open booking in New York for October first, Mr.
Vandeford, sir," Mr. Meyers was saying, with trouble settled in a cloud
upon his broad brow. "I have it fairly good for the road for 'The Purple
Slipper' until October first, and then it is a jump to Toronto or
Minneapolis, which is into the grave."

"I suppose that one opening on Broadway is Weiner's New Carnival
Theater," Mr. Vandeford asked as though the question were useless.

"You have it right," answered Mr. Meyers. "Still, Mr. Vandeford, sir, it
is always failures that leave Broadway openings into which road shows
can jump."

"Until last year, yes, Pops, but now New York is so full of people with
munition and war-contract money in their pockets that any show, no
matter how rotten, that gets in a Broadway theater plays to capacity and
stays. They'd go to 'The Old District Skule' because the doors were open
and there is no other place to go. What are we going to do?"

"I advise that you see Mr. Breit and trust to some very big failure to
give you a place. It is that he will always give you a preference,"
answered Mr. Meyers with little hope, but determination.

"Yes, Breit will let me in if there is a squeezing chance, but Breit
doesn't own a theater, nor do I, or you, Pops; and I don't blame the
fellows who do own them for filling them with their own cheap companies
and plays so as to get their buckets under the whole golden stream. Why
give money away to any independent producer?"

"Mr. Breit said that he had news that Mr. Weiner would open that New
Carnival with a Hilliard show, name not given," Mr. Meyers added to the
information already prepared for Mr. Vandeford.

"I'll see goose-grease frying out of him in Inferno before he gets it,"
said Mr. Vandeford, coolly