Central High School - Red and Black Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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F- E..- N-B,-vf S .-if v , ' f .,, .' h.Q,qggQ3:'i,g5:f ' , WL., ,IN 4 , vw., gt-,-L -, I I - 5' ' . I - J Zi' 'Wi-if ,V '-S lE-.if-'le- , . . ffsraffk-T ?Wmfv'-'fc'-,ffffl '.?-'rife-4 1.if?.:y W THE READ AND' BLAICK ing board a yard or t.wo away from her! You see, said Alice confidingly, I Petted as she had been all her life, Alice was not very timid about acting on her impulses, and so, after she had stopped, and given a, little gasp, and had seen the girl at the board lift her head toward her, she said, flushing at her own boldness : May I come in a little while? The girl at the board had a very sweet face, a trifle worn, and pale, but sweet. She smiled at Alice, and her smile was very pleasant to see, and saidi Certainly. Come right in, and Alice walked in. She deposited her suitcase on the floor, seated herself on a little stool, and watched the worker in silent enjoyment. The young actress was 'very carefully ironing the first of the many ruffles, with uicety putting the point of the iron into each fold and removing every wrinkle. Alice followed the process attentively, and then she settled herself back comfort- ably and said with a bright little air of good' fellowship: I saw you last night. You did? The actress looked up and smiled, and then bent over her work. Yes, and I liked you the best, the very best, on the program. 77 The actress 's smile was pleased. Oh, said Alice again, you can't imagine how I've always wanted to see a real actress from near. And then to see the actress you want most of all to see l-It 's-it 's just thrilling l Again the exceedingly sweet smile of the girl at the board. She had started on the second ruffle and was working as carefully on it as she had on the first. '1'zs.'er1!y-Iwo mean to be an actress, toof' Yes'Z smiled the girl at the board. Oh, yes. Ever since I was a baby I've wanted to be one. I can't remem- ber a time when I didn't mean to act. My parents were always real nice about it and let me take up dancing and sing- ing and elocutiou-and I guess I'll be able to become an actress. Assurance in that last, but you could forgive it in look- ing at Alice's radiant face. People sometimes laugh at you, or sneer at you, when you tell them you want to be an actress,'but I don't see why. It 's a noble work, too. r Alice was nursing a knee now, and her face wore a look of seriousness that made you want to pinch her cheek. She made a charm- ing picture. The girl at the board began on the third ruffle. You know, it's al- ways struck me like this: the world, or people, or civilization, or S01H6tlllllg,'2ll- ways seems to me like a dress. And busi- ness men and farmers, and housewives, and workers seem to me like the stuif the dress is made of, and weiactressesf' fthe girl at the ironing board smiled at that, tool and musicians, and artists, and writers seem like t.he ruifles, on the dress, the lace, the little fancy collars and euifs. Of course, the goods the dress is made of is the most important because it's the dress itself, and we ruffles are just the trimmings. But who would want a dress without any trimmings? A person like- like Aunt Miranda in 'Rebecca of Sunny- brook Farni' would. fWtIS the girl iron- ing familiar with that work? Her smile was as sweet and noncommittal as ever.j Of course, said Alice wisely, a dress

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af ,..- i -' A --- - ' -.,,1,:,? t - 1' ' .. ' ' . ., --il.. 'yr ' ' ' -. , ' i l .7 ' -- -- V- IIS'--. f'.:ii.-.Ti ea-L -9- -. 4,1 J-1 ?457' f . -.-..-HW. -ff 'N ' i 'lf'1'a'5':4 :Q ,i Ii .-13' - '7:7,' tfffni I 1 , . Al, , . ' S 'N ..-J '-.f, .. ' Q Q-xg-i1e'4 ' fir ' f ...Q-5. .ie stile--7 E one THE '. RED '. AND .'. BLACK RUFFLES By Ruth Morris HE Masters' School of Expression Alice didn't mind a bit but tripped was giving a play. lt was in eele- lightly down the dirty corridor, humming bration of some anniversary and was such a big affair that the largest the- ater in the city-which happened to be the Hippodrome-was engaged for one evening. Practicing had been done inthe school auditorium, but the dress rehearsal, which took place two days before the show was to come off, was held one afternoon in the large vaudeville theater. Alice was the leading lady. Everyone that she had the part. She those favored mortals that we see none too often in this imperfect old world of ours. She was so claintily pretty that it was pleased was one of was a delight to look at her. She was talented enough to make her teachers sit up at the really remarkable ability she displayed. She was such a lovable girl that her school chums adored her and never drealned of being jealous of her. The rehearsal had gone off beautifully and when it was over everyone had swarmed upon the stage to compliment Alice and enthusiastic girl friends to kiss her, and Alice was all flushed with pleas- ure and excitement and being kissed. Then everyone had gone off to their various dressing rooms to remove costumes and make-up, and Alice had gone up to hers. Her costume was an elaborate one and took a long time to remove, and fold up, and lay away preciously in her suitcaseg and when she was once more in her street clothes 'the great dingy back-stage of the theater was quiet and getting a tritle dark in spite of the electric lights. ' softly to herself with happiness and satis- faction, and thinking, perhaps, of that rosy future that seemed so certain and near on occasions like this. A door along the corridor was open and there was a light in it and in passing Alice glanced in. Then she stopped and gave a little exclamation of delight. She had been to the Hippodrome the evening before with Bob, and one number, not the headliner, had so enchanted them that they had dis- cussed it 1'apturonsly all the way home. lt was a girl and boy, song and dance number, saturated with the sheer joy of existence, and pretty music, and graceful dancing, and beautiful costumes. And here was the young lady of the act stand- ing over an ironing board on which was the prettiest costume of them all! If ,l were to devote three whole pages to it l never could make you realise-tliat costume. I might describe it and you'd say sneeringly, t'Ilve seen a hundred just like it, and so you have, but they weren 't that costume! To be brief, it was of the Colonial period with a tight little bodice laced with narrow black velvet ribbons, and a. very, very, very wide skirt with a great many ruffles on it, about fifty, l guess, all edged with black velvet bands. Hut that doesnit make you see the par- ticular shade of lavender-pink it was, or perhaps it was light blue with a rosy light thrown over it by the limelightg but at any rate, the I'll3l'Hlf71t' was ravishing. And this vision was spread over an iron- Tttwrily-elle l l 1 A l i l i l l 4.4

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'IlT- if I ,gf I ' e -if 'Sf-aewffaasf' r e- f 4 ...Q .g g A nfl f lujryvwt- 4-egg: 'I 1,1 5 I ND, .-K 8752,- '- 'S I. -' L- I 0.7 5 7, ' . f . '-w ' -- ' ' , - M Y ,. 1+--.L- - 0 21 ' el- L, ' :'ffE'..'I Q4fd f 535- fl ' '- Weil' f ii. .1 1 THE RED all ruffles and lace is just as bad. There must be more workers than entertainers and beautifiers. But the world would be a gray, ugly place if it wasn't for us. The girl ha.d finished two ruffles dur- ing this long speech. Alice watched her, dreamily. '- Still, I feel so sorry for the poor, hum- drum common workers. And I'm so glad that I won 't ever have to be one, that God meant me for the trimmings. The girl had scorched a tiny spot on a ruffle. She bent over it coneernedly. I11 doing so she touched her finger with the iron. She muttered something under her breath which Alice eouldn't hear, and sucked the burn with her lips. Alice was solieitous and remained silent a moment, but when the girl turned once more to her work l1er face was as sweet as ever, and Alice re-settled herself on the stool and continued her prattling brightly. You people ean't really ever be un- happy, can you? Because every night you must get up before that audience and be happy, and when you make yourself appear happy you really become so, don't you? Oh, I know getting up in front of an audience makes you happy, Fife been in front of lots of audiences and I'm hap- pier then than at any other time of my life. I feel so nice and homey when I get ou the boards. I adore half-seeing that big audience out there, knowing that every one of them is looking at me and watching every move I make. I adore looking up, up, straight into the limelight and being blinded by it and not being able to see for a whole minute after, nothing AND .'. BLACK but red and green. She was rhapsodiz- ing now, quite lyrically. But I guess once you get used to acting noneof those things mean anything to you, she fin- ished half apologetically. The girl was about a third through with the ruffles. She drooped a. little over the board but she worked on patiently. There were so awfully many ruffles to be ironed. Alice began to be a little abashed by them. She heard a cheery whistle and a light footstep out in the hall and a young man came into the room and greeted the girl at the board with a Hello, Sis! Alice 's heart gave a jump. She recognized the other partner of the act. Then the young man caught sight of her. Well, look at the little queen, he said, giving her a starelof thelfrankest admiration. Alice flushed -happily. If one is going to make one 's living by- one 's beauty, it is good to be assuredtliat one has that asset. A - , . The young man planted himself in front of her with his legs well apart. Some baby-doll, I'l1 say! he said, and the look he fixed on her was one of approval. Alice began to grow uneasy. Won't yuh introduce? he said, evi- dently addressing the girl behind him but keeping his eyes on the now confused Alice. But the girl at the board who was hidden from Alice evidently did not intend to do so, for she saidnothing. I suppose she doesn't like him to look at me like that, Alice thought. You al- ways read of actresses being jealous. 'fNVhat do you think of.her'? said the girl finally. She's gonna become one of us. - . ,. Twrniy-tl1rf'e